Design and Development of the Single Motor Propelled Drive-Train (SiMPl-D)

Author(s):  
Mahender Mandala ◽  
Jonathan Pearlman ◽  
Olof Berner ◽  
Padmaja Kankipati ◽  
Rory Cooper

Mobile robotic devices and other mobility related drive systems are often relegated to one of the two classes of devices available today: wheeled devices or tracked devices. Wheeled systems are more energy efficient and reliable than tracked systems, but existing designs have drawbacks related to rough-terrain driving and maneuvering in tight spaces. In this paper we describe the design and development of a drive system named the Single Motor Propelled Drive-train (SiMPl-D), which can potentially improve maneuvering over rough terrain and in tight spaces compared to traditional wheeled robots. SiMPl-D has two prominent features: a single drive motor, which provides both propulsion and turning, and is suspended under the center of mass of the device on a swingarm, which is linked through a suspension system to caster wheels; and it has reconfigurable drive wheel, which changes the turning radius of the device. Due to these features, SiMPl-D can traverse a wide range of terrain while remaining energy and cost efficient. SiMPl-D has been successfully used in an indoor/outdoor low-cost personal mobility device and is currently being implemented in other robotic mobility applications.

2019 ◽  
Vol 952 ◽  
pp. 313-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emil Škultéty ◽  
Elena Pivarčiová ◽  
Ladislav Karrach

Industrial robots are increasingly used to automate technological processes, such as machining, welding, paint coating, assembly, etc. Automation rationalizes material flows, integrates production facilities and reduces the need for manufacturing inventory, provides cost savings for human maintenance. Technology development and growing competition have an influence on production growth and increase of product quality, and thus the new possibilities in innovation of industrial robot are searched for. One of the possibilities is applying of an inertial navigation system into robot control. This article focuses on new trends in manufacturing technology: design of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for a robotic application control. The Arduino platform is used for the IMU as a hardware solution. The advantage of this platform is low cost and wide range of sensors and devices that are compatible with this platform. For scanning, the MEMS sensor MPU6050 is used, which includes a 3-axis gyroscope and an accelerometer in one chip. New trends in manufacturing facilities, especially robotics innovation and automation, will enable the productivity to grow in production processes.


Author(s):  
О. Кravchuk ◽  
V. Symonenkov ◽  
I. Symonenkova ◽  
O. Hryhorev

Today, more than forty countries of the world are engaged in the development of military-purpose robots. A number of unique mobile robots with a wide range of capabilities are already being used by combat and intelligence units of the Armed forces of the developed world countries to conduct battlefield intelligence and support tactical groups. At present, the issue of using the latest information technology in the field of military robotics is thoroughly investigated, and the creation of highly effective information management systems in the land-mobile robotic complexes has acquired a new phase associated with the use of distributed information and sensory systems and consists in the transition from application of separate sensors and devices to the construction of modular information subsystems, which provide the availability of various data sources and complex methods of information processing. The purpose of the article is to investigate the ways to increase the autonomy of the land-mobile robotic complexes using in a non-deterministic conditions of modern combat. Relevance of researches is connected with the necessity of creation of highly effective information and control systems in the perspective robotic means for the needs of Land Forces of Ukraine. The development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine management system based on the criteria adopted by the EU and NATO member states is one of the main directions of increasing the effectiveness of the use of forces (forces), which involves achieving the principles and standards necessary for Ukraine to become a member of the EU and NATO. The inherent features of achieving these criteria will be the transition to a reduction of tasks of the combined-arms units and the large-scale use of high-precision weapons and land remote-controlled robotic devices. According to the views of the leading specialists in the field of robotics, the automation of information subsystems and components of the land-mobile robotic complexes can increase safety, reliability, error-tolerance and the effectiveness of the use of robotic means by standardizing the necessary actions with minimal human intervention, that is, a significant increase in the autonomy of the land-mobile robotic complexes for the needs of Land Forces of Ukraine.


2021 ◽  
pp. 096100062110165
Author(s):  
Mohammadhiwa Abdekhoda ◽  
Fatemeh Ranjbaran ◽  
Asghar Sattari

This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the role of information and information resources in the awareness, control, and prevention of COVID-19. This study was a descriptive-analytical survey in which 450 participants were selected for the study. The data collection instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data through SPSS. The findings show that a wide range of mass media has become well known as information resources for COVID-19. Other findings indicate a significant statistical difference in the rate of using information resources during COVID-19 based on age and gender; however, this difference is not significant regarding the reliability of information resources with regard to age and gender. Health information has an undisputable role in the prevention and control of pandemic diseases such as COVID-19. Providing accurate, reliable, and evidence-based information in a timely manner for the use of resources and information channels related to COVID-19 can be a fast and low-cost strategic approach in confronting this disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Elena Antinori ◽  
Marco Contardi ◽  
Giulia Suarato ◽  
Andrea Armirotti ◽  
Rosalia Bertorelli ◽  
...  

AbstractMycelia, the vegetative part of fungi, are emerging as the avant-garde generation of natural, sustainable, and biodegradable materials for a wide range of applications. They are constituted of a self-growing and interconnected fibrous network of elongated cells, and their chemical and physical properties can be adjusted depending on the conditions of growth and the substrate they are fed upon. So far, only extracts and derivatives from mycelia have been evaluated and tested for biomedical applications. In this study, the entire fibrous structures of mycelia of the edible fungi Pleurotus ostreatus and Ganoderma lucidum are presented as self-growing bio-composites that mimic the extracellular matrix of human body tissues, ideal as tissue engineering bio-scaffolds. To this purpose, the two mycelial strains are inactivated by autoclaving after growth, and their morphology, cell wall chemical composition, and hydrodynamical and mechanical features are studied. Finally, their biocompatibility and direct interaction with primary human dermal fibroblasts are investigated. The findings demonstrate the potentiality of mycelia as all-natural and low-cost bio-scaffolds, alternative to the tissue engineering systems currently in place.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1807
Author(s):  
Estefanía Álvarez-Castillo ◽  
José Manuel Aguilar ◽  
Carlos Bengoechea ◽  
María Luisa López-Castejón ◽  
Antonio Guerrero

Composite materials based on proteins and carbohydrates normally offer improved water solubility, biodegradability, and biocompatibility, which make them attractive for a wide range of applications. Soy protein isolate (SPI) has shown superabsorbent properties that are useful in fields such as agriculture. Alginate salts (ALG) are linear anionic polysaccharides obtained at a low cost from brown algae, displaying a good enough biocompatibility to be considered for medical applications. As alginates are quite hydrophilic, the exchange of ions from guluronic acid present in its molecular structure with divalent cations, particularly Ca2+, may induce its gelation, which would inhibit its solubilization in water. Both biopolymers SPI and ALG were used to produce composites through injection moulding using glycerol (Gly) as a plasticizer. Different biopolymer/plasticizer ratios were employed, and the SPI/ALG ratio within the biopolymer fraction was also varied. Furthermore, composites were immersed in different CaCl2 solutions to inhibit the amount of soluble matter loss and to enhance the mechanical properties of the resulting porous matrices. The main goal of the present work was the development and characterization of green porous matrices with inhibited solubility thanks to the gelation of alginate.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Duy Tung Phan ◽  
Chang Won Jung

AbstractAn electromagnetic pulse (EMP) with high energy can damage electronic equipment instantly within a wide range of thousands of kilometers. Generally, a metal plate placed inside a thick concrete wall is used against an EMP, but it is not suitable for an EMP shielding window, which requires not only strong shielding effectiveness (SE) but also optical transparency (OT). In this paper, we propose a very thin and optically transparent structure with excellent SE for EMP shielding window application. The proposed structure consists of a saltwater layer held between two glass substrates and two metal mesh layers on the outside of the glass, with a total thickness of less than 1.5 cm. The SE and OT of the structure are above 80 dB and 45%, respectively, which not only meet the requirement of EMP shielding for military purposes but also retain the procedure of good observation. Moreover, the OT of the structure can be significantly improved using only one metal mesh film (MMF) layer, while the SE is still maintained high to satisfy the required SE for home applicants. With the major advantages of low cost, optical transparency, strong SE, and flexible performance, the proposed structure can be considered a good solution for transparent EMP shielding windows.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 3817
Author(s):  
Nicholas Wei-Jie Goh ◽  
Jun-Jie Poh ◽  
Joshua Yi Yeo ◽  
Benjamin Jun-Jie Aw ◽  
Szu Cheng Lai ◽  
...  

Fever is a common symptom of many infections, e.g., in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, keeping monitoring devices such as thermometers in constant demand. Recent technological advancements have made infrared (IR) thermometers the choice for contactless screening of multiple individuals. Yet, even so, the measurement accuracy of such thermometers is affected by many factors including the distance from the volunteers’ forehead, impurities (such as sweat), and the location measured on the volunteers’ forehead. To overcome these factors, we describe the assembly of an Arduino-based digital IR thermometer with distance correction using the MLX90614 IR thermometer and HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensors. Coupled with some analysis of these factors, we also found ways to programme compensation methods for the final assembled digital IR thermometer to provide more accurate readings and measurements.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shi Cao ◽  
Wei Hong ◽  
Ziqi Ye ◽  
Lei Gong

AbstractThe direct and selective C(sp3)-H functionalization of cycloalkanes and alkanes is a highly useful process in organic synthesis owing to the low-cost starting materials, the high step and atom economy. Its application to asymmetric catalysis, however, has been scarcely explored. Herein, we disclose our effort toward this goal by incorporation of dual asymmetric photocatalysis by a chiral nickel catalyst and a commercially available organophotocatalyst with a radical relay strategy through sulfur dioxide insertion. Such design leads to the development of three-component asymmetric sulfonylation involving direct functionalization of cycloalkanes, alkanes, toluene derivatives or ethers. The photochemical reaction of a C(sp3)-H precursor, a SO2 surrogate and a common α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compound proceeds smoothly under mild conditions, delivering a wide range of biologically interesting α-C chiral sulfones with high regio- and enantioselectivity (>50 examples, up to >50:1 rr and 95% ee). This method is applicable to late-stage functionalization of bioactive molecules, and provides an appealing access to enantioenriched compounds starting from the abundant hydrocarbon compounds.


2021 ◽  
pp. 088391152199784
Author(s):  
Nipun Jain ◽  
Shashi Singh

Development of an artificial tissue by tissue engineering is witnessed to be one of the long lasting clarified solutions for the damaged tissue function restoration. To accomplish this, a scaffold is designed as a cell carrier in which the extracellular matrix (ECM) performs a prominent task of controlling the inoculated cell’s destiny. ECM composition, topography and mechanical properties lead to different types of interactions between cells and ECM components that trigger an assortment of cellular reactions via diverse sensing mechanisms and downstream signaling pathways. The polysaccharides in the form of proteoglycans and glycoproteins yield better outcomes when included in the designed matrices. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains present on proteoglycans show a wide range of operations such as sequestering of critical effector morphogens which encourage proficient nutrient contribution toward the growing stem cells for their development and endurance. In this review we discuss how the glycosylation aspects are of considerable importance in everyday housekeeping functions of a cell especially when placed in a controlled environment under ideal growth conditions. Hydrogels made from these GAG chains have been used extensively as a resorbable material that mimics the natural ECM functions for an efficient control over cell attachment, permeability, viability, proliferation, and differentiation processes. Also the incorporation of non-mammalian polysaccharides can elicit specific receptor responses which authorize the creation of numerous vigorous frameworks while prolonging the low cost and immunogenicity of the substance.


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