Application of Machine Learning in Air Hockey Interactive Control System

In recent years, chip design technology and AI (artificial intelligence) have made significant progress. This forces all of fields to investigate how to increase the competitiveness of products with machine learning technology. In this work, we mainly use deep learning coupled with motor control to realize the real-time interactive system of air hockey, and to verify the feasibility of machine learning in the real-time interactive system. In particular, we use the convolutional neural network YOLO (“you only look once”) to capture the hockey current position. At the same time, the law of reflection and neural networking are applied to predict the end position of the puck Based on the predicted location, the system will control the stepping motor to move the linear slide to realize the real-time interactive air hockey system. Finally, we discuss and verify the accuracy of the prediction of the puck end position and improve the system response time to meet the system requirements.

Amplitude–phase calibration of tri-axial accelerometers in the low-frequency range by a LDV

A method for amplitude–phase calibration of tri-axial accelerometers in the low-frequency range (0 to 20 Hz) is proposed, based on a linear slide, used to excite all the axes of the accelerometer at the same time, and a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) as a reference. For the phase evaluation different methods, like cross-correlation analysis and cross-spectrum analysis, have also been used for validation purposes. The procedure includes many further validation actions in order to verify the correctness of modelling of the systems being tested, of the data processing and to reduce the calibration uncertainty. Results show that the phase is a critical aspect to consider in calibration, more than the amplitude, and the comparison with the theoretical model is useful to verify the hypotheses. Different behaviours result depending on the elements of the measurement chain and not only on the type of accelerometer.

European Proximity Operations Simulator 2.0 (EPOS) - A Robotic-Based Rendezvous and Docking Simulator

The European Proximity Operations Simulator (EPOS) 2.0 located at the German Space Operations Center (GSOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, is a robotic based test facility of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) used for simulation of rendezvous and docking (RvD) processes. Hardware such as rendezvous sensors (cameras, laser scanners) or docking tools, as well as software (e.g. for navigation and control) can be tested and verified. The facility consists of two robotic manipulators with each six degrees of freedom, a linear slide of 25m length on which one robot can be moved in the laboratory, and a computer-based monitoring and control system. EPOS 2.0 allows for real-time simulations of the rendezvous and docking process during the most critical phase (separation from 25m to 0m) of proximity and docking/berthing operations.

The mechanical and thermal setup of the GLORIA spectrometer

The novel airborne Gimballed Limb Observer for Radiance Imaging of the Atmosphere (GLORIA) measures infrared emission of atmospheric trace constituents. GLORIA comprises a cooled imaging Fourier transform spectrometer, which is operated in unpressurized aircraft compartments at ambient temperature. The whole spectrometer is pointed by the gimbal towards the atmospheric target. In order to reach the required sensitivity for atmospheric emission measurements, the spectrometer optics needs to operate at a temperature below 220 K. A lightweight and compact design is mandatory due to limited space and high agility requirements. The cooled optical system needs to withstand high pressure and temperature gradients, humidity, and vibrations. A new cooling system based on carbon dioxide and liquid nitrogen combined with high-performance insulation has been developed to meet the mechanical, thermal, and logistical demands. The challenging mechanical and spatial requirements lead to the development of a novel rigid linear slide design in order to achieve the large optical path difference for high spectral resolution. This paper describes the mechanical and thermal setup of GLORIA and presents the performance results on two different research aircrafts.