Impact of Shared Control Modalities on Performance and Usability of Semi-autonomous Prostheses

Semi-autonomous (SA) control of upper-limb prostheses can improve the performance and decrease the cognitive burden of a user. In this approach, a prosthesis is equipped with additional sensors (e.g., computer vision) that provide contextual information and enable the system to accomplish some tasks automatically. Autonomous control is fused with a volitional input of a user to compute the commands that are sent to the prosthesis. Although several promising prototypes demonstrating the potential of this approach have been presented, methods to integrate the two control streams (i.e., autonomous and volitional) have not been systematically investigated. In the present study, we implemented three shared control modalities (i.e., sequential, simultaneous, and continuous) and compared their performance, as well as the cognitive and physical burdens imposed on the user. In the sequential approach, the volitional input disabled the autonomous control. In the simultaneous approach, the volitional input to a specific degree of freedom (DoF) activated autonomous control of other DoFs, whereas in the continuous approach, autonomous control was always active except for the DoFs controlled by the user. The experiment was conducted in ten able-bodied subjects, and these subjects used an SA prosthesis to perform reach-and-grasp tasks while reacting to audio cues (dual tasking). The results demonstrated that, compared to the manual baseline (volitional control only), all three SA modalities accomplished the task in a shorter time and resulted in less volitional control input. The simultaneous SA modality performed worse than the sequential and continuous SA approaches. When systematic errors were introduced in the autonomous controller to generate a mismatch between the goals of the user and controller, the performance of SA modalities substantially decreased, even below the manual baseline. The sequential SA scheme was the least impacted one in terms of errors. The present study demonstrates that a specific approach for integrating volitional and autonomous control is indeed an important factor that significantly affects the performance and physical and cognitive load, and therefore these should be considered when designing SA prostheses.

The Control Reversing Algorithm for Autonomous Vehicles with PSD-Controlled Trailers

Driving a vehicle with a passive trailer has been the subject of numerous studies. Current control strategies are mostly used by differential geometry, linear algebra, fuzzy regulators, and artificial neural networks. The objective of this study is to design an algorithm for autonomous control of the tractor-trailer system reversing based on an algorithm using a PSD controller and to verify it on a simulated mathematical model. All parameters listed in the models and experiments are performed based on the existing tractor-trailer system. Dynamic models of steering and velocity control were identified and incorporated into the simulation. Result includes a stable operation of the steering without oscillating. The proposed algorithm can be implemented in microcontrollers without the need for high computing power.

Monitoring the current trajectories of autonomous heavy platforms moving along the quarry routes of mining enterprises

In order to obtain information about the generated current trajectories (CT) of unmanned mining dump trucks, in the software and hardware complexes of the computer-aided dispatching system (in the external control subsystem and the autonomous control subsystem) installed on-board of an (AHP), one-dimensional (scalar) continuous signals (hereinafter converted into discrete digital ones) with a time-dependent instantaneous frequency, the so-called chirp signals, are put in accordance with the current trajectories of the AHP. This approach makes it possible to continuously monitor and manage the dynamics of current AHP trajectories with a high degree of efficiency. Note that for the purpose of information-rich and semantically transparent representation of information about the current state of the AHP CT, the chirp signals of the CT are converted into multidimensional Cohen’s class time-frequency wavelet distributions. The Wigner-Ville distribution (hereinafter referred to as the Wigner distribution) is selected as a working tool for performing computational procedures in the hardware / software module. This distribution is based on the Gabor basis wavelet functions and the wavelet matching pursuit algorithm. The choice of Gabor wavelets as the main ones is explained by their sinusoidal-like shape, since they are sinusoidal signals modulated by the Gauss window. On the other hand, the analyzed 1D-signals indicating the current position of the AHP on the route are also sinusoidal-like. This makes it possible to approximate current signals with high accuracy based on their comparison with the wavelet functions selected from the redundant wavelet dictionary. This approximation is adaptive, since it is performed on separate local fragments of the signal analyzed depending on approximating wavelets. This is the essence of the wavelet matching pursuit algorithm. The resulting wavelet series is then transformed into the Wigner time-frequency distribution, which is used to form a corresponding CT. As an example, reconstructions of time-frequency distributions (TFD) are given, corresponding to the deviation of a certain CT to the left (the trajectory signal decreases exponentially) and to the right (the CT-signal increases) from the nominal axial trajectory (NAT). The calculated scalar signal and its TFD for the AHP CT deviating to the left from NAT are also presented. In addition, on the basis of theoretical explanations the calculated linear-increasing TFD is demonstrated, corresponding to the CT-deviation to the right from NAT, and the time invariant stationary TFD characterizing the movement of AHP along the NAT line. In conclusion, based on the results obtained, it is concluded that the most appropriate ways to monitor the current trajectories of AHP movement and procedures for processing the corresponding signals are the operations implemented in computer-aided subsystems of external and autonomous control and based on such concepts as the Cohen’s class wavelet distributions, Gabor redundant dictionary of wavelet functions, the wavelet matching pursuit algorithm, and the representation of technological chirp-signals, as well as frequency-stationary signals about the current AHP trajectories represented in the wavelet medium. In this connection, the authors concluded that the procedures realizing the current monitoring of AHP movement on open pit mine routes and implementing the process of analyzing a relevant dynamic change in current trajectories, described in the article and embedded in software and hardware autonomous and external control subsystems of “Smart quarry” are adequate for performing required functions. The introduction of the principles of computer-aided controlling the unmanned mining vehicles allows you to optimize labor costs for the operation of mining equipment, reduce the cost of current work, and attract highly qualified specialists for the development and operation of innovative transport equipment.

Smart Mobility and Aspects of Vehicle-to-Infrastructure: A Data Viewpoint

The aim of this article is to describe estimates of data difficulty and aspects of the data viewpoint within Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication in the Smart Mobility concept. The historical development of the database system’s architecture, that stores and processes a larger amount of data, is currently sufficient and effective for the needs of today’s society. The goal of vehicle manufacturers is the continual increase in driving comfort and the use of multiple sensors to sense the vehicle’s surroundings, as well as to help the driver in critical situations avoid danger. The increasing number of sensors is directly related to the amount of data generated by the vehicle. In the automotive industry, it is crucial that autonomous vehicles can process data in real time or can locate itself in precise accuracy, for the decision-making process. To meet these requirements, we will describe HD maps as a key segment of autonomous control. It alerts the reader to the need to address the issue of real-time Big Data processing, which represents an important role in the concept of Smart Mobility.