Comparing support vector machines and artificial neural networks in the recognition of steering angle for driving of mobile robots through paths in plantations

The use of mobile robots turns out to be interesting in activities where the action of human specialist is difficult or dangerous. Mobile robots are often used for the exploration in areas of difficult access, such as rescue operations and space missions, to avoid human experts exposition to risky situations. Mobile robots are also used in agriculture for planting tasks as well as for keeping the application of pesticides within minimal amounts to mitigate environmental pollution. In this paper we present the development of a system to control the navigation of an autonomous mobile robot through tracks in plantations. Track images are used to control robot direction by pre-processing them to extract image features. Such features are then submitted to a support vector machine and an artificial neural network in order to find out the most appropriate route. A comparison of the two approaches was performed to ascertain the one presenting the best outcome. The overall goal of the project to which this work is connected is to develop a real time robot control system to be embedded into a hardware platform. In this paper we report the software implementation of a support vector machine and of an artificial neural network, which so far presented respectively around 93% and 90% accuracy in predicting the appropriate route. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and peer review under responsibility of the organizers of the 2013 International Conference on Computational Science

Fundamentos filosóficos e antropológicos da teoria do se-movimentar e a formação de sujeitos emancipados, autônomos e críticos: o exemplo do currículo de educação física do Estado de São Paulo

This article examines philosophical and anthropological underpinnings of the Sich-Bewegen Theory, based on the phenomenological philosophy by Merleau-Ponty and social anthropology by Mauss and Geertz. It also considers implications for Physical Education Elementary and High School curricula aimed at forming emancipated, autonomous and critical individuals, taking the Physical Education Curriculum of the State of Sao Paulo as example. It concludes that the curriculum needs to imbricate into students'social life and take into account the challenges and issues from contemporary society.

Potencial de contribuição e importância socioambiental dos 'catadores autônomos' de Rio Claro (SP) para o programa de coleta seletiva municipal

The Urban Solid Residues are the rests of human activity, popularly known by trash and considered by population like useless, undesirable and disposable. On the other hand, for the waste pickers, solid residues are the beginning of a cycle: they see in the other's people trash the only income, an economic value. Currently, in brazilian cities, one million collectors act, alone or in cooperatives, socially excluded by the work they do. The National Policy of Solid Residues (PNRS), instituted in 2010, established guidelines to the execution of integrated residues management, with should be practiced by city halls and other governmental institutions. This policy has, besides other things, goals of residues reduction and inclusion of waste pickers in the mechanism of selective collect and recycling. However, this and other public policies created for residue management are benefic only for cooperated waste pickers. That could negatively affect most of this class, since 90% are waste pickers working in a precarious way on the country's streets. This study has for objective show that most of waste pickers that work in a precarious way on the brazilian territory has a huge potential for the solid residues recycling chain and how they should be valued for the environmental services they provide, so they can be included with dignity on the society, ensuring economic and social benefits for this workers. The methodology adopted was based on the amount of residue collected by the 44 cooperated members of the Rio Claro‟s waste pickers cooperative to estimate the potential of collect and recycling did by 210 autonomous waste pickers who are active on city streets. It was observed that the cooperative collects the equivalent of 10.2% of all recyclable residues generated by city population. However, with the potential that these autonomous waste pickers have, which together could contribute 465 tonnes of solid residues per month, or 5,570 tons a year...

Potencial de contribuição e importância socioambiental dos 'catadores autônomos' de Rio Claro (SP) para o programa de coleta seletiva municipal

The Urban Solid Residues are the rests of human activity, popularly known by trash and considered by population like useless, undesirable and disposable. On the other hand, for the waste pickers, solid residues are the beginning of a cycle: they see in the other's people trash the only income, an economic value. Currently, in brazilian cities, one million collectors act, alone or in cooperatives, socially excluded by the work they do. The National Policy of Solid Residues (PNRS), instituted in 2010, established guidelines to the execution of integrated residues management, with should be practiced by city halls and other governmental institutions. This policy has, besides other things, goals of residues reduction and inclusion of waste pickers in the mechanism of selective collect and recycling. However, this and other public policies created for residue management are benefic only for cooperated waste pickers. That could negatively affect most of this class, since 90% are waste pickers working in a precarious way on the country's streets. This study has for objective show that most of waste pickers that work in a precarious way on the brazilian territory has a huge potential for the solid residues recycling chain and how they should be valued for the environmental services they provide, so they can be included with dignity on the society, ensuring economic and social benefits for this workers. The methodology adopted was based on the amount of residue collected by the 44 cooperated members of the Rio Claro‟s waste pickers cooperative to estimate the potential of collect and recycling did by 210 autonomous waste pickers who are active on city streets. It was observed that the cooperative collects the equivalent of 10.2% of all recyclable residues generated by city population. However, with the potential that these autonomous waste pickers have, which together could contribute 465 tonnes of solid residues per month, or 5,570 tons a year...

Uso da monitorização hemodinâmica contínua não invasiva na insuficiência cardíaca descompensada

FUNDAMENTO: A avaliação clínico-hemodinâmica à beira do leito e o uso do cateter de artéria pulmonar para a estimativa de dados hemodinâmicos têm sido utilizados na insuficiência cardíaca descompensada. Entretanto, não existem dados com o uso da monitorização hemodinâmica contínua não invasiva. OBJETIVO: Comparar as medidas obtidas com a monitorização hemodinâmica não invasiva com as invasivas em pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca descompensada e refratária ao tratamento. MÉTODOS: As medidas hemodinâmicas não invasivas foram obtidas através da monitorização contínua da pressão arterial sistêmica pelo modelo de ondas de pulso (modelflow) e foram comparadas com as medidas obtidas pela passagem do cateter de artéria pulmonar, simultaneamente. RESULTADOS: Foram realizadas 56 medidas em 14 pacientes estudados em dias e horários diferentes. O índice de correlação entre as medidas da pressão arterial sistólica foi de r = 0,26 (IC 95% = 0,00 a 0,49, p = 0,0492) e da diastólica de r = 0,50 (IC 95% = 0,27 a 0,67, p < 0,0001). A correlação foi de r = 0,55 (IC 95% = 0,34 a 0,71, p 0,0001) para o índice cardíaco e de r = 0,32 (IC 95% = 0,06 a 0,53, p = 0,0178) para a resistência vascular sistêmica. CONCLUSÃO: Houve correlação entre as medidas hemodinâmicas não invasivas quando comparadas às medidas do cateter de artéria pulmonar. A monitorização hemodinâmica contínua não invasiva pode ser útil para pacientes internados com insuficiência cardíaca descompensada.

Monitorização de eletrólitos urinários em pacientes críticos: estudo preliminar observacional

OBJETIVO: Sobreviventes e não sobreviventes da unidade de terapia intensiva apresentam perfis ácido-básicos distintos. A regulação renal de eletrólitos urinários e a diferença de íons fortes urinários têm papéis principais na homeostase ácido- básica. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a potencial utilidade da mensuração diária dos eletrólitos urinários na monitorização ácido-básica e da função renal. MÉTODOS: Foram registrados, prospectivamente e diariamente, parâmetros ácido-básicos plasmáticos e marcadores tradicionais da função renal, em paralelo à medição dos eletrólitos urinários em pacientes com sonda vesical internados na unidade de terapia intensiva. Os pacientes que permaneceram na unidade de terapia intensiva com sonda vesical por pelo menos 4 dias foram incluídos neste estudo. RESULTADOS: Dos 50 pacientes incluídos neste estudo, 22% vieram a óbito durante a internação na unidade de terapia intensiva. A incidência de lesão renal aguda foi significativamente maior nos não sobreviventes, durante os 4 dias de observação (64% versus 18% em sobreviventes). O cloreto e o sódio urinário foram mais baixos, e a diferença de íons fortes urinários mais alta, no 1º dia, em pacientes que desenvolveram lesão renal aguda tanto nos sobreviventes como nos não sobreviventes. Ambos os grupos tiveram débito urinário semelhante, embora os não sobreviventes tenham apresentado diferença de íons fortes urinários persistentemente mais alta durante o período de observação. Os sobreviventes apresentaram melhoria progressiva no perfil metabólico ácido-básico devido ao aumento, no plasma, da diferença de íons fortes e à diminuição dos ácidos fracos. Essas mudanças foram concomitantes à diminuição da diferença de íons fortes urinários. Com relação aos não sobreviventes, os parâmetros ácido-básicos não tiveram alteração significativa durante o seguimento. CONCLUSÃO: A avaliação diária dos eletrólitos urinários e da diferença de íons fortes urinários é útil para a monitorização ácido-básica e da função renal em pacientes críticos, tendo perfis distintos entre sobreviventes e não sobreviventes na unidade de terapia intensiva.

A contribution for developing more efficient dynamic modelling algorithms of parallel robots

Parallel kinematic structures are considered very adequate architectures for positioning and orienti ng the tools of robotic mechanisms. However, developing dynamic models for this kind of systems is sometimes a difficult task. In fact, the direct application of traditional methods of robotics, for modelling and analysing such systems, usually does not lead to efficient and systematic algorithms. This work addre sses this issue: to present a modular approach to generate the dynamic model and through some convenient modifications, how we can make these methods more applicable to parallel structures as well. Kane’s formulati on to obtain the dynamic equations is shown to be one of the easiest ways to deal with redundant coordinates and kinematic constraints, so that a suitable c hoice of a set of coordinates allows the remaining of the modelling procedure to be computer aided. The advantages of this approach are discussed in the modelling of a 3-dof parallel asymmetric mechanisms.

Unidad inalámbrica de programación para robots educativos con dispositivos móviles

[ES]El objetivo de este Proyecto Fin de Carrera es diseñar una herramienta software que nos permita controlar de forma inalámbrica un brazo robótico. ésto se ha desarrollado para poder acercar el mundo de la robótica a aquellas personas ajenas a ello, además de dotar de un sistema de control para el día de mañana, evitando problemas de software caduco y antiguo. Para la realización de este proyecto se ha implementado una aplicación Android que permitirá al usuario realizar las acciones de las que dota una paleta estándar de brazo robótico. Además se ha desarrollado una rutina de control de flujo para Arduino, que enlace la tableta con el robot.

Diseño, implementación y verificación de un controlador para robots educativos

[EN] This project briefly analyzes the scope and applications of Industrial Robotics, as well as the importance that this technical discipline has gained in the past decades. In addition, it proposes a modern platform to assist in teaching this discipline in colleges and universities. This new educational platform for the teaching of Industrial Robotics is based on the robotic systems from Rhino Robotics Ltd., using the existing robotic arms and replacing the control electronics by a newer, modern and yet backwards-compatible controller. In addition to the controller, this platform also provides new, up-to-date software utilities that are more intuitive than those provided with the old system. The work to be done consists essentially in receiving commands from a personal computer which the controller must interpret in order to control the motors of the robotic arm. The controller itself will be implemented as an embedded system based on microcontrollers. This requires the implementation of a communication protocol between the personal computer and the microcontroller, the design of a command interpreter, the design of the electronics for motor control using PWM and H-bridges, and the implementation of control techniques (more precisely, PID control). Hence, this project combines software and hardware design and integration techniques with motor control techniques and feedback control methods from Control Engineering, along with the kinematic analysis of the Rhino XR-4 robotic arm. 

Model and control of tendon actuated robots

The use of tendons for the transmission of the forces and the movements in robotic devices has been investigated from several researchers all over the world. The interest in this kind of actuation modality is based on the possibility of optimizing the position of the actuators with respect to the moving part of the robot, in the reduced weight, high reliability, simplicity in the mechanic design and, finally, in the reduced cost of the resulting kinematic chain. After a brief discussion about the benefits that the use of tendons can introduce in the motion control of a robotic device, the design and control aspects of the UB Hand 3 anthropomorphic robotic hand are presented. In particular, the tendon-sheaths transmission system adopted in the UB Hand 3 is analyzed and the problem of force control and friction compensation is taken into account. The implementation of a tendon based antagonistic actuated robotic arm is then investigated. With this kind of actuation modality, and by using transmission elements with nonlinear force/compression characteristic, it is possible to achieve simultaneous stiffness and position control, improving in this way the safety of the device during the operation in unknown environments and in the case of interaction with other robots or with humans. The problem of modeling and control of this type of robotic devices is then considered and the stability analysis of proposed controller is reported. At the end, some tools for the realtime simulation of dynamic systems are presented. This realtime simulation environment has been developed with the aim of improving the reliability of the realtime control applications both for rapid prototyping of controllers and as teaching tools for the automatic control courses.

Project-based learning using robots with open-source hardware and software

[EN]One of the main issues of the current education system is the lack of student motivation. This aspect together with the permanent change that the Information and Communications Technologies involve represents a major challenge for the teacher: to continuously update contents and to keep awake the student’s interest. A tremendously useful tool in classrooms consists on the integration of projects with participative and collaborative dynamics, where the teacher acts mainly as a guidance to the student activity instead of being a mere knowledge and evaluation transmitter. As a specific example of project based learning, the EDUROVs project consists on building an economic underwater robot using low cost materials, but allowing the integration and programming of many accessories and sensors with minimum budget using opensource hardware and software.