POSUDE S TOPONIMIJSKIM A LA BARBOTINE NATPISOM NA ISTOČNOJ OBALI JADRANA – PRIJEDLOG INTERPRETACIJE

The paper deals with two vessels bearing a toponymic inscription - Felix Arba and Salona – found in Nin and Janice, in all likelihood originating from the island of Rab and Salona, and a recently identified vessel, also from Nin, possibly belonging to the same group, though the interpretation of its inscription is difficult. On the basis of morphological and typological characteristics, vessels are classified to pottery categories of tableware and transport pottery, which enables their potential chronological and functional attribution, corroborating assumptions on their local origin. On the basis of the aforementioned, the vessels are interpreted as ancient souvenirs, not only as ceramic objects but also as possible receptacles for assumed foodstuffs and other liquids. Alternatively, on the basis of analogies from other parts of the Empire, possibility of their use is suggested in transport or commercialization of specific local products intended for very specific clients, in this case sailors, anyhow these are vessels intended for small-scale market. Regardless of the interpretation we might be inclined to accept, vessels with (not only?) toponymic inscriptions can be observed in various contexts, enabling reconstruction of not only productive and market cycle of these products but also their more extensive biography, as well as certain cultural practices, such as ancient mobility, creating memory and “self-representation” of ancient sites, ancient literacy etc., suggesting possibility of their multiple function as well as reuse, attested at least in one case, and assumed lengthy use.

Multi-functional Smart Skin for Multi-dimensional Perception for Humanoid Robots

Previously reported artificial smart skins for humanoid robots suffer difficulties in achieving multi-dimensional sensing in a simple structure with a low system cost. In this paper, we exhibit a polyimide/copper/PVDF structured smart skin for multidimensional sensing (including position, proximity, force and humidity), which is enabled by smart utilization of dielectric property of polyimide layer and piezoelectric of the PVDF layer. Experimental results demonstrate that the developed technique successfully obtains large area, flexibility, and multiple-function with simple device structure and low component cost, potentially enabling massive production and advanced services for the humanoid robots’ applications.