Resilience of an embedded architecture using hardware redundancy

In the last decade the dominance of the general computing systems market has being replaced by embedded systems with billions of units manufactured every year. Embedded systems appear in contexts where continuous operation is of utmost importance and failure can be profound. Nowadays, radiation poses a serious threat to the reliable operation of safety-critical systems. Fault avoidance techniques, such as radiation hardening, have been commonly used in space applications. However, these components are expensive, lag behind commercial components with regards to performance and do not provide 100% fault elimination. Without fault tolerant mechanisms, many of these faults can become errors at the application or system level, which in turn, can result in catastrophic failures. In this work we study the concepts of fault tolerance and dependability and extend these concepts providing our own definition of resilience. We analyse the physics of radiation-induced faults, the damage mechanisms of particles and the process that leads to computing failures. We provide extensive taxonomies of 1) existing fault tolerant techniques and of 2) the effects of radiation in state-of-the-art electronics, analysing and comparing their characteristics. We propose a detailed model of faults and provide a classification of the different types of faults at various levels. We introduce an algorithm of fault tolerance and define the system states and actions necessary to implement it. We introduce novel hardware and system software techniques that provide a more efficient combination of reliability, performance and power consumption than existing techniques. We propose a new element of the system called syndrome that is the core of a resilient architecture whose software and hardware can adapt to reliable and unreliable environments. We implement a software simulator and disassembler and introduce a testing framework in combination with ERA’s assembler and commercial hardware simulators

Experiment 1.05: Energy

The conservation of energy for the case of a descending glider on an inclined air-track is examined.https://nsuworks.nova.edu/physics_labs/1004/thumbnail.jp

Experiment 2.10: Lenses

The focal lengths of converging and diverging lenses are determined.https://nsuworks.nova.edu/physics_labs/1019/thumbnail.jp

Project SHRED - Surfing Hydrodynamic Reseach using Engineernig Design

The project entails the design and wind tunnel testing of surfboard fins through the application of aerospace industry practices. To obtain the most efficient fin with qualities desirable to the surfer, aerodynamic efficiency must be maximized to obtain directional stability, maximize velocity, and avoid stalling. In Phase I of the project, five fins were manufactured and tested in the Micaplex Low-Speed Wind Tunnel, in which the saltwater conditions wherein surfboard fins operate were mimicked using the principle of dynamic similarity. The Winglet Fin was selected for further analysis in Phase II, in which surface oil flow visualization was utilized to inspect the surface flow over a range of angles of attack (α) to understand how fin geometry affects hydrodynamic performance. The modern winglet is a common performance-enhancing device developed to overcome aerodynamic losses due to wingtip vortices. This motivated winglet implementation on the surfboard fin, which possesses similar characteristics to an aircraft wing. Force measurements were collected for a 2:1 scale surfboard fin model to verify estimated forces and stall angle. Surface flow patterns were qualitatively observed via oil streaklines. From the data, instantaneous surface flow qualities were observed over the α range. The locations of open and closed separation points were detected, as well as three-dimensional flow effects and pre- and post-stall vortex behavior. Flow characteristics were analyzed to identify regions of turbulence and high surface shear stress. By applying technology normally reserved for aerospace applications, this project hopes to bring a more innovative culture to the surfing industry