The Autonomic Power System - network operation and control beyond smart grids

A wide range of applications are being researched and developed within the Smart Grid community, such as voltage control, thermal constraint management, dynamic line ratings and automated reconfiguration. Typically, the current approach is to develop piecemeal automation applied to small sections of legacy networks under current market, commercial and regulatory regimes. The challenges of future energy networks are the anticipated uncertainty and complexity within them. This includes uncertainty in the equipment, configurations and control functionality required married with uncertainty in the participation of consumers through demand side technologies and the uptake of electric vehicles and microgeneration technologies; while complexity is engendered in managing the vast number of interactions within such a system. The authors are developing the concept of the Autonomic Power System which provides flexible and adaptable control through fully distributed intelligence and control. Fundamental research in intelligent systems and network control will deliver a truly integrated self-controlling, self-optimising, self-healing and self-protecting electricity network. This paper outlines the vision, architecture and initial control techniques which will deliver the Autonomic Power System

Fostering students’ creativity via educational robotics: An investigation of teachers’ pedagogical practices based on teacher interviews

This study explored how educational robotics (ER) was implemented in classrooms to foster creativity among elementary school students and identified challenges associated with its implementation. Twenty-six teachers at different elementary schools were interviewed. In-depth teacher interviews and grounded theory were used to collect and analyze the interviews. We found that the intended creative learning outcome for students was mastery of the developmental process of creativity. The teachers generally reported using a four-phase instructional framework consisting of eight sub-phases and targeted teaching strategies to support students’ learning outcomes. Challenges included insufficient appropriate learning materials, a lack of expansive learning activities and tasks and limited opportunities to engage students in the process of design thinking and developing metacognitive abilities. The findings have practical implications for teachers and researchers who are interested in developing pedagogical practices (PP) incorporating ER to support students’ creativity. The study also has theoretical value, offering insights into teachers’ PP in implementing ER