Weight Controlled Electric Skateboard,
2019
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Weight Controlled Electric Skateboard, Zachary Barram, Carson Bertozzi, Vishnu Dodballapur
Computer Engineering
Technology and the way that humans interact is becoming more vital and omnipresent with every passing day. However, human interface device designers suffer from the increasingly popular “designed for me or people like me” syndrome. This design philosophy inherently limits accessibility and usability of technology to those like the designer. This places severe limits of usability to those who are not fully able as well as leaves non-traditional human interface devices unexplored. This project set out to explore a previously uncharted human interface device, on an electric skateboard, and compare it send user experience with industry leading human interface devices.
The Soul Annoyed Robot: A Senior Project Report,
2019
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
The Soul Annoyed Robot: A Senior Project Report, Dayton Andrew Muxlow, Christian Johansen
Computer Engineering
Our goal for this senior project was to create a competitive robot designed to com- pete in Roborodentia 2019. Our project started during the Winter 2019 quarter, and ended with the competition on May 18, 2019. During that time, we developed an accurate solenoid shooting mechanism, an elevated conveyor belt to carry poker chips, and a servo arm to scoop in stacks of poker chips. These hardware compo- nents were attached to a circular differential-drive wooden base designed to be easy to control. We also planned out our match strategy and implemented this strategy with software written in C/Wiring to …
Planr.: Planar Learning Autonomous Navigation Robot,
2019
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Planr.: Planar Learning Autonomous Navigation Robot, Gabrielle S. Santamorena, Daniel Kasman, Jesus Mercado, Ben Klave, Andrew Weisman, Anthony Fortner
Computer Engineering
PLANR is a self-contained robot capable of mapping a space and generating 2D floor plans of a building while identifying objects of interest. It runs Robot Operating System (ROS) and houses four main hardware components. An Arduino Mega board handles the navigation, while an NVIDIA Jetson TX2, holds most of the processing power and runs ROS. An Orbbec Astra Pro stereoscopic camera is used for recognition of doors, windows and outlets and the RPLiDAR A3 laser scanner is able to give depth for wall detection and dimension measurements. The robot is intended to operate autonomously and without constant human monitoring …
Labeling Paths With Convolutional Neural Networks,
2019
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Labeling Paths With Convolutional Neural Networks, Sean Wallace, Kyle Wuerch
Computer Engineering
With the increasing development of autonomous vehicles, being able to detect driveable paths in arbitrary environments has become a prevalent problem in multiple industries. This project explores a technique which utilizes a discretized output map that is used to color an image based on the confidence that each block is a driveable path. This was done using a generalized convolutional neural network that was trained on a set of 3000 images taken from the perspective of a robot along with matching masks marking which portion of the image was a driveable path. The techniques used allowed for a labeling accuracy …
Robot Navigation In Cluttered Environments With Deep Reinforcement Learning,
2019
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Robot Navigation In Cluttered Environments With Deep Reinforcement Learning, Ryan Weideman
Master's Theses
The application of robotics in cluttered and dynamic environments provides a wealth of challenges. This thesis proposes a deep reinforcement learning based system that determines collision free navigation robot velocities directly from a sequence of depth images and a desired direction of travel. The system is designed such that a real robot could be placed in an unmapped, cluttered environment and be able to navigate in a desired direction with no prior knowledge. Deep Q-learning, coupled with the innovations of double Q-learning and dueling Q-networks, is applied. Two modifications of this architecture are presented to incorporate direction heading information that …
Learning In Informal Environments Through Engineering Activities Through The Partnership With The Girl Scouts,
2019
Old Dominion University
Learning In Informal Environments Through Engineering Activities Through The Partnership With The Girl Scouts, Vukica M. Jovanovic, Otilia Popescu, Carol Considine, Karina Arcaute, Krishnanand Kaipa, Stephanie G. Adams
Engineering Technology Faculty Publications
More affordable and portable robots have enabled easier access for outreach activities to happen in different environments. However, exposure to robotics often relies on seeing robots in action, such as industrial robotics and robots that are used for research purposes. Old Dominion University’s College of Engineering and Technology in Norfolk, Virginia recently signed a partnership agreement with the Girl Scouts of Colonial Coast as one of the focused outreach strategies that target the female population. Various events are held on campus in the Hampton Roads residential area located in the southeastern United States, which has a population of around 2 …
Surveying Underwater Shipwrecks With Probabilistic Roadmaps,
2019
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Surveying Underwater Shipwrecks With Probabilistic Roadmaps, Amy Jeannette Lewis
Master's Theses
Almost two thirds of the Earth's surface is covered in ocean, and yet, only about 5% of it is mapped. There are an unknown amount of sunken ships, planes, and other artifacts hidden below the sea. Extensive search via boat and a sonar tow fish following a standard lawnmower pattern is used to identify sites of interest. Then, if a site has been determined to potentially be historically significant, the most common next step is a survey by either a human dive team or remotely operated vehicle. These are time consuming, error prone, and potentially dangerous options, but autonomous underwater …
Impact Of Bioinspired Robots On Veterans Pursuing Stem Degrees,
2019
Old Dominion University
Impact Of Bioinspired Robots On Veterans Pursuing Stem Degrees, Otilia Popescu, Vukica M. Jovanovic, Krishnanand Kaipa, Karina Arcaute, Anthony W. Dean
Engineering Technology Faculty Publications
The gap in the area of advanced manufacturing skilled workforce and the efforts in guiding veterans towards STEM careers are merged in the NSF funded project presented in this paper. While most of the products and STEM educational programs focused on a maker concept that are currently available are specifically designed for young population, at various K-12 grade levels, to increase their interest in STEM and engineering careers in particular, there is a limited availability of such programs to address adult population. The study presented in this paper focuses on developing and implementing a series of workshops for veterans, using …
Confucian Robot Ethics,
2019
Colorado School of Mines
Confucian Robot Ethics, Qin Zhu, Tom Williams, Ruchen Wen
Computer Ethics - Philosophical Enquiry (CEPE) Proceedings
In the literature of artificial moral agents (AMAs), most work is influenced by either deontological or utilitarian frameworks. It has also been widely acknowledged that these Western “rule-based” ethical theories have encountered both philosophical and computing challenges. To tackle these challenges, this paper explores a non-Western, role-based, Confucian approach to robot ethics. In this paper, we start by providing a short introduction to some theoretical fundamentals of Confucian ethics. Then, we discuss some very preliminary ideas for constructing a Confucian approach to robot ethics. Lastly, we briefly share a couple of empirical studies our research group has recently conducted that …
A Ulysses Pact With Artificial Systems. How To Deliberately Change The Objective Spirit With Cultured Ai,
2019
University of Siegen, Germany
A Ulysses Pact With Artificial Systems. How To Deliberately Change The Objective Spirit With Cultured Ai, Bruno Gransche
Computer Ethics - Philosophical Enquiry (CEPE) Proceedings
The article introduces a concept of cultured technology, i.e. intelligent systems capable of interacting with humans and showing (or simulating) manners, of following customs and of socio-sensitive considerations. Such technologies might, when deployed on a large scale, influence and change the realm of human customs, traditions, standards of acceptable behavior, etc. This realm is known as the "objective spirit" (Hegel), which usually is thought of as being historically changing but not subject to deliberate human design. The article investigates the question of whether the purposeful design of interactive technologies (as cultured technologies) could enable us to shape modes of …
Spring 2019,
2019
DePaul University
Spring 2019
In The Loop
Lab Life: New and improved School of Computing labs inspire research in robotics and engineering; A Festival to Remember: Students thrive in film festival environments; Next Gen Data Scientists: Data Science Academy introduces high school students to the big world of data; A Well-Designed Design Colloquium; Game Face: "Sausage Sports Club: creator and CDM alumnus Chris Wade shares the story behind his playful Nintendo Switch game: Connected from Afar: Graduate student Sierra Sellman makes the most of her online degree program; Seen and Heard; Bravo! Bravo!
Quantified Measurement Of The Tilt Effect In A Family Of Café Wall Illusions,
2019
Flinders University
Quantified Measurement Of The Tilt Effect In A Family Of Café Wall Illusions, Nasim Nematzadeh Dr., David Martin Powers Prof.
MODVIS Workshop
This abstract explores the tilt effect in a family of Café Wall illusions using a Classical Gaussian Receptive Field model (CRF). Our model constructs an intermediate representation called edge map at multiple scales (Fig. 1) that reveals tilt cues and clues involved in the illusory perception of the Café Wall pattern. We investigate a wide range of parameters of the stimulus including mortar width, luminance, tiles contrast, and phase of the tile displacement (the stimuli in Fig. 2). We show that this simple bioplausible model, simulating the contrast sensitivity of the retinal ganglion cells, can not only detect the tilts …
The Future Robo-Advisor,
2019
Singapore Management University
The Future Robo-Advisor, Catalin Burlacu
MITB Thought Leadership Series
The accelerated digitalisation of both people and business around the world today is having a huge impact on the investment management and advisory space. The addition of new and vastly larger data sets, as well as exponentially more sophisticated analytical tools to turn that data into usable information is constantly changing the way investments are decided on, made and managed.
Comparison Of Lqr And Lqr-Mrac For Linear Tractor-Trailer Model,
2019
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Comparison Of Lqr And Lqr-Mrac For Linear Tractor-Trailer Model, Kevin Richard Gasik
Master's Theses
The United States trucking industry is immense. Employing over three million drivers and traveling to every city in the country. Semi-Trucks travel millions of miles each week and encompass roads that civilians travel on. These vehicles should be safe and allow efficient travel for all. Autonomous vehicles have been discussed in controls for many decades. Now fleets of autonomous vehicles are beginning their integration into society. The ability to create an autonomous system requires domain and system specific knowledge. Approaches to implement a fully autonomous vehicle have been developed using different techniques in control systems such as Kalman Filters, Neural …
Modeling Of Complex Parts For Industrial Waterjet Cleaning,
2019
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Modeling Of Complex Parts For Industrial Waterjet Cleaning, Braden James
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Industrial high-pressure waterjet cleaning is common to many industries. The modeling in this paper functions inside a collaborative robotic framework for high mix, low volume processes where human robot collaboration is beneficial. Automation of pressure washing is desirable for economic and ergonomic reasons. An automated cleaning system needs path simulation and analysis to give the operator insight into the predicted cleaning performance of the system. In this paper, ablation, the removal of a substrate coating by waterjet, is modeled for robotic cleaning operations. The model is designed to work with complex parts often found in spray cleaning operations, namely parts …
Towards A Prototype Platform For Ros Integrations On A Ground Robot,
2019
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Towards A Prototype Platform For Ros Integrations On A Ground Robot, Taylor Joseph Linville Whitaker
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The intent of this work was to develop, evaluate, and demonstrate a prototype robot platform on which ROS integrations could be explored. With observations of features and requirements of existing industrial and service mobile ground robots, a platform was designed and outfitted with appropriate components to enable the most common operational-critical functionalities and account for unforeseen components and features. The resulting Arlo Demonstration Robot accommodates basic mapping, localization, and navigation in both two and three-dimensional space as well as additional safety and teleoperation features. The control system is centered around the Zybo Z7 FPGA SoC hosting a custom hardware design. …
3d Printed Smart Mobile,
2019
CUNY New York City College of Technology
3d Printed Smart Mobile, Bingfang Chen
Publications and Research
The goal of this research project is to design and build a prototype of a smart mobile robot to participate and compete in IEEE Micro-mouse and similar competitions. The robot has to find its way out of a maze as quickly as possible, by exploring and learning the paths in the maze. 3D printing technology will be used to build a lightweight robot frame so that it can move at a fast speed.
Design And Creation Of A System Of Machines To Automate Quality Control Processes For Atms,
2019
Otterbein University
Design And Creation Of A System Of Machines To Automate Quality Control Processes For Atms, Miguel D. Pedrozo
Undergraduate Distinction Papers
This project is based around the quality control processes used to test ATMs. Currently, a person will manually run through each function of the ATM in order to find modes of failure. As the case with all repetitive jobs, it is an unwanted task and is simple enough to be automated. The new solution I propose allows for a system of devices to operate the functions of the ATM autonomously with little to no human intervention. Additionally, this solution is more reliable when diagnosing a problem as it will eventually communicate with the ATM directly in a closed loop system …
A Generative Human-Robot Motion Retargeting Approach Using A Single Rgbd Sensor,
2019
University of Kentucky
A Generative Human-Robot Motion Retargeting Approach Using A Single Rgbd Sensor, Sen Wang, Xinxin Zuo, Runxiao Wang, Ruigang Yang
Computer Science Faculty Publications
The goal of human-robot motion retargeting is to let a robot follow the movements performed by a human subject. Typically in previous approaches, the human poses are precomputed from a human pose tracking system, after which the explicit joint mapping strategies are specified to apply the estimated poses to a target robot. However, there is not any generic mapping strategy that we can use to map the human joint to robots with different kinds of configurations. In this paper, we present a novel motion retargeting approach that combines the human pose estimation and the motion retargeting procedure in a unified …
End-To-End Learning: Using Neural Networks For Vehicle Control And Obstacle Avoidance,
2019
Georgia Southern University
End-To-End Learning: Using Neural Networks For Vehicle Control And Obstacle Avoidance, Keith Russell
Honors College Theses
End to End learning is a method of deep learning which has been used to great effect to solve complex problems which would normally be performed by humans. Within this thesis, a neural network was created to mimic the steering patterns of humans in highway driving situations. A Turtlebot was used in place of a car and was tested within a laboratory on a closed loop track to drive within the lanes created for it. The network architecture was based on that of Nvidia’s model which was used for predicting steering angles of a vehicle. The network was successfully trained …
