Automated testing of industrial robots using HTC Vive for motion tracking

Master's thesis in Cybernetics and signal processingProducers of industrial robots are continuously maintaining and upgrading their software that is running on their robot controllers, to improve and expand the functionalities. Extensive testing is performed to verify that all new and existing features are working as intended before this software can be released. These tests are time consuming and requires an operator to perform, observe, and inspect the results. A failure during these tests can result in very time-consuming troubleshooting, as the error might be caused by changes done several months earlier. This project has developed a base for automating these tests to reduce the duration of performing the tests. Further, these tests have been designed to be performed at a daily basis, continuously testing the new software while its being developed. These tests will give an early indication of errors that can be recti ed at a much earlier stage than during the nal tests. To be able to verify the robot's operations, an external system that can track the robot's motion is required. There are existing systems that can perform this, but they have limited functionalities and often have a very high price, making them undesirable. This project has been challenged with using the virtual reality system HTC Vive, which have shown promising results on its precision on tracking its devices in a three-dimensional space, which have been veri ed through this project. This equipment has been used to create a tracker API that uses the HTC Vive as a motion tracking device, and tracks the robot's motion. The tracker captures the robot's path and the tests use this to verify correct operation of the robot's controller software. The solution in this project have shown that some of the existing tests can be automated, but there are limitations to the HTC Vive that does not give good enough tracking to verify all operations. The solution does however work well on several aspects concerning continuous testing, and will work as a good tool for testing the current state of the development, and give an early warning of failures or errors that might be introduced. The solution has room for further implementations, and there are several more tests that can be created to further improve the testing capabilities

Needs Assessment to Explore Support for Spouses Affected by Military Life

Service members and family members currently have more challenging life situations due to multiple wartime deployments (Bowen & Martin, 2011). Spouses of military personnel suffer from problems at home when their loved ones are deployed. Problems may include intermittent single parenting, financial strain, and limited access to resources. These problems can lead to domestic violence, child abuse or neglect, and children’s social or academic decline (Lincoln & Sweeten, 2010)

Real-time monitoring of solid-phase peptide synthesis using a variable bed flow reactor

On-resin aggregation and incomplete amide bond formation are major challenges for solid-phase peptide synthesis that are difficult to be monitored in real-time. Incorporation of a pressure-based variable bed flow reactor into an automated solid-phase peptide synthesizer permitted real-time monitoring of resin swelling to determine amino acid coupling efficiency and on-resin aggregation

Facilitating Collaborative Learning in 3D Virtual Worlds. A Qualitative Meta Study.

This master thesis serves to investigate how collaborative learning can be facilitated in 3D virtual environments. The objective was to see how 3D virtual worlds could be applied when conducting collaborative learning, both formal and informal. I was also interested in reflection as a part of collaborative learning processes, and chose to integrate this into my research questions: 1. How can 3D virtual worlds, like SecondLife, facilitate collaborative learning? 2. How can one use virtual worlds for collaborative learning-purposes in both formal and informal learning situations? 3. In what way can reflection be beneficial to collaborative learning in virtual worlds? SecondLife is a widely used 3D virtual world, utilized in a variety of learning situations. Its design and layout seem conducive to creating spaces that facilitate collaboration, and supports both formal and informal learning. I have used a variety of theoretical frameworks and perspectives to structure the thesis, and form the basis for the discussions and conclusions. I have utilized constructivist learning theory to describe the collaborative learning facilitated through virtual environments. This is due to the generous focus on collaboration and team-work throughout this thesis. As collaborative-learning situations enable the creation of shared practices and understanding, I will discuss the perspectives surrounding communities of practice, first coined by Lave and Wenger (Wenger 2000). Computer-supported collaborative learning is a perspective that serves to integrate technology and learning, and I have relied on this to contextualize the examples used, the CAMO-project being one of them. Its objective was to create cultural awareness in military operations, through collaborative simulations in a virtual Afghan village. The other example involved nursing students, who practiced communication skills with fatally ill patients and their relatives. Both examples highlights the opportunities for collaborative learning in virtual environments. Taking advantage of new technology for learning purposes, could create new possibilities for learning, maybe particularly collaborative learning. This is an important topic, as it could facilitate better and more motivating learning methods. Research Method and Data Analysis As this thesis is a qualitative Meta study, I relied on interviewing as my main data collecting method. I interviewed three practitioners within the field of technology and learning. They had earlier collaborated as facilitators in the CAMO-project, and also possessed a variety of experiences with 3D virtual worlds and learning. The data collected was analyzed and categorized through an iterative process. I worked with the transcribed interviews and notes, in several stages to analyze and attain the best categorizations for the data gathered. These five categories included: 1. SecondLife as a Learning Environment, 2. Comparison Between Different 3D Virtual Worlds, 3. Collaborative Learning, 4. Formal and Informal Learning and 5.Dialogue and Reflection. These categories helped me present the most valuable data andformed the basis for the discussion. Findings and Main Conclusions The informants and the theoretical framework both supported 3D virtual worlds and the opportunities within these platforms to contain great potential for collaborative work. As collaborative learning requires participants to socially interact and communicate with each other, the suitability relies on the communication options and features within the learning platform. SecondLife and other 3D virtual worlds are often created to serve as arenas for socialization, they are therefore well equipped with the necessary communication tools. To facilitate both formal and informal learning there are aspects that need to be present. Within 3D virtual worlds there needs to be possibilities to plan and design formally structured exercises, as well as unstructured informal activities. The informants were generally favorable to utilizing virtual environments for informal learning purposes, but disagreed on the formal learning possibilities. However, there are numerous examples of 3D virtual worlds being utilized for formal learning practices, and all the informants have had positive experiences with lectures and seminars conducted virtually. Reflective practice, most notably known through the work of Donald. A. Schön, proposes the importance of dialogues and reflection sessions, for participants in collaborative learning activities (Schön, 1983). This was a major part of the CAMO-project, and enabled the participants to express, challenge and reflect on the learning experience. The informants were unanimous in their perceived importance of reflection, to attain the most valuable learning outcome. They saw this as an important aspect of collaborative learning

Reducing Burden and Distress in Caregivers of Dementia Patients.

As the prevalence and diagnosis of dementia have become more clearly delineated, there has been an increasing focus on the consequences of dementia on the family members that care for these individuals. Much of the attention has focused on who provides care and what impact that caregiving has on them. It has been well documented that the patient\u27s family is responsible for much of the caregiving. These caregivers often experience both a physical and psychological impact from their role. Because of these negative consequences, several studies have investigated interventions designed to reduce caregiver distress. Most of these studies have incorporated group treatments that incorporate education and social support with little attention to cognitive-behavioral interventions. This study was designed to compare a cognitive-behavioral treatment intervention with a social support group in a population of family caregivers of dementia patients. The social support group was similar to those previously described in the literature. The cognitive-behavioral group directly targeted the behaviors of the patient that have been related to caregiver burden as well as addressing the caregiver\u27s reactions to stress. Caregivers were assessed in several domains including burden, depression, anxiety, social support, coping strategies, and cortisol levels. The results indicate that while both groups improved on several of these measures, neither group was superior to the other. The lack of a treatment difference was likely due to factors associated with this population (i.e., who was able to participate) as well as the potential benefit of components from both treatment approaches. Future investigations will be necessary to further explore the essential components of a group treatment for this population and how to include caregivers who cannot participate without respite assistance

Resolving Phonon Fock States in a Multimode Cavity with a Double-Slit Qubit

We resolve phonon number states in the spectrum of a superconducting qubit coupled to a multimode acoustic cavity. Crucial to this resolution is the sharp frequency dependence in the qubit-phonon interaction engineered by coupling the qubit to surface acoustic waves in two locations separated by $\sim40$ acoustic wavelengths. In analogy to double-slit diffraction, the resulting self-interference generates high-contrast frequency structure in the qubit-phonon interaction. We observe this frequency structure both in the coupling rate to multiple cavity modes and in the qubit spontaneous emission rate into unconfined modes. We use this sharp frequency structure to resolve single phonons by tuning the qubit to a frequency of destructive interference where all acoustic interactions are dispersive. By exciting several detuned yet strongly-coupled phononic modes and measuring the resulting qubit spectrum, we observe that, for two modes, the device enters the strong dispersive regime where single phonons are spectrally resolved.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures; revised arguments in paragraphs 3 and 8, added Hamiltonian description, and corrected typo

Modifications to an Existing Glycol Retention Pond and Alternative Technologies Review for Aircraft Deicing Operations and Glycol Recovery and Treatment: Dane County Regional Airport

The purpose of this study was to review new aircraft deicing technologies and developments and surmise which approach may be the most appropriate for the Dane County Regional Airport’s (KMSN) expansion plans, size, available funds, and environmental impact reduction efforts. This paper focuses on the emerging glycol source reduction issues that may be most suitable for this particular airport. A new deicing technology at KMSN would reduce the amount of aircraft deicing fluid used, allow for effacing flight operations, limit environmental impact, and lessen the costs of maintaining and operating the current glycol fluid recovery and treatment system. Storm water discharge regulations are becoming increasingly stringent at airports in the United States. The FAA requires aircraft deicing when weather conditions warrant. The EPA requires that glycol fluid be collected and treated prior to proper disposal. Passenger safety is the foremost concern for airports and airlines and is the cornerstone by which all aircraft deicing decisions are made. The advent of new more environmentally-friendly aircraft deicing technologies is facilitating the balance between aviation safety and environmental protection

Spotify: Strategic Plan and Analysis

Spotify is a worldwide music and podcast streaming company. Spotify has the most active users of any audio streaming company in the world and is a key competitor in a growing industry. It is important to evaluate the external environment and internal forces that impact Spotify’s strategic decision-making to identify opportunities and threats that could change the audio streaming landscape. Drawing on industry research, company financial statements, and media reports, this paper analyzes the external and internal environment of Spotify to identify a strategic recommendation for the company going forward. I analyze different business frameworks to evaluate the competitive landscape and current resources available to Spotify. This analysis provides the basis of my recommendation for Spotify to create its own original content in the music industry to differentiate itself from competitors and lower its cost structure in an effort to reach profitability. This paper encourages Spotify to evaluate the strategic potential and financial viability of creating original music content to establish itself as the leader of the audio streaming industry