关键词： Human-centered robotics   STEM education   Problem-based learning   Sociotechnical systems   Engineering design cycle   Qualitative case study  

摘要： This paper presents a middle school human-centered robotics (HCR) learning experience and the ways in which it supported students' orientation to technical and social aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The interdisciplinary project associated with this analysis aims to engage diverse students in authentic STEM practices by creating robotic technologies that can assist people in their school, and connect with remote peers. The goal of this project is to increase student interest in and knowledge of STEM topics, and to help students recognize STEM as relevant to their daily lives and broader societal issues. The human-centered focus of the curriculum encouraged thinking from multiple perspectives (e.g. design, social science, programming) and allowed for diverse STEM exploration. We present samples from student work and classroom interactions. These samples show challenges and successes in engaging students with STEM as a combination of social and technical questions and skills. We trace the trajectory of one group's work to highlight moments in which students navigated an engineering design cycle, analyzed and designed social environments, and crossed disciplinary domains through HCR design-using a phenomena, mechanisms, components framework (PMC) to explore systems thinking. Phenomena refers to attention to the function of the robotic technology in the classroom environment. Components included a focus on single parts of the robot, while mechanism addressed how parts of the robot worked together. This qualitative case study demonstrates the capacity social robotics and inquiry-based learning experiences hold for broadening notions of STEM as a social and multidisciplinary learning domain.

关键词： Robotics   Early childhood   STEAM   Programming  

摘要： In recent years, Singapore has increased its national emphasis on technology and engineering in early childhood education. Their newest initiative, the Playmaker Programme, has focused on teaching robotics and coding in preschool settings. Robotics offers a playful and collaborative way for children to engage with foundational technology and engineering concepts during their formative early childhood years. This study looks at a sample of preschool children (N = 98) from five early childhood centers in Singapore who completed a 7-week STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) KIBO robotics curriculum in their classrooms called, "Dances from Around the World." KIBO is a newly developed robotics kit that teaches both engineering and programming. KIBO's actions are programmed using tangible programming blocks-no screen-time required. Children's knowledge of programming concepts were assessed upon completion of the curriculum using the Solve-Its assessment. Results indicate that children were highly successful at mastering foundational programming concepts. Additionally, teachers were successful at promoting a collaborative and creative environment, but less successful at finding ways to engage with the greater school community through robotics. This research study was part of a large country-wide initiative to increase the use of developmentally appropriate engineering tools in early childhood settings. Implications for the design of technology, curriculum, and other resources are addressed.

关键词： Geometric algebra   Conformal geometric algebra   Quaternion algebra   Graphics engineering   Interpolation   Haptics   Non-linear control   Spike neural networks   Quaternion spike neural networks   Human-machine interaction   Robotics   Medical robotics  

摘要： In this work, by reformulating screw theory (generalization of quaternions) in the conformal geometric algebra framework, we address the interpolation, virtual reality, graphics engineering, haptics. We derive intuitive geometric equations to handle surface operations like in kidney surgery. The interpolation can handle the interpolation and dilation in 3D of points, lines, planes, circles and spheres. With this procedure, we interpolate trajectories of surgical instrument. Using quaternions, we formulate the quaternion spike neural network for control. This new neural network structure is based on Spike Neural Networks and developed using the quatemion algebra. The real valued training algorithm was extended so that it could make adjustments of the weights according to the properties and product of the quaternion algebra. In this spike neural network, we are taking into account two relevant ideas the use of Spike neural network which is the best model for oculo-motor control and the role of geometric computing. As illustration. the quaternion spike neural network is applied for control of robot manipulator. The experimental analysis shows promising possibilities for the use of this powerful geometric language to handle multiple tasks in human-machine interaction and robotics. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

关键词： Social implications of technology   Artificial intelligence   Automation   Ethics   Employment   Human factors   Robots   Technology forecasting   Technology social factors   Employee welfare   Industrial psychology  

摘要： The IEEE Robotics and Automation Research and Practice Ethics Committee (RARPEC) is intended as a platform to exchange ideas and discuss the impacts and practice of robotics and automation (R&A) technologies in research, development, and deployment that appear to pose ethical questions for humanity. With increased awareness and controversies surrounding R&A, RARPEC is publishing a series of opinion pieces that will focus on separating hype from reality by providing an objective and balanced treatment of technological, ethical, legal, and societal perspectives. Second in the series, this piece focuses on topics related to robots, jobs, and workforce development. Please send your feedback and suggestions to the chair of the committee, Raj Madhavan, at raj. madhavan@***. We look forward to your comments!

关键词： caring   fundamental care   futurism   humanism   nursing   posthumanism   robot   technology  

摘要： Aims and objectivesTo explore the concept of futurism and the emergence of robotics in relation to the fundamentals of care, highlighting how nurses need a more anticipatory and contemporary position towards technology to maintain relevance in the future. BackgroundThe future of nursing in Western countries will soon be linked with the emergence of robotics for efficient and cost-effective provision of fundamental care. Their emergence and roles with care of the body and more broadly assisting people with their daily living activities has enormous implications for the profession and health care. Despite this importance, how nursing understands and will respond to technological trends and developments is insufficiently reflected in the professions discourse. DesignA discursive article. MethodsLiterature from nursing fundamentals of care/fundamental care, information science, technology, humanities and philosophy informed the arguments in this article. ConclusionsThis article examines the intersection of futurism and the fundamentals of care, and how adopting an anticipatory and posthuman perspective towards technological-care integration is necessary amidst a robot revolution in the techno-era. Relevance to clinical practiceNurses are currently challenged to understand, prioritise and deliver fundamental care. Health systems are challenged by a lack of care predicated by shortfalls in skilled staff and deficiencies in staff mobilisation. Both challenges can be compounded or alleviated by further integration of technology, but to maximise benefit requires forethought and understanding. This article can help open needed dialogue around planning for the future and is a call to action for the nursing profession to conceptualise its position on exponential technological growth and fundamental care provision.

关键词： Roadmapping   Technology assessment   Hierarchical decision modeling   Technology development envelope   Robotics   Power industry  

摘要： This paper presents an application of a strategic technology management tool in the power sector. Technology Development Envelope is an extension of hierarchical decision modeling and Analytical Hierarchy Process into the future. The process yields multiple paths for technology development enabling organizations to build roadmaps depicting their strategies. The focus of this paper is robotics technologies and their applications in the power sector. As robotics technologies advance, they replace humans in very critical areas such as maintenance of transmission lines or hydro dams as well as operations in nuclear power plants. A decision model was developed and quantified through this study. It is validated with a case study from Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) reflecting their priorities. The model establishes a framework that any other organization can adopt and use to evaluate any emerging robotics technologies.

关键词： home-auxiliary robot platform   physical disabilities   BCI   SL   autonomous return  

摘要： A home-auxiliary robot platform is developed in the current study which could assist patients with physical disabilities and older persons with mobility impairments. The robot, mainly controlled by brain computer interface (BCI) technology, can not only perform actions in a person's field of vision, but also work outside the field of vision. The wavelet decomposition (WD) is used in this study to extract the (0 similar to 4 Hz) and (4 similar to 8 Hz) sub-bands of subjects' electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. The correlation between pairs of 14 EEG channels is determined with synchronization likelihood (SL), and the brain network structure is generated. Then, the motion characteristics are analyzed using the brain network parameters clustering coefficient (C) and global efficiency (G). Meanwhile, the eye movement characteristics in the F3 and F4 channels are identified. Finally, the motion characteristics identified by brain networks and eye movement characteristics can be used to control the home-auxiliary robot platform. The experimental result shows that the accuracy rate of left and right motion recognition using this method is more than 93%. Additionally, the similarity between that autonomous return path and the real path of the home-auxiliary robot reaches up to 0.89.

关键词： torque sensor   design of sensors   manufacturing of low cost sensors  

摘要： This article describes a new, very low-cost torque sensor. It was designed to obtain a geometric shape suitable for very affordable manufacturing by machining. The torque sensor was developed under the principle of measurement by strain gauges. It has been designed in order to make manufacturing operations as simple as possible. Optimization was achieved through finite element analysis. Three test sensors for 1, 5, and 20 Nm were designed and machined. Calibration of the three sensors has been carried out obtaining excellent results. An analysis of the dimensional quality of the product and associated costs demonstrates that manufacturing is possible with very simple machining operations, standard tools, and economic equipment.

摘要： The article discusses requirement of robotic surgery training. Topics discussed include increase in the interest of general surgeons in robotics, importance of the robotic training programme and mentions benefits of developing the robotic training curriculum by several institutions including the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)

关键词： neuromorphic engineering   event-based processing   Address-Event-Representation   Dynamic Vision Sensor   approach sensitivity cell   Retina Ganglion Cell   robotic   FPGA  

摘要： Taking inspiration from biology to solve engineering problems using the organizing principles of biological neural computation is the aim of the field of neuromorphic engineering. This field has demonstrated success in sensor based applications (vision and audition) as well as in cognition and actuators. This paper is focused on mimicking the approaching detection functionality of the retina that is computed by one type of Retinal Ganglion Cell (RGC) and its application to robotics. These RGCs transmit action potentials when an expanding object is detected. In this work we compare the software and hardware logic FPGA implementations of this approaching function and the hardware latency when applied to robots, as an attention/reaction mechanism. The visual input for these cells comes from an asynchronous event-driven Dynamic Vision Sensor, which leads to an end-to-end event based processing system. The software model has been developed in Java, and computed with an average processing time per event of 370 ns on a NUC embedded computer. The output firing rate for an approaching object depends on the cell parameters that represent the needed number of input events to reach the firing threshold. For the hardware implementation, on a Spartan 6 FPGA, the processing time is reduced to 160 ns/event with the clock running at 50 MHz. The entropy has been calculated to demonstrate that the system is not totally deterministic in response to approaching objects because of several bioinspired characteristics. It has been measured that a Summit XL mobile robot can react to an approaching object in 90 ms, which can be used as an attentional mechanism. This is faster than similar event-based approaches in robotics and equivalent to human reaction latencies to visual stimulus.