Haptic control of multi-axis robotic systems

Control of tele-operated remote robot’s is nothing new; the public was introduced to this 'new' field in 1986 when the Chernobyl cleanup began. Pictures of weird and wonderful robotic workers pouring concrete or moving rubble flooded the world. Integration of force feedback or 'haptics' to remote robot's is a new development and one that is likely to make a big difference in man-machine interaction. Development of haptic capable tele-operation schema is a challenge. Often platform specific software is developed for one off tasks. This research focussed on the development of an open software platform for haptic control of multiple remote robotic platforms. The software utilises efficient server/client architecture for low data latency, while efficiently performing required kinematic transforms and data manipulation in real time. A description of the algorithm, software interface and hardware is presented in this paper. Preliminary results are encouraging as haptic control has been shown to greatly enhances remote positioning tasks.

Building agent-based hybrid intelligent systems : a case study

Many complex problems (e.g., financial investment planning, foreign exchange trading, data mining from large/multiple databases) require hybrid intelligent systems that integrate many intelligent techniques (e.g., fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms). However, hybrid intelligent systems are difficult to develop because they have a large number of parts or components that have many interactions. On the other hand, agents offer a new and often more appropriate route to the development of complex systems, especially in open and dynamic environments. Thus, this paper discusses the development of an agent-based hybrid intelligent system for financial investment planning, in which a great number of heterogeneous computing techniques/packages are easily integrated into a unifying agent framework. This shows that agent technology can indeed facilitate the development of hybrid intelligent systems.

A case for an international consortium on system-of-systems engineering

A system-of-systems (SoS) conceptualization is essential in resolving issues involving heterogeneous independently operable systems to achieve a unique purpose. Successful operation as an SoS requires communication among appropriate individuals and groups across enterprises through an effective protocol. This paper presents a position on the creation of a consortium of concerned system engineers and scientists worldwide to examine the problems and solutions strategies associated with SoS. The consortium could lead efforts in clarifying ambiguities and in seeking remedies to numerous open questions with respect to SoS analysis, SoS engineering (SoSE), as well as differences between systems engineering (SE) and SoSE. The mission of this consortium is envisioned to: 1) act as a neutral party; 2) provide a forum to put forth Calls to Action; and 3) establish a community of interest to recommend a set of solutions.

Bringing Japanese manufacturing systems to America: the feasibility of implementing just-in-time production in the United States

This paper addresses the feasibility of implementing Japanese manufacturing systems in the United States. The recent success of Japanese transplant companies suggests that Just-In-Time (JIT) production is possible within America's industrial environment. Once American workers receive proper training, they have little difficulty participating in rapid setup procedures and utilizing the kanban system. Japanese transplants are gradually developing Japanese-style relationships with their American supplier companies by initiating long-term, mutually beneficial agreements. They are also finding ways to cope with America's problem of distance, which is steadily decreasing as an obstacle to JIT delivery. American companies, however, encounter Significant problems in trying to convert traditionally organized, factories to the JIT system. This paper demonstrates that it is both feasible and beneficial for American manufacturers to implement JIT production techniques. Many of the difficulties manufacturers experience center around a general lack of information about JIT. Once a company realizes its potential for setup-time reduction, a prerequisite for the JIT system, workers and managers can work together to create a new process for handling equipment changeover. Significant results are possible with minimal investment. Also, supervisors often do not realize that the JIT method of ordering goods from suppliers is compatible with current systems. This "kanban system" not only enhances current systems but also reduces the amount of paperwork and scheduling involved. When arranging JlT delivery of supplier goods, American manufacturers tend to overlook important aspects of JIT supplier management. However, by making long-tenn commitments, initiating the open exchange of information, assisting suppliers in reaching new standards of performance, increasing the level of conununication, and relying more on suppliers' engineering capabilities, even American manufacturers can develop Japanese-style supplier relationships that enhance the effectiveness of the system.

Design of minimal-order stabilisers for multi-machine unstable power systems

A reduced dynamics stabiliser for multi-machine power systems is presented in this paper. The design of the stabiliser is based on the theory of linear functional observers and the solution of a simple parameter optimisation problem. The order of the stabiliser could be as low as the number of machines in the system. The design is applied to an open-loop unstable multi-machine power system.

A computation trust model with trust network in multi-agent systems

Trust is a fundamental issue in multi-agent systems, especially when they are applied in e-commence. The computational models of trust play an important role in determining who and how to interact in open and dynamic environments. To this end, a computation trust model is proposed in which the confidence information based on direct prior interactions with the target agent and the reputation information from trust network are used. In this way, agents can autonomously deal with deception and identify trustworthy parties in multi-agent systems. The ontological property of trust is also considered in the model. A case study is provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed model.

Presence of fish on the shallow flooded margins of a small intermittently open estuary in South Eastern Australia under variable flooding regimes

Shallow water habitats within estuarine systems are believed to be important areas for small fish. While a wide variety of shallow habitats have been studied, the land that becomes inundated by the damming effect after the closure of intermittently open mouths has previously been overlooked. Fish were sampled monthly from both the main channel and flood zone of an intermittently open estuary between July 2004 and June 2005 using minifyke nets during the day and at night. A total of 7,787 fish were collected during the study representing 13 species and 11 families. Philypnodon grandiceps was the most abundant species and, together with Atherinosoma microstoma, Pseudogobius olorum, and Galaxias maculatus, made up 94% of the total catch. Inundation of the flood zone occurred in two discrete forms associated with mouth condition, which consisted of sporadic flooding while the mouth was open, to long-term flooding for 6 months after its closure. Large numbers of fish were captured on the flood zone, which included nine species; however, A. microstoma dominated the catch. A distinct shift in the flood zone fish assemblage occurred between the two mouth conditions, which is likely associated with changes in hydro-period and food availability of the flood zone and physico-chemical parameters in the main channel. There was no longitudinal variation in the fish assemblage in both the main channel and flood zone; similarly, the diel period was found to have little effect on the fish assemblage. The total catch per unit effort did not vary across seasons and suggests that fish abundance within the estuary is stable throughout the year. Unlike other estuarine systems where shallow water fish assemblages may be structured by variations in tide and elevation within the Surrey, freshwater inflow and, more importantly, mouth condition appear to have the greatest influence in composition of the shallow water flood zone fish assemblage of intermittently open estuaries.

Quantum bioenergetics, mental boundaries and affective response : a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study

Previous research has demonstrated the effects of ostensible subtle energy on physical systems and subjective experience. However, one subtle energy technique that has been neglected by previous studies, despite anecdotal support for its efficacy, is Quantum BioEnergetics (QBE). Furthermore, personality traits that influence subtle energy effects remain unclear, and previous experimental studies have not investigated the constructs of Love and Joy, despite qualitative and anecdotal reports indicating that these variants of positive affect are essential elements of the subtle energy experience. The aim of the present study was to investigate experimentally the effects of QBE, and the personality trait Mental Boundaries, on positive and negative affect. Participants (N = 69) were administered the Boundary Questionnaire Short Form to quantify Boundaries, and then randomly assigned to one of three conditions: QBE, Placebo ("sham"), or Control. Affect was retrospectively assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect subdimensions of the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI). As predicted, a significant multivariate effect for condition was found with regards to the PCI subdimensions: Joy, Sexual Excitement, Love, Anger, Sadness, and Fear. In contrast to our expectations, a significant multivariate effect was not found for Boundaries with regards to the combined PCI-Affect variables. As hypothesized, significant interactions were found between condition and Boundaries with regards to Positive Affect, Love and Joy, with the QBE/Thin Boundaries factorial combination associated with the highest mean scores for these dependent variables. It will be prudent to ascertain whether these results are replicated in a larger sample and a placebo condition that improves on the standard randomized placebocontrolled protocols of previous subtle energy research.

Inverse opal gas sensors : Zn(II)-doped tin dioxide systems for low temperature detection of pollutant gases

Focusing here on the effects of zinc doping in a nanocrystalline matrix of tin dioxide, inverse opal prototype sensors are presented and extensively studied as superior candidates for gas sensing applications. Courtesy of factors including controlled porosity, enhanced surface to volume ratio and homogeneous dispersion of species in the crystalline lattice assured by the sol–gel technique, prototype sensors were prepared with high dopant ratios in a range of new compositions. Exploiting their high sensitivities to low-gas concentrations at low working temperatures, and thanks to the presented templated sol–gel approach, the prepared sensors open up new frontiers in compositional control over the sensing oxide materials, consequently widening the possibilities available in on-demand gas sensor synthesis.

Management control systems and effectiveness of knowledge sharing

Numerous empirical studies on knowledge management have examined the relative effectiveness of various enablers, such as organizational structure (Bennett and Gabriel, 1999; Gold et aI., 2001), technology (Gold et aI., 2001; O'Dell and Grayson, 1998), culture (DeLong and Fahey, 2000; Gupta and Govindarajan, 2000), managerial system (Nonaka, 1994; Sveiby, 1997) and strategy (Bierly and Chakrabarti, 1996; Holsapple and Joshi, 2001) on knowledge creation and sharing in organizations. Little research has focused on the role of management control systems (MCS) in facilitating knowledge sharing in knowledge-intensive firms (Ditillo, 2004). This study examines how the interactive use of management control systems (MCS) could facilitate the different modes of knowledge sharing among accounting professionals in Malaysia. Based on Nonaka's (1994) knowledge sharing mode, this study found a highly significant relationship between an interactive use of MCS and knowledge sharing to suggest that a more open, less fmancial-oriented and more interactive type of MCS tends to interlink and underpin organizational social process which is the central part of the knowledge sharing process. While professional accountants are generally keen to gain access to knowledge databases to source for possible task solutions, they are generally hesitant to share their tacit knowledge by transforming that knowledge into explicit form. The fmding suggests that there may be cultural-related factors that inhibit sharing of one's tacit knowledge totally and completely.

Information provenance for open distributed collaborative system

In autonomously managed distributed systems for collaboration, provenance can facilitate reuse of information that are interchanged, repetition of successful experiments, or to provide evidence for trust mechanisms that certain information existed at a certain period during collaboration. In this paper, we propose domain independent information provenance architecture for open collaborative distributed systems. The proposed system uses XML for interchanging information and RDF to track information provenance. The use of XML and RDF also ensures that information is universally acceptable even among heterogeneous nodes. Our proposed information provenance model can work on any operating systems or workflows.

ERA distribution of information systems journals

The Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative being conducted by the Australian Research Council (ARC), mandates a single journal and conference ranking scheme over every academic discipline in Australia. A universal publication outlet ranking list mandated by a government agency is unique and has attracted interest and comment both within Australia and overseas. Equally, the interest shown has come from all sectors involved in academic publishing – authors, reviewers, publishers – and from commercial and open access publishers. This paper investigates the distribution of information systems journals over the various ERA parameters and comments on a claim of bias whereby the ranking of a journal is positively influenced by the number of years it has been in existence in the areas of information systems and business journals. Clear evidence of the diversity of the information systems discipline is observed. The benefits of a multidisciplinary foundation for information systems is also noted. Longer established journals are shown to attract higher rankings and possible reasons for and implications flowing from this are discussed.

Integrating knowledge systems in local coastal management; the case of an estuary entrance management support system (EEMSS) in Australia

The management of social, economic, and ecological assets in coastal zones is fundamental to the maintenance and sustainability of coastal resources. A significant issue in this discussion is the role of governance structures. In Australia the governance of the coastal zone includes a range of institutional authorities, processes, and procedures that set the context for decision making about coastal management. As well as the formal institutional arrangements there is also a maze of other interests such as development commissions, NGOs, Indigenous Native Title holders and other stakeholders including recreational interests. A major issue for governance arrangements is the considerable gap that often exists between how those interests interpret and develop their positions especially when the knowledge is derived from different systems – scientific, managerial, lay and indigenous. This paper will explore the development of an Estuary Entrance Management Support System (EEMSS) in south west Victoria Australia. The EEMSS is a decision support tool to assist estuary managers in determining whether to artificially open a river mouth. A significant part of the process adopted was community participation which involved a ‘steps’ approach to engage local community groups and landholders. It is the process of engaging different knowledge systems in a meaningful conversation that has led to a system that now gains support from all of the stakeholders in the management of different estuaries. The paper will discuss the processes that surround the EEMSS and outline some lessons that arise in context of the ‘project state’.

Critical analysis and comparative study of security for networked RFID systems

The Radio frequency identification (RFID) system is a new technology which uses the open air to transmit information. RFID technology is one of the most promising technologies in the field of ubiquitous computing which is revolutionizing the supply chain. It has already been applied by many major retail chains such as Target, Wal-Mart, etc. The networked RFID system such as supply chain has very unique and special business needs which lead to special sets of RFID security requirements and security models. However, very little work has been done to analyze RFID security parameters in relation to networked RFID systems business needs. This paper presents a critical analysis of the networked application's security requirements in relation to their business needs. It then presents a comparative study of existing literature and the ability of various models to protect the security of the supply chain in a RFID deployment.

Integrated aquaculture systems approach to multi water-use in irrigated agriculture.

This study explored feasibility of an integrated agri-aquaculture systems (IAAS) approach to multiple water-use within Australian irrigated agriculture, emphasising adding value and sustainability to water resources. It focussed on development, demonstration and evaluation of a case-study of IAAS-based, open-water production of Murray cod in the Sunraysia Irrigation Region, NW Victoria.