A modular framework for optimal scheduling of industrial processes

This paper proposes an extended Petri net formalism as a suitable language for composing optimal scheduling problems of industrial production processes with real and binary decision variables. The proposed approach is modular and scalable, as the overall process dynamics and constraints can be collected by parsing of all atomic elements of the net graph. To conclude, we demonstrate the use of this framework for modeling the moulding sand preparation process of a real foundry plant.

Green and Transportable Modular Building: a prefabricated prototype of resilient and efficient house

Remote working proved to be an advantage in terms energy-saving as well as, for many, in terms of quality of life, while it was a necessity during the pandemic crisis of 2020/2021. This new habit is now promoted by many big enterprises due to associated cost savings. Some experiences of remote working in different locations have started to be supported by incentives in small municipalities to repopulate remote locations in Italy and people are now more inclined to move not just for vacation. These conditions could lead to a sort of “climatic nomadism” achievable, among other, through transportable homes. The net-zero energy Green and Transportable Modular Building (GTMB) project is able to cut its environmental impact. It can assume different configurations according to the user’s needs. The house is based on a timber construction system, easily adjustable and adaptable according to a modular framework. The energy performance has been simulated by means of BIM/BEM methodologies. The building has been tested in two different climates and configurations according to variable social interaction. The energy balance of the house in the life cycle showed the achievement of a carbon zero balance mainly due to timber technology, a heat pump, and PV integration.

The Camp Nou Stadium as a Testbed for City Physiology: A Modular Framework for Urban Digital Twins

In this paper, the Camp Nou stadium is used as a testbed for City Physiology, a theoretical framework for urban digital twins. With this case study, the modularity and adaptability of the framework, originally intended for city-scale simulations, are tested on a large facility venue. As a proof of concept, several statistical techniques and an agent-based simulation platform are coupled to simulate a crowd in the stadium, and a process of four steps is followed to build the case study. Both the conceptual (interdomain) and technical (domain specific) layers of the digital twin are defined and connected in a nonlinear process so that they represent the complexity of the object to be simulated. The result obtained is a strategy to build a digital twin from the domain point of view, paving the way for more complex, more ambitious simulators.

A modular framework to generate robust biped locomotion: from planning to control

Biped robots are inherently unstable because of their complex kinematics as well as dynamics. Despite many research efforts in developing biped locomotion, the performance of biped locomotion is still far from the expectations. This paper proposes a model-based framework to generate stable biped locomotion. The core of this framework is an abstract dynamics model which is composed of three masses to consider the dynamics of stance leg, torso, and swing leg for minimizing the tracking problems. According to this dynamics model, we propose a modular walking reference trajectories planner which takes into account obstacles to plan all the references. Moreover, this dynamics model is used to formulate the controller as a Model Predictive Control (MPC) scheme which can consider some constraints in the states of the system, inputs, outputs, and also mixed input-output. The performance and the robustness of the proposed framework are validated by performing several numerical simulations using MATLAB. Moreover, the framework is deployed on a simulated torque-controlled humanoid to verify its performance and robustness. The simulation results show that the proposed framework is capable of generating biped locomotion robustly.

A Generalized and Modular Framework for Digital Generation of Composite Microstructures

This paper presents a generalized framework for the digital generation of composite microstructures using filter-based approaches that can devise and utilize a wide variety of cost functions reflecting the desired targets on geometrical and statistical measures. The use of filter-based approaches leads to remarkable computational advantages compared to the conventional approaches used currently for microstructure generation. The framework provides a highly modular and flexible approach to generate stochastic ensembles of microstructures meeting user-defined microstructural characteristics. The proposed framework is illustrated in this paper through selected case studies.

An Open-Source Modular Framework for Automated Pipetting and Imaging Applications

The number of samples in biological experiments are continuously increasing, but complex protocols and human experimentation in many cases lead to suboptimal data quality and hence difficulties in reproducing scientific findings. Laboratory automation can alleviate many of these problems by precisely reproducing machine-readable protocols. These instruments generally require high up-front investments and due to lack of open APIs they are notoriously difficult for scientists to customize and control outside of the vendor-supplied software. Here, we demonstrate automated, high-throughput experiments for interdisciplinary research in life science that can be replicated on a modest budget, using open tools to ensure reproducibility by combining the tools Openflexure, Opentrons, ImJoy and UC2. Our automated sample preparation and imaging pipeline can easily be replicated and established in many laboratories as well as in educational contexts through easy-to-understand algorithms and easy-to-build microscopes. Additionally, the creation of feedback loops, with later pipetting or imaging steps depending on analysis of previously acquired images, enables the realization of smart microscopy experiments, featuring completely autonomously performed experiments. All documents and source-files are publicly available (https://beniroquai.github.io/Hi2) to prove the concept of smart lab automation using inexpensive, open tools. We believe this democratizes access to the power and repeatability of automated experiments.

A Coupled Hydrologic-Economic Modeling Framework for Scenario Analysis

To capture the interactions between hydrologic and economic systems necessary for modeling water quality at a sufficient level of spatial detail, we have designed a modular framework that couples an economic model with a watershed model. To represent the economic system, the Rectangular Choice-of-Technology (RCOT) model was used because it represents both the physical and monetary aspects of economic activities and, unlike traditional input-output or general equilibrium models, it can optimize choices among operational technologies in addition to the amount and location of production. For the first implementation of this modeling framework, RCOT is coupled with a watershed model, Hydrological Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF), which was calibrated to represent Cedar Run Watershed in northern Virginia. This framework was used to analyze eight scenarios related to the expansion of agricultural activity in Fauquier County. The database for RCOT used county-level input-output data representative of the region in 2012. Thus, when crop farming was expanded to fully utilize the farmland available in the watershed, the nitrogen concentration at the outflow of the watershed increased from 0.6 to 4.3 mg/L. However, when RCOT could select between a standard and a more nitrogen-efficient management practice, the outflow nitrogen concentration only increased to 2.6 mg/L because RCOT selected the more resource-efficient practice. Building on this modular framework, future work will involve designing more realistic scenarios that can test policy options and regional planning decisions in a wide range of watersheds.