scholarly journals Soft Robotics as an Enabling Technology for Agroforestry Practice and Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 6751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Girish Chowdhary ◽  
Mattia Gazzola ◽  
Girish Krishnan ◽  
Chinmay Soman ◽  
Sarah Lovell

The shortage of qualified human labor is a key challenge facing farmers, limiting profit margins and preventing the adoption of sustainable and diversified agroecosystems, such as agroforestry. New technologies in robotics could offer a solution to such limitations. Advances in soft arms and manipulators can enable agricultural robots that can have better reach and dexterity around plants than traditional robots equipped with hard industrial robotic arms. Soft robotic arms and manipulators can be far less expensive to manufacture and significantly lighter than their hard counterparts. Furthermore, they can be simpler to design and manufacture since they rely on fluidic pressurization as the primary mechanisms of operation. However, current soft robotic arms are difficult to design and control, slow to actuate, and have limited payloads. In this paper, we discuss the benefits and challenges of soft robotics technology and what it could mean for sustainable agriculture and agroforestry.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Stephanie Graciela Ludony ◽  
Melisa Mulyadi ◽  
Kumala Indriati

Persaingan di bidang industri telah mendorong untuk dilakukannya proses otomasi dalam mengoperasikan peralatan mesin-mesin industri dan kontrol proses untuk menggantikan operator tenaga manusia. Teknologi robot merupakan bagian dari otomasi yang  banyak diterapkan di industri, salah satunya adalah  lengan robot. Pada proses produksi, lengan robot digunakan untuk memindahkan objek. Dibutuhkan perancangan yang benar agar lengan robot dapat bergerak sesuai dengan kriteria yang diinginkan. Oleh karena itu pada penelitian ini dilakukan perancangan dan pembuatan purwarupa lengan robot yang memiliki lima derajat kebebasan atau Degree of Freedom (DoF) dan dilengkapi dengan pencapit objek. Sebagai pengendali lengan robot digunakan mikrokomputer Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ yang diprogram dengan perangkat lunak python. Pada lengan robot terdapat  kamera untuk mendeteksi warna objek agar lengan robot dapat memindahkan dan menempatkan objek sesuai kelompok warnanya. Pengujian terhadap rancangan lengan robot menunjukkan bahwa kamera dapat mengenali warna objek dan  lengan dapat memindahkan objek sesuai pada tempatnya.   Competition in the industrial sector has pushed for automation processes in operating industrial machine tools and process control to replace human labor operators. Robot technology is a part of automation that is widely applied in industry, one of which is the robot arm. In the production process, robotic arms are used to move goods. Correct design is needed so that the robot arm can move according to the desired criteria. Therefore, in this study, the design and manufacture of a robot arm prototype that has five degrees of freedom (DoF) is carried out and is equipped with a clamp. As a controller for the robot arm, a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B + microcomputer is used, which is programmed with python software. On the robot arm, there is a camera to detect the color of the object so that the robot arm can move and place object according to the color group. Testing of the robot arm design shows that the camera can recognize the color of goods and the robot arm can move object according to their place.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendall A. Johnson ◽  
Clive H. Bock ◽  
Phillip M. Brannen

Abstract Background Phony peach disease (PPD) is caused by the plant pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa subsp. multiplex (Xfm). Historically, the disease has caused severe yield loss in Georgia and elsewhere in the southeastern United States, with millions of PPD trees being removed from peach orchards over the last century. The disease remains a production constraint, and management options are few. Limited research has been conducted on PPD since the 1980s, but the advent of new technologies offers the opportunity for new, foundational research to form a basis for informed management of PPD in the U.S. Furthermore, considering the global threat of Xylella to many plant species, preventing import of Xfm to other regions, particularly where peach is grown, should be considered an important phytosanitary endeavor. Main topics We review PPD, its history and impact on peach production, and the eradication efforts that were conducted for 42 years. Additionally, we review the current knowledge of the pathogen, Xfm, and how that knowledge relates to our understanding of the peach—Xylella pathosystem, including the epidemiology of the disease and consideration of the vectors. Methods used to detect the pathogen in peach are discussed, and ramifications of detection in relation to management and control of PPD are considered. Control options for PPD are limited. Our current knowledge of the pathogen diversity and disease epidemiology are described, and based on this, some potential areas for future research are also considered. Conclusion There is a lack of recent foundational research on PPD and the associated strain of Xfm. More research is needed to reduce the impact of this pathogen on peach production in the southeastern U.S., and, should it spread internationally, wherever peaches are grown.


Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1208
Author(s):  
Francisco Alonso ◽  
Mireia Faus ◽  
Cristina Esteban ◽  
Sergio A. Useche

Technological devices are becoming more and more integrated in the management and control of traffic in big cities. The population perceives the benefits provided by these systems, and, therefore, citizens usually have a favorable opinion of them. However, emerging countries, which have fewer available infrastructures, could present a certain lack of trust. The objective of this work is to detect the level of knowledge and predisposition towards the use of new technologies in the transportation field of the Dominican Republic. For this study, the National Survey on Mobility was administered to a sample of Dominican citizens, proportional to the ONE census and to sex, age and province. The knowledge of ITS topics, as well as the use of mobile applications for mobility, are scarce; however, there was a significant increase that can be observed in only one year. Moreover, technology is, in general, positively assessed for what concerns the improvement of the traffic field, even though there is a lack of predisposition to provide one’s personal data, which is necessary for these devices. The process of technological development in the country must be backed up by laws that protect the citizens’ privacy. Thus, technologies that can improve road safety, mobility and sustainability can be implemented in the country.


World ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-190
Author(s):  
Diosey Ramon Lugo-Morin

The world is currently experiencing a pandemic: a virus in the family Coronaviridae is causing serious respiratory infections in humans. The outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the WHO on 11 March 2020. The outbreak began in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has since spread throughout the world. Despite measures taken by governments throughout the world to contain and control the spread, economic disruption at the global level is imminent and will affect all economic sectors, particularly the food sector. In a post-pandemic scenario, the use of new technologies will be decisive in a new model of food commercialization. The production and distribution of food will be configured to make supply chains optimal and safe systems. Against this background, the present study aims to explore and analyze the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for global food security.


Electronics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1092 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunddararaj ◽  
Rangarajan ◽  
Gopalan

The utilization of plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) has started to garner more attention worldwide considering the environmental and economic benefits. This has led to the invention of new technologies and motifs associated with batteries, bidirectional converters and inverters for Electric Vehicle applications. In this paper, a novel design and control of chopper circuit is proposed and configured with the series and parallel connection of the power electronic based switches for two-way operation of the converter. The bidirectional action of the proposed converter makes it suitable for plug-in electric vehicle applications as the grid is becoming smarter. The DC–DC converter is further interfaced with the designed multilevel inverter (MLI). The reduced switches associated with the novel design of MLI have overcome the cons associated with the conventional inverters in terms of enhanced performance in the proposed design. Further, novel control strategies have been proposed for the DC–DC converter based on Proportional Integral (PI) and Fuzzy based control logic. For the first time, the performance of the entire system is evaluated based on the comparison of proposed PI, fuzzy, and hybrid controllers. New rules have been formulated for the Fuzzy based controllers that are associated with the Converter design. This has further facilitated the interface of bidirectional DC–DC converter with the proposed MLI for an enhanced output voltage. The results indicate that the proposed hybrid controller provides better performance in terms of voltage gain, ripple, efficiency and overall aspects of power quality that forms the crux for PEV applications. The novelty of the design and control of the overall topology has been manifested based on simulation using MATLAB/SIMULINK.


1992 ◽  
Vol 2 (10) ◽  
pp. 287-304
Author(s):  
Ian Leigh

The broadcasting world is currently undergoing a revolution. The new technologies of cable and, more importantly, satellite broadcasting have brought within reach an enormous potential expansion and diversity in broadcasting. The Broadcasting Act 1990 is the government's response to the challenge, creating a mostly new regulatory framework. Alongside technological advance there has been a growing concern with regulating programme quality, as the creation of the Broadcasting Standards Commission (placed by Pt. V of the Act on a statutory footing) bears witness. A minor, but not insignificant, place in these cross-currents of ferment is occupied by religious broadcasting. This article seeks to place the controls and duties relating to religious broadcasting under the new regime within the context of its history in the UK and to consider the extent to which the new legal and administrative controls achieve an acceptable balance between religious expression and control of standards.


Author(s):  
Liala Baiardi ◽  
Emerson A. M. Ferreira

In a scenario influenced by innovation and new technologies such as the internet of things (IoT) that have projected us towards industry 4.0, the digital revolution has involved the construction sector and the entire building process. This research activity aims to deepen the tools at the base of the design and management processes to an effective development and respect for the environment. The text will illustrate the example of redevelopment of an existing building in response to new market needs and in line with the circular economy vision. The redevelopment foresees the integrated development of the architectural building project and the management of the building during his entire life cycle. The innovation authors intend to achieve aims to combine building automation with the quality of life through management techniques that exploit the best use of space and control of the eco-system of the building and the services provided.


2021 ◽  
pp. 447-456
Author(s):  
Beibei Sun

Agricultural mechanization has become the main mode of agricultural production and represents the development direction of modern agriculture. The amount of data generated in the agricultural production process is extremely huge, so it is necessary to introduce the concept and analysis method of big data. Combining agricultural robots with big data can improve the performance and application effect of robots. This paper combines big data, WLAN technology and robot technology to realize man-machine remote cooperation platform. This gives full play to the advantages that people are good at object recognition and robots are good at execution, and improves the fruit picking efficiency. The target fruit positioning and recognition system aided by machine vision is adopted to realize the accurate positioning of the fruit to be picked. Design of LFM control signal fitting based on big data clustering. In order to verify the feasibility of the scheme, taking the tomato picking robot as an example, the communication error and control accuracy using big data and WIFI (Wireless Fidelity) technology were tested, and the positioning and navigation efficiency with and without remote monitoring system was compared. Test results show that using big data and WIFI remote monitoring technology can effectively improve the efficiency and accuracy of positioning and navigation of remote operating system, which is of great significance for the design of automatic control system of picking robot.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 50-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Karakov ◽  
Tatyana Vlasova ◽  
Artur Oganyan ◽  
Araksia Khachaturyan ◽  
Svetlana Karakova ◽  
...  

Importance. Despite the improvement of diagnostic methods and the introduction of new technologies in the treatment of pathology of the oral mucosa, it is difficult to achieve stable remission, since 70 % of cases are based on somatic and bodily suffering factors. The article presents data from a comparative analysis of the use of the traditional treatment regimen for patients with pathology of the oral cavity and the inclusion of the latest generation of antipsychotics in the treatment regimen. It was established that, when applied, a tendency towards normalization of psychological and autonomic status was observed. The inclusion of anxiolytics and antioxidants in the complex of general therapy for patients with pathology of the oral mucosa contributed to a more pronounced positive dynamics of achieving and prolonging the phase of remission. Objectives — to evaluate the effectiveness of introducing drugs of the latest generation of antipsychotics into the traditional treatment regimen for patients with pathology of the oral cavity. Methodology. Under our supervision, there were 30 patients aged 40 to 60 years with a diagnosis of pathology of the oral mucosa and pathology of the periodontium. All examined were divided into 2 groups: the main (15 people) and control (15 people). Results. Clinical well-being, manifested in a subjective decrease in pain in the tongue, feelings of rawness, tingling, numbness, awkwardness, in the tongue, was noted already at the 5th visit in 67 % of patients of the main group, while in the control group in 17 % of patients. Conclusions. The inclusion of anxiolytics and antioxidants in the complex of general therapy for patients with pathology of the oral mucosa contributed to a more pronounced positive dynamics of achieving and prolonging the phase of remission. Our data allow us to implement this treatment regimen in practical healthcare.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 5800-5807
Author(s):  
Matheus S. Xavier ◽  
Andrew J. Fleming ◽  
Yuen Kuan Yong

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