COACHES Cooperative Autonomous Robots in Complex and Human Populated Environments

Public spaces in large cities are increasingly becoming complex and unwelcoming environments. Public spaces progressively become more hostile and unpleasant to use because of the overcrowding and complex information in signboards. It is in the interest of cities to make their public spaces easier to use, friendlier to visitors and safer to increasing elderly population and to citizens with disabilities. Meanwhile, we observe, in the last decade a tremendous progress in the development of robots in dynamic, complex and uncertain environments. The new challenge for the near future is to deploy a network of robots in public spaces to accomplish services that can help humans. Inspired by the aforementioned challenges, COACHES project addresses fundamental issues related to the design of a robust system of self-directed autonomous robots with high-level skills of environment modelling and scene understanding, distributed autonomous decision-making, short-term interacting with humans and robust and safe navigation in overcrowding spaces. To this end, COACHES will provide an integrated solution to new challenges on: (1) a knowledge-based representation of the environment, (2) human activities and needs estimation using Markov and Bayesian techniques, (3) distributed decision-making under uncertainty to collectively plan activities of assistance, guidance and delivery tasks using Decentralized Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes with efficient algorithms to improve their scalability and (4) a multi-modal and short-term human-robot interaction to exchange information and requests. COACHES project will provide a modular architecture to be integrated in real robots. We deploy COACHES at Caen city in a mall called “Rive de l’orne”. COACHES is a cooperative system consisting of ?xed cameras and the mobile robots. The ?xed cameras can do object detection, tracking and abnormal events detection (objects or behaviour). The robots combine these information with the ones perceived via their own sensor, to provide information through its multi-modal interface, guide people to their destinations, show tramway stations and transport goods for elderly people, etc.... The COACHES robots will use different modalities (speech and displayed information) to interact with the mall visitors, shopkeepers and mall managers. The project has enlisted an important an end-user (Caen la mer) providing the scenarios where the COACHES robots and systems will be deployed, and gather together universities with complementary competences from cognitive systems (SU), robust image/video processing (VUB, UNICAEN), and semantic scene analysis and understanding (VUB), Collective decision-making using decentralized partially observable Markov Decision Processes and multi-agent planning (UNICAEN, Sapienza), multi-modal and short-term human-robot interaction (Sapienza, UNICAEN

Phosphate ions as corrosion inhibitors for reinforcement steel in chloride-rich environment

Phosphate ions were evaluated as corrosion inhibitors in solutions that simulate the composition of the pores in concrete contaminated with chloride ions. Cyclic voltammograms and potentiodynamic polarization tests were complemented with micro-Raman spectroscopy and impedance spectroscopy to follow the performance of this inhibitor. Long term performance involved weight loss evaluation. Chloride contamination increases the accumulation of corrosion products on the metallic surface and promotes pitting corrosion. In contrast, pitting is inhibited when phosphate ions are incorporated in a 1:1 phosphate to chloride molar ratio, even after a 90 days exposure. Micro Raman spectra clearly show the incorporation of phosphates to the passive film. Impedance spectroscopy results can be interpreted assuming a duplex surface film formed in the presence of phosphates. In the conditions of this investigation, phosphate ions behave as mixed-type corrosion inhibitors, protecting steel against corrosion in chloride-contaminated environments.Fil: Yohai del Cerro, Lucía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigación En Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (i); Argentina; Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingenieria; Argentina;Fil: Vazquez, Marcela Vivian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (i); Argentina; Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingenieria; Argentina;Fil: Valcarce, María Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (i); Argentina; Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingenieria; Argentina

Recent Langley helicopter acoustics contributions

The helicopter acoustics program at NASA Langley has included technology for elements of noise control ranging from sources of noise to receivers of noise. The scope of Langley contributions for about the last decade is discussed. Specifically, the resolution of two certification noise quantification issues by subjective acoustics research, the development status of the helicopter system noise prediction program ROTONET are reviewed and the highlights from research on blade rotational, broadband, and blade vortex interaction noise sources are presented. Finally, research contributions on helicopter cabin (or interior) noise control are presented. A bibliography of publications from the Langley helicopter acoustics program for the past 10 years is included

Risk environment as social reality change factor: the problem of social regulation

The article explains the theoretical concept of modern environment study transformation based on risk approach. The risks occurring in the environment are conceptualized as the environmental and the activity phenomenon appearing during the transition from certainty to uncertainty and vice versa. The dialectical relationship of uncertainty and non-linearity is argued in changing social reality of modern risk society. The problems of risk social regulation in a changing realit

Integrated Transport Strategies: A New Initiaitve, or a Return to the 1960’s?

A recurring theme in the debate on urban transport policy in the last few years has been the appropriateness of developing Integrated Transport Strategies as a basis for identifying solutions to current and future urban transport problems. Their proponents, including a growing number of local authorities, see them as a means of ensuring that each element of transport policy complements the others. Those who argue against them, and particularly the Department of Transport, have likened them to the gramd and unattainable, blueprints produced by 1960s land use - transport studies. This paper draws on experience with such studies in London, Birmingham and Edinburgh to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the approach now being adopted, to suggest ways in which it might be further developed, and to identify, in the light of experience to date, those elements of policy which might most effectively contribute to the solution of transport problems

Analisis Faktor-faktor yang Mempengaruhi Pengungkapan Corporate Social Responsibility (Studi Empiris Perusahaan Manufaktur yang Terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia)

Issues raised in this research is how the influence of institutional ownership variable, independe board of directors, audit committee, and the size of the company to the level of disclosure in the company\u27s Corporate Social Responsibility manufactur in Indonesia Stock Exchange. This study aimed to analyze the influence of these variables, and to contribute in the form of useful information for investors, owners, and company management in decision making. Variable selection based on the relevant theory and reference the results of previous research related to the study. The research methodology uses quantitative methods, the amount of a total of 106 observations sourced from 53 companies during the second annual period. The results of this study found that the variables of institutional ownership, board of commissioners independe, audit committee, and the size of the company turns its influence signifkan on the level of disclosure of Corporate Social Responsibility when viewed simultaneously, but when viewed in partial only institutional ownership and the size of the companies that have significant influence, while the other two did not have a significant influenc

A global, collaborative, E-learning ecosystem: An academic/industry partnership in action

A number of apparent failures in the use of education technology should provide a warning as universities and training institutes progress their strategy and management plans for elearning. Fundamental problems in the academic environment relate to the lack of training in new technologies available to academics responsible for elearning. No less importantly the synergies among commercial providers of Asynchronous Learning Network (ALN) software, pedagogical knowledge and experiential learning requirements have not been addressed in the vision and strategy statements provided by senior management. The requisite solution is seen to be a framework for all stakeholders to evaluate e-learning proposals to ensure the effectiveness and value propositions are based in reality. What can we learn from the e-business environment and, in particular, the Cisco Network Academy Program (Academy Connection) that would inform the structure and deliverables required to support the proposed framework? This proposed framework also needs to accommodate value propositions for the diverse student cohorts involved in e-learning, having particular regard to professional practical requirements

On Theory in Supply Chain Uncertainty and its Implications for Supply Chain Integration

This article develops a theoretical conceptualization of supply chain uncertainty, based on the foundation provided by contingency theory, classical organization theory, and information processing theory. We develop a theoretical analogy between a supply chain and an organization, then highlight key differences, which leads us to hypothesize that there are three key types of supply chain uncertainty. Micro-level uncertainty is based on the variability of inputs to the technical core of a supply chain, corresponding to the traditional operationalization of uncertainty in the supply chain and operations management literature. Meso-level uncertainty is the lack of information needed by a supply chain member, corresponding to the information processing theory perspective. This is often due to the conflicting pressures of differentiation and interdependence in a supply chain, where members may withhold information that they feel could compromise their interests. Macro-level uncertainty, based on the equivocality construct, is related to unclear and ambiguous situations faced by supply chain members in rapidly changing external environments. We propose that all three types of uncertainty coexist in a supply chain and may interact with each other. Based on contingency theory's focus on alignment of process and structure with the environment, we test the relationship among supply chain integration (process), centralization, formalization and flatness (organization structure) and the dimensions of uncertainty (environment). Hypotheses are tested using hierarchical regression on data collected from 339 globally distributed manufacturing plants. It reveals that, as hypothesized, micro-level and meso-level uncertainty are positively related to SCI and that macro-level uncertainty is inversely related to it. The organization structure variables of centralization and formalization had a moderating effect, strengthening or reducing the main effects of uncertainty. The results are discussed in terms of their consistency with the theoretical foundation, implications for decision makers facing supply chain uncertainty and future research opportunities

High-Quality Synthesis Against Stochastic Environments

In the classical synthesis problem, we are given a linear temporal logic (LTL) formula psi over sets of input and output signals, and we synthesize a transducer that realizes psi: with every sequence of input signals, the transducer associates a sequence of output signals so that the generated computation satisfies psi. One weakness of automated synthesis in practice is that it pays no attention to the quality of the synthesized system. Indeed, the classical setting is Boolean: a computation satisfies a specification or does not satisfy it. Accordingly, while the synthesized system is correct, there is no guarantee about its quality. In recent years, researchers have considered extensions of the classical Boolean setting to a quantitative one. The logic FLTL is a multi-valued logic that augments LTL with quality operators. The satisfaction value of an FLTL formula is a real value in [0,1], where the higher the value is, the higher is the quality in which the computation satisfies the specification. Decision problems for LTL become search or optimization problems for FLTL. In particular, in the synthesis problem, the goal is to generate a transducer that satisfies the specification in the highest possible quality. Previous work considered the worst-case setting, where the goal is to maximize the quality of the computation with the minimal quality. We introduce and solve the stochastic setting, where the goal is to generate a transducer that maximizes the expected quality of a computation, subject to a given distribution of the input signals. Thus, rather than being hostile, the environment is assumed to be probabilistic, which corresponds to many realistic settings. We show that the problem is 2EXPTIME-complete, like classical LTL synthesis. The complexity stays 2EXPTIME also in two extensions we consider: one that maximizes the expected quality while guaranteeing that the minimal quality is, with probability 1, above a given threshold, and one that allows assumptions on the environment