Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Archaeology Via Underwater Robots: Mapping And Localization Within Maltese Cistern Systems, Christopher M. Clark, Christopher S. Olstad, Keith Buhagiar, Timmy Gambin

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This paper documents the application of several underwater robot mapping and localization techniques used during an archaeological expedition. The goal of this project was to explore and map ancient cisterns located on the islands of Malta and Gozo. The cisterns of interest acted as water storage systems for fortresses, private homes, and churches. They often consisted of several connected chambers, still containing water. A sonar-equipped Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) was deployed into these cisterns to obtain both video footage and sonar range measurements. Four different mapping and localization techniques were employed including 1) Sonar image mosaics using stationary sonar scans, …

Direct Extraction Of Normal Mapped Meshes From Volume Data, Mark Barry, Zoë J. Wood

Computer Science and Software Engineering

We describe a method of directly extracting a simplified contour surface along with detailed normal maps from volume data in one fast and integrated process. A robust dual contouring algorithm is used for efficiently extracting a high-quality "crack-free" simplified surface from volume data. As each polygon is generated, the normal map is simultaneously generated. An underlying octree data structure reduces the search space required for high to low resolution surface normal mapping. The process quickly yields simplified meshes fitted with normal maps that accurately resemble their complex equivalents.

Altruistic Relationships For Optimizing Task Fulfillment In Robot Communities, Christopher M. Clark, Ryan Morton, George A. Bekey

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This paper introduces the concept of a multi-robot community in which multiple robots must fulfill their individual tasks while operating in a shared environment. Unlike typical multi-robot systems in which global cost functions are minimized while accomplishing a set of global tasks, the robots in this work have individual tasks to accomplish and individual cost functions to optimize (e.g. path length or number of objects to gather).

A strategy is presented in which a robot may choose to aid in the completion of another robot’s task. This type of “altruistic” action leads to evolving altruistic relationships between robots, and can …

Work In Progress: How Do We Teach And Measure Systems Thinking?, Linda Vanasupa, Erika Rogers, Katherine Chen

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Since the 1990's blue-ribbon commissions on engineering education have called for educators to graduate engineers who are capable of systems thinking. However, there is sparse information on how to cultivate this type of cognitive development. How do we develop and measure systems thinking? In this paper, we present the first of a series of methods that we are piloting to initiate the systems thinking process. This exercise, developed by Checkland and Scholes and called "Rich Pictures," requires the participant to express a reality in terms of images and connections between these images. We utilized the Rich Pictures exercise in combination …

Implementing Continuation Marks In Javascript, John Clements, Ayswarya Sundaram, David Herman

Computer Science and Software Engineering

MzScheme’s continuation marks provide a flexible mechanism for implementing a number of useful language features and tools. We demonstrate the simplicity and utility of continuation marks by adapting them for JavaScript as frame-based stack marks using the Rhino implementation, showing a simple model of their behavior, and using them to build a toy debugger. Along the way, we discover a few interesting things. First, it requires some thinking—but not much code—to add continuation marks to JavaScript. Second, coupling tail-calling with the “return” of statement-based languages leads to some interesting problems in formulating a semantics. Third, building a debugger based on …

Joxm: Java Object —Xml Mapping, Adam Dukovich, Jimmy Hua, Jong Seo Lee, Michael Huffman, Alex Dekhtyar

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Java object XML mapping (JOXM) is a library that supports the automated persistence and querying of Java objects in a native XML database. The goal of this library is to provide a suitable alternative to standard object-relational mapping (ORM) tools, most notably Hibernate. Unlike techniques such as XML-relational persistence, the storage mechanism provided by JOXM is transparent, allowing the developer to store, retrieve, and query typed Java objects as opposed to plain XML data.

Toward Systematic Approaches To Design And Implement Vehicles Semi-Active Control Systems, Hamidreza Bolandhemmat, Christopher M. Clark, Farid Golnaraghi

Computer Science and Software Engineering

In this paper a systematic while practical methodology has been presented for design of vehiclepsilas semiactive suspension systems. The semi-active control strategies developed to improve vehicle ride comfort and stability generally have a switching nature. This makes the design of the controlled suspension systems difficult and highly dependent on an extensive trial and error process. The proposed methodology maps the discontinuous control system model to a continuous linear region where all the time/frequency design techniques established in the conventional control system theory can be applied. If the semiactive control system is designed to satisfy some ride/stability requirements, an inverse mapping …

Realtime Experiments In Markov-Based Lane Position Estimation Using Wireless Ad-Hoc Network, Thanh-Son Dao, Luke Ng, Christopher M. Clark, Jan Paul Huissoon

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This paper presents real-time experimental results for a new lane positioning system using Markov localization based on inter-vehicle communication. The proposed system uses low-cost GPS receivers to provide vehicle locations. The system also combines a low-pass Butterworth filter and a particle filter for GPS receiver noise rejection. To study the new lane positioning system, a multi-threaded program in C++, that enables the communication between vehicles and determines their lane positions in real-time, was developed. Experiments using this software validate the effectiveness of the lane positioning system.

Reinforcement Learning Of Adaptive Longitudinal Vehicle Control For Dynamic Collaborative Driving, Luke Ng, Christopher M. Clark, Jan P. Huissoon

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Dynamic collaborative driving involves the motion coordination of multiple vehicles using shared information from vehicles instrumented to perceive their surroundings in order to improve road usage and safety. A basic requirement of any vehicle participating in dynamic collaborative driving is longitudinal control. Without this capability, higher-level coordination is not possible. This paper focuses on the problem of longitudinal motion control. A detailed nonlinear longitudinal vehicle model which serves as the control system design platform is used to develop a longitudinal adaptive control system based on Monte Carlo reinforcement learning. The results of the reinforcement learning phase and the performance of …

Distributed Platoon Assignment And Lane Selection For Traffic Flow Optimization, Thanh-Son Dao, Christopher M. Clark, Jan Paul Huissoon

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This paper presents an approach to lane assignment for highway vehicles that increases traffic throughput while ensuring vehicles can exit successfully at their destinations. To enhance traffic safety and increase lane capacities, vehicles can be organized into platoons with the objective of maximizing the travel distance that platoons stay intact and then apply lane assignment to these platoons. The goal of this research is to form a distributed control strategy to select lanes for platoons using inter-vehicle communication. We evaluate the current platoon lane assignment strategy and compare its improvement over average vehicle travel time with the lane assignment for …

Towards Using Neural Networks To Perform Object-Oriented Function Approximation, Dennis J. Taylor, Brett Bojduj, Franz J. Kurfess

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Many computational methods are based on the manipulation of entities with internal structure, such as objects, records, or data structures. Most conventional approaches based on neural networks have problems dealing with such structured entities. The algorithms presented in this paper represent a novel approach to neural-symbolic integration that allows for symbolic data in the form of objects to be translated to a scalar representation that can then be used by connectionist systems. We present the implementation of two translation algorithms that aid in performing object-oriented function approximation. We argue that objects provide an abstract representation of data that is well …

Improving Engineering Education Through Creativity, Collboration, And Context In A First Year Course, Michael Haungs, John Clements, David S. Janzen

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Over the past few years, Computer Science and some Engineering disciplines have suffered from a decrease in student enrollment, poor retention, and low women and minority representation. We suggest three issues with first-year courses that contribute to this trend. First, students find it difficult to see how their assignments and course material relate to real-world applications. Second, students tend to perceive engineering as an individual endeavor requiring little interaction with peers. Last, early engineering assignments are often overly constrained, possibly to ease grading, allowing minimal room for student creativity. In this paper, we present a model for an introductory freshman-level …

A Survey Of Evidence For Test-Driven Development In Academia, Chetan Desai, David S. Janzen, Kyle Savage

Computer Science and Software Engineering

University professors traditionally struggle to incorporate software testing into their course curriculum. Worries include double-grading for correctness of both source and test code and finding time to teach testing as a topic. Test-driven development (TDD) has been suggested as a possible solution to improve student software testing skills and to realize the benefits of testing. According to most existing studies, TDD improves software quality and student productivity. This paper surveys the current state of TDD experiments conducted exclusively at universities. Similar surveys compare experiments in both the classroom and industry, but none have focused strictly on academia.

Localization In Urban Environments By Matching Ground Level Video Images With An Aerial Image, Keith Yu Kit Leung, Christopher M. Clark, Jan P. Huissoon

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This paper presents the design of a monocular vision based particle filter localization system for urban settings that uses aerial orthoimagery as the reference map. One of the design objectives is to provide a low cost method for outdoor localization using a single camera. This relaxes the need for global positioning system (GPS) which may experience degraded reliability in urban settings. The second objective is to study the achievable localization performance with the aforementioned resources. Image processing techniques are employed to create a feature map from an aerial image, and also to extract features from camera images to provide observations …

On Ordering And Indexing Metadata For The Semantic Web, Jeffrey Pound, Lubomir Stanchev, David Toman, Grant E. Weddell

Computer Science and Software Engineering

No abstract provided.

Seeds Of Evidence: Integrating Evidence-Based Software Engineering, David S. Janzen, Jungwoo Ryoo

Computer Science and Software Engineering

With increasing interest in Evidence-Based Software Engineering (EBSE), software engineering faculty face the challenge of educating future researchers and industry practitioners regarding the generation and use of EBSE results. We propose development and population of a community-driven web database containing summaries of EBSE studies. We present motivations for inclusion of these activities in a software engineering course, and address the particular appeal of a community-driven web database to students who have grown up in the Internet generation. We present our experience with integrating these activities into a graduate software engineering course, and report student and industry practitioner assessments of the …

Teaching Object-Oriented Software Engineering Through Problem-Based Learning In The Context Of Game Design, Jungwoo Ryoo, Frederico Fonesca, David S. Janzen

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Although Object Orientation is emphasized in software engineering education, few have attempted to alleviate the initial learning curve associated with an inexperienced audience in non-computer science disciplines. The authors propose a Problem-Based Learning curriculum centered on game development to deliver basic Object-Oriented programming concepts in an interactive and engaging manner. Class activities occur within the context of the Object-Oriented Rational Unified Process. One of the most significant contributions of this paper lies in the design of class modules containing tasks intended to educate students on Object-Oriented Software Engineering in an incremental and self-actuated way.

A Complete And Scalable Strategy For Coordinating Multiple Robots Within Roadmaps, Mike Peasgood, Christopher M. Clark, John Mcphee

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This paper addresses the challenging problem of finding collision-free trajectories for many robots moving toward individual goals within a common environment. Most popular algorithms for multirobot planning manage the complexity of the problem by planning trajectories for robots individually; such decoupled methods are not guaranteed to find a solution if one exists. In contrast, this paper describes a multiphase approach to the planning problem that uses a graph and spanning tree representation to create and maintain obstacle-free paths through the environment for each robot to reach its goal. The resulting algorithm guarantees a solution for a well-defined number of robots …

Does Test-Driven Development Really Improve Software Design Quality?, David S. Janzen, Hossein Saiedian

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Software developers are known for adopting new technologies and practices on the basis of their novelty or anecdotal evidence of their promise. Who can blame them? With constant pressure to produce more with less, we often can’t wait for evidence before jumping in. We become convinced that competition won’t let us wait. Advocates for test-driven development claim that TDD produces code that’s simpler, more cohesive, and less coupled than code developed in a more traditional test-last way. Support for TDD is growing in many development contexts beyond its common association with Extreme Programming. Examples such as Robert C. Martin’s bowling …

Test-Driven Learning In Early Programming Courses, David S. Janzen, Hossein Saiedian

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Coercing new programmers to adopt disciplined development practices such as thorough unit testing is a challenging endeavor. Test-driven development (TDD) has been proposed as a solution to improve both software design and testing. Test-driven learning (TDL) has been proposed as a pedagogical approach for teaching TDD without imposing significant additional instruction time. This research evaluates the effects of students using a test-first (TDD) versus test-last approach in early programming courses, and considers the use of TDL on a limited basis in CS1 and CS2. Software testing, programmer productivity, programmer performance, and programmer opinions are compared between test-first and test-last programming …

Locating The Source Of Topological Error In Reconstructed 3d Models, Eric Firestone, Craig Povey, Zoë J. Wood

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Although range scanning technology has offered great improvements to digital model creation in recent years, it has also introduced some new concerns. Specifically, recent work shows that topological errors such as tiny handles can significantly lower the overall quality of range-scanned models for down-stream applications (such as simplification and parameterization). In this paper we present our investigation into the source of this topological error in the range scanning process, and our methods to alleviate the error. We concentrated our investigation of the scanning process on: (1) signal noise or calibration error in the laser scanner (resulting in bad data points) …

User Driven Two-Dimensional Computer-Generated Ornamentation, Dustin Anderson, Zoë J. Wood

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Hand drawn ornamentation, such as floral or geometric patterns, is a tedious and time consuming task that requires skill and training in ornamental design principles and aesthetics. Ornamental drawings both historically and presently play critical roles in all things from art to architecture, and when computers handle the repetition and overall structure of ornament, considerable savings in time and money can result. Due to the importance of keeping an artist in the loop, we present an application, designed and implemented utilizing a user-driven global planning strategy, to help guide the generation of two-dimensional ornament. The system allows for the creation …

Improving Knowledge Retention In A Technical Subject By Diversifying The Learning Experience, Lubomir Stanchev

Computer Science and Software Engineering

There is no silver bullet when it comes to successful teaching. Some scholars believe that traditional lectures are the panacea, while others are firm believers in active and cooperative learning. In this paper I report on my experience with the two approaches and explore the idea of combining them. In particular, I will argue that diversifying the avenues in which students are exposed to knowledge in a technical discipline, such as computer science, can spark their enthusiasm and make the learning experience more enjoyable and productive.