A multimedia environment for supporting the teaching of robotics systems

This paper aims at describing an educational system for teaching and learning robotic systems. Multimedia resources were used to construct a virtual laboratory where users are able to use functionalities of a virtual robotic arm, by moving and clicking the mouse without caring about the detailed internal robot operation. Moreover through the multimedia system the user can interact with a real robot arm. The engineering students are the target public of the developed system. With its contents and interactive capabilities, it has been used as a support to the traditional face-to-face classes on the subject of robotics.. In the paper it is first introduced the metaphor of Virtual Laboratory used in the system. Next, it is described the Graphical and Multimedia Environment approach: an interactive graphic user interface with a 3D environment for simulation. Design and implementation issues of the real-time interactive multimedia learning system, which supports the W3C SMIL standard for presenting the real-time multimedia teaching material, are described. Finally, some preliminary conclusions and possible future works from this research are presented.

Inventania: interfaces tecnológicas em invenções poéticas

Pós-graduação em Artes - IA

Design de objetos de aprendizagem digital do ponto de vista da usabilidade

Technological resources and the media are contributing to socioeconomic development, including the education sector. Application of Digital Learning Objects support learning, serving as a tool for distance learning arrangements and classroom. The quality of design in instructional materials is one factor that implies the motivation of students and support their learning, within this context, the creation of educational interactive multimedia applications should excel the content and good usability, while facilitating user interaction. The aim of this paper was to establish parameters for the creation and management of Digital Learning Objects.

Teaching robotics systems in a multimedia environment

This paper describes the development of a multimedia educational system to teach and learn robotic systems. Multimedia resources have been used to build a virtual laboratory where users are able to utilize functions of a robotic arm, by moving and clicking the mouse without worrying about the detailed robot internal operation. The multimedia system is integrated with a real robotic arm, which was also developed at the university. Through robotic topic presentations and interactive capabilities provided by this system and its tools, students can devote themselves on the learning process just as they do in the traditional face-to-face classes. and the target public of this system are the engineering students themselves.

Teacher-learning process based on an immersive and interactive environment

This paper explores the benefits of using immersive and interactive multiprojection environments (CAVE) to visualize molecules, and how it improves users’ understanding. We have proposed and implemented a tool for teachers to manipulate molecules and another to edit molecules and assist students at home. The contribution of the present research project are these tool that allows investigating structures, properties and dynamics of a molecular system which are extremely complex and comprises millions of atoms. The experience is enriched through multimedia information associated with parts of the model; for example, videos and text can be linked to specific molecule, demonstrating some detail. This solution is based on a teaching-learning process.

Projeto cartográfico e implementação de um protótipo de atlas escolar interativo

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Desenvolvimento de um protótipo de um atlas escolar interativo: projeto e produção

This paper aims at presenting an Interactive School Atlas prototype which was developed for cartography and environmental education. The methodology was based on the theoretical study about child mental development of Piaget theory, in order to elaborate strategies that allow the student a better comprehension about the spatial information understanding. It was defined as study case of sixth grade students, because they belong to the Formal Operation stage, in which the children reach the needed mental operations for understanding cartographic key concepts. This Atlas was developed in two stages: cartographic design and Atlas production. The Atlas implementation was developed seeking the use of Multimedia Cartography and animation resources that may attract students and teachers, instigating them to explore the tools and strategies to lead users to a correct interpretation of map contents. The Atlas was implemented by using the Macromedia Flash and Visual Basic softwares and the MapObjects library. Though the map has bot been evaluated yet, one should point out that it was designed according to the theoretical and methodological knowledge of the cognitive development and its relationship to cartographic conceptions, aiming at adapting the product to children cognitive skills.

Java applets para um software educacional distribuído em eletrônica de potência

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Independent and interactive effects of a top and an intermediate fish species on the food web structure of a tropical stream

Two fish species, one top predator (Imparfinis mirini) and one intermediate detritivorous species (Hisonotus depressicauda), were experimentally manipulated to evaluate their relative importance in structuring the periphytic community, as well as their effects on the other trophic levels. An enclosure experiment was conducted in the Potreirinho creek, a second order tributary of Paranapanema River, SE Brazil. Five treatments were used: enclosure of the predator species. enclosure of the detritivorous species, enclosure of both together, exclusion of all fish species (closed control cage), and cage open to all fish community, (open control). Through direct and indirect effects, I. mirini, when alone gave rise to a trophic cascade that resulted in a positive effect on algal resources. Through direct effects, H. depressicauda. when alone, reduced the amount of organic matter, resulting in a positive indirect effect on algae. In addition, when the two species were enclosed together, only the effects determined by the detritivorous species were present. The results indicate the important role of the intermediate detritivorous species in the maintenance of the composition and trophic structure of the analyzed community by reducing the effects caused by the top predator.

An interactive environment for solid modeling based on free software

This paper describes an interactive environment built entirely upon public domain or free software, intended to be used as the preprocessor of a finite element package for the simulation of three-dimensional electromagnetic problems.

A STORM* environment for building multimedia presentations

This paper describes an environment for constructing multimedia applications which are used to present different multimedia database objects in accordance with spatiotemporal constraints and from different sources. The main contribution of this paper is to propose an environment which integrates both a modelling case tool and an object-oriented database system.

Java applets for a WWW-HTML-based course in power electronics

This paper introduces Java applet programs for a WWW (world wide web)-HTML (hypertext markup language)-based multimedia course in Power Electronics. The applet programs were developed with the purpose of providing an interactive visual simulation and analysis of idealized uncontrolled single-phase, and three-phase rectifiers. In addition, this paper discusses the development and utilization of JAVA applet programs to solve some design-oriented equations for rectifier applications. The major goal of these proposed JAVA applets was to provide more facilities for the students increase their pace in Power Electronics course, emphasizing waveforms analysis, and providing conditions for an on-line comparative analysis among different hands-on laboratory experiences, via a normal Internet TCP/IP connection. Therefore, using the proposed JAVA applets, which were embedded in a WWW-HTML-based course in Power Electronics, was observed an important improvement of the apprenticeship for the content of this course. Therefore, the course structure becomes fluid, allowing a true on-line course over the WWW, motivating students to learn its content, and apply it in some applications-oriented projects, and their home-works.

Educational Java applets get in power electronics labs

This paper presents Java applet programs for a WWW (world wide web)-HTML (hypertext markup language)-based multimedia course in basic power electronics circuits. These tools make use of the benefits of Java language to provide a dynamic and interactive approach to simulate steady-state idealized rectifiers (uncontrolled and controlled; single-phase and three-phase). In addition, this paper discusses the development and the use of the Java applet programs to assist the teaching of basics rectifier power electronics circuits, and to serve as a first design tool for basics power electronics circuits in the experiments of the laboratories. In order to validate the developed simulation applets, the results were confronted with results obtained from a well-know simulator package PSPICE. © 2005 IEEE.