Robust fault-tolerant leader-follower control of four-wheel-steering mobile robots using terminal sliding mode

This paper addresses the actuator failure compensation problem of non-linear fourwheel-steering mobile robots based on vehicle kinematics, undergoing both known and unknown failures causing degenerated steering performance or wheels stuck at some observable angles. Terminal sliding mode control technique is used to guarantee the tracking stability infinite time with the presence of actuator fault. Simulation results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme. © Institution of Engineers Australia 2012.

The multiple mini-interview (MMI) in medical student selection

An historical survey of medical student selection identified the multiple mini-interview (MMI) as a promising tool for the assessment of non-cognitive qualities. The Deakin MMI was found to be reliable and useful in predicting performance during the medical course when used with other established selection criteria such as GPA.

Convergent evolution in locomotory patterns of flying and swimming animals

Locomotion is one of the major energetic costs faced by animals and various strategies have evolved to reduce its cost. Birds use interspersed periods of flapping and gliding to reduce the mechanical requirements of level flight while undergoing cyclical changes in flight altitude, known as undulating flight. Here we equipped free-ranging marine vertebrates with accelerometers and demonstrate that gait patterns resembling undulating flight occur in four marine vertebrate species comprising sharks and pinnipeds. Both sharks and pinnipeds display intermittent gliding interspersed with powered locomotion. We suggest, that the convergent use of similar gait patterns by distinct groups of animals points to universal physical and physiological principles that operate beyond taxonomic limits and shape common solutions to increase energetic efficiency. Energetically expensive large-scale migrations performed by many vertebrates provide common selection pressure for efficient locomotion, with potential for the convergence of locomotory strategies by a wide variety of species.

Corticomotor responses to attentionally demanding motor performance: a mini-review

Increased attentional demand has been shown to reduce motor performance, leading to increases in accidents, particularly in elderly populations. While these deficits have been well documented behaviorally, their cortical correlates are less well known. Increased attention has been shown to affect activity in prefrontal regions of the cortex. However there have been varying results within past research investigating corticomotor regions, mediating motor performance. This mini-review initially discusses past behavioral research, before moving to studies investigating corticomotor areas in response to changes in attention. Recent dual task studies have revealed a possible decline in the ability of older, but not younger, adults to activate inhibitory processes within the motor cortex, which may be correlated with poor motor performance, and thus accidents. A reduction in cortical inhibition may be caused by neurodegeneration within prefrontal regions of the cortex with age, rendering older adults less able to allocate attention to corticomotor regions.

Robots, avatars and ghosts

This performance explored the use of live motion capture - driven and 3D avatars and robots in dramatic theatre. The work was part of an Australia Council Artlab research project to develop new approaches to using digital technology in dramatic theatre.

Babes in the sand and flying predators : touristic corruption, exoticism and neocolonialism in Chandani Lokugé’s 'Turtle Nest'

In Chandani Lokugé’s Turtle Nest the Sri Lankan beach is a savage environment, a dystopia, where local children are molested by Western paedophile tourists. This essay examines representations of child vulnerability, exoticism, neocolonialism and envy in the novel. It reads these issues in the context of postcolonial tourism in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. It establishes connections between the commodification of children in Lokugé’s story and the real-world progress of exoticist tourism.

A touching movement : force control turns machining robots into universal tools

ABB has written a new chapter in the book of robot applications. While in the past it had been a tedious and time-consuming effort to program a robot for delicate fine-tuning operations, robots can now learn how to best manage such tasks themselves. This innovative approach can reduce overall programming times by up to 80 percent for robots used to grind castings, vastly improving productivity levels. With ABB’s new Flex Finishing system featuring RobotWare Machining FC (force control), one of the last real barriers to productivity improvement in this sector has been lifted.