Crowdsourcing Swarm Manipulation Experiments: A Massive Online User Study with Large Swarms of Simple Robots

Micro- and nanorobotics have the potential to revolutionize many applications including targeted material delivery, assembly, and surgery. The same properties that promise breakthrough solutions---small size and large populations---present unique challenges to generating controlled motion. We want to use large swarms of robots to perform manipulation tasks; unfortunately, human-swarm interaction studies as conducted today are limited in sample size, are difficult to reproduce, and are prone to hardware failures. We present an alternative. This paper examines the perils, pitfalls, and possibilities we discovered by launching SwarmControl.net, an online game where players steer swarms of up to 500 robots to complete manipulation challenges. We record statistics from thousands of players, and use the game to explore aspects of large-population robot control. We present the game framework as a new, open-source tool for large-scale user experiments. Our results have potential applications in human control of micro- and nanorobots, supply insight for automatic controllers, and provide a template for large online robotic research experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 13 figures, to appear at 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2014

Emergent Leadership in Self-managed Virtual Teams: A Replication

Carte, Chidambaram, and Becker (2006) conducted a longitudinal study of 22 self-managed virtual teams to better understand the differences in leadership behaviors engaged in by high- versus low-performing teams. We conducted a methodological replication of their study to attempt to confirm its findings. Our data were collected in a different country (Sri Lanka versus US), using different subjects (MBA versus undergraduate students) grouped into 25 teams that were collocated (rather than geographically distributed) but still using a collaborative technology (CT), and engaged in different a task (judgement versus intellective) than the original study. These changes result in opportunities to determine the robustness of previous findings. Two of five hypotheses results were replicated, indicating that certain characteristics of high-performing technology-supported teams seem universal. However, the remaining differences between the studies point to the influence of task, culture, and geographic dispersion of members in determining effective leadership behaviors in self-managed computer-supported teams

Particle Computation: Complexity, Algorithms, and Logic

We investigate algorithmic control of a large swarm of mobile particles (such as robots, sensors, or building material) that move in a 2D workspace using a global input signal (such as gravity or a magnetic field). We show that a maze of obstacles to the environment can be used to create complex systems. We provide a wide range of results for a wide range of questions. These can be subdivided into external algorithmic problems, in which particle configurations serve as input for computations that are performed elsewhere, and internal logic problems, in which the particle configurations themselves are used for carrying out computations. For external algorithms, we give both negative and positive results. If we are given a set of stationary obstacles, we prove that it is NP-hard to decide whether a given initial configuration of unit-sized particles can be transformed into a desired target configuration. Moreover, we show that finding a control sequence of minimum length is PSPACE-complete. We also work on the inverse problem, providing constructive algorithms to design workspaces that efficiently implement arbitrary permutations between different configurations. For internal logic, we investigate how arbitrary computations can be implemented. We demonstrate how to encode dual-rail logic to build a universal logic gate that concurrently evaluates and, nand, nor, and or operations. Using many of these gates and appropriate interconnects, we can evaluate any logical expression. However, we establish that simulating the full range of complex interactions present in arbitrary digital circuits encounters a fundamental difficulty: a fan-out gate cannot be generated. We resolve this missing component with the help of 2x1 particles, which can create fan-out gates that produce multiple copies of the inputs. Using these gates we provide rules for replicating arbitrary digital circuits.Comment: 27 pages, 19 figures, full version that combines three previous conference article

Not Another One: The Over Identification of Hispanic Children in ECSE

This session presents a current study that examined the overrepresentation of Hispanic English language learners in early childhood settings. Results of this phenomenological study will be reviewed along with implications for practitioners. Participants will gain an understanding of the needs of English language learners and ways to increase school professionals\u27 efficacy

Identification of Hispanic English Language Learners in Special Education

Overrepresentation of English language learners (ELLs) in special education is a current problem. Urban school professionals indicated that inappropriate placement is linked to a multiplicity of factors. Scarce data exist regarding the relationship between school professional efficacy beliefs, the availability of bilingual programs and personnel for ELLs, and successful academic outcomes. School employees are still confused about the proper placement of English language learners (ELLs). What is enough time to acquire a second language and learn with success? Without other substantial program choices, children are referred to special education. Furthermore, many students in need of special education may be overlooked and remain in ESL programs for their entire school career. The aim of this study was to identify the role staff member’s efficacy plays in the proper determination of an ELL with a language difference or disability. Child study team (CST) members (n=14) working with a large Hispanic ELL population participated in semistructured interviews to determine the role their efficacy beliefs exert during assessment of linguistically diverse students. Overwhelmingly, staff members noted that they did not feel competent when making decisions regarding ELLs. Therefore, staff members placed the children into special education each time. The practice implications come from the prominent themes that include significant in-district professional development on second language acquisition, facilitation of second language through use of first language through bilingual staff, and committed bilingual programs to meet ELL needs. Additionally, universities must provide coursework that furthers second language acquisition theories and strategies for all teacher candidate programs

The Effects of Collaborative Technology Appropriation on Group Outcomes

Groups are increasingly utilizing collaborative technologies to facilitate distributed work processes. While these groups are assembled based upon the task knowledge possessed by their members, collaborative technology adoption decisions are often made at an organizational level, where the members’ knowledge of the technology is necessarily discounted. However, in this paper we argue that a group’s knowledge of collaborative technology will impact the manner in which the technology is appropriated. Further, the manner in which a group uses collaborative technology will impact its ability to unlock the task knowledge embedded in individual group members; a critical factor in determining group outcomes in distributed environments. In short, a group’s know-how regarding the collaborative technology can unlock its know-what regarding the task. We argue that focusing on task knowledge while ignoring technological knowledge will prevent organizations from fully leveraging group knowledge in virtual settings

Computing Motion Plans for Assembling Particles with Global Control

We investigate motion planning algorithms for the assembly of shapes in the \emph{tilt model} in which unit-square tiles move in a grid world under the influence of uniform external forces and self-assemble according to certain rules. We provide several heuristics and experimental evaluation of their success rate, solution length, runtime, and memory consumption.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figure