关键词： Microcontrollers   embedded software   robots   engineering education   mechatronics  

摘要： This paper describes how students can be guided to become their own best teachers, able to test their newly acquired skills with only minimum or no direct assistance from an instructor or lecturer. Closed-loop' student-centred learning and problem-based learning approaches are described, involving weekly lectures and hands-on lab activities that keep students highly curious, motivated and engaged in self-regulated learning. Students are required to design and test their own original circuits and software code by modifying, extending or expanding the sample circuits and example code described in the lecture notes, in order to complete and demonstrate specific objectives or requirements for each weekly lab session. These closed-loop' student-centred learning labs ensure that all teams of students achieve a common or minimum acceptable level of practical skills, which adequately prepares them for a design-and-build' competition. This style of learning also helps develop generic life-long learning skills such as investigating and identifying problems (problem definition and analysis), independent research and experimentation, decision making, communication and teamwork. Even without any prior hands-on experience with electronic circuit design, programming and microcontrollers, each team of students was able to apply and demonstrate new knowledge and skills, devise and test original designs for circuits and software without any supervision, solve and fix complex problems successfully and confidently, and build an operational remote-controlled electric vehicle or mobile robot for a final competition. Some went even further and built sensor-guided fully autonomous mobile robots. Three different competitions described in this paper include a timed racing car competition, a multi-player box grabbing contest over a rocky obstacle course and a robot wars' competition that was televised on Channel 10 news in Australia.

关键词： Cardiopulmonary fitness   Exercise testing   Exercise training   Peak oxygen uptake   Robotics   Robotics-assisted tilt table   Stroke  

摘要： Background: We evaluated the feasibility of an augmented robotics-assisted tilt table (RATT) for incremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and exercise training in dependent-ambulatory stroke patients. Methods: Stroke patients (Functional Ambulation Category <= 3) underwent familiarization, an incremental exercise test (IET) and a constant load test (CLT) on separate days. A RATT equipped with force sensors in the thigh cuffs, a work rate estimation algorithm and real-time visual feedback to guide the exercise work rate was used. Feasibility assessment considered technical feasibility, patient tolerability, and cardiopulmonary responsiveness. Results: Eight patients (4 female) aged 58.3 +/- 9.2 years (mean +/- SD) were recruited and all completed the study. For IETs, peak oxygen uptake (V'O-2peak), peak heart rate (HRpeak) and peak work rate (WRpeak) were 11.9 +/- 4.0 ml/kg/min (45 % of predicted V'O-2max), 117 +/- 32 beats/min (72 % of predicted HRmax) and 22.5 +/- 13.0 W, respectively. Peak ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were on the range "hard" to "very hard". All 8 patients reached their limit of functional capacity in terms of either their cardiopulmonary or neuromuscular performance. A ventilatory threshold (VT) was identified in 7 patients and a respiratory compensation point (RCP) in 6 patients: mean V'O-2 at VT and RCP was 8.9 and 10.7 ml/kg/min, respectively, which represent 75 % (VT) and 85 % (RCP) of mean V'O-2peak. Incremental CPET provided sufficient information to satisfy the responsiveness criteria and identification of key outcomes in all 8 patients. For CLTs, mean steady-state V'O-2 was 6.9 ml/kg/min (49 % of V'O-2 reserve), mean HR was 90 beats/min (56 % of HRmax), RPEs were > 2, and all patients maintained the active work rate for 10 min: these values meet recommended intensity levels for bouts of training. Conclusions: The augmented RATT is deemed feasible for incremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing and exercise training in d

关键词： split-belt treadmill walking   biped robot   learning   foot-contact timing   interlimb coordination   central pattern generator  

摘要： Human walking behaviour adaptation strategies have previously been examined using split-belt treadmills, which have two parallel independently controlled belts. In such human split-belt treadmill walking, two types of adaptations have been identified: early and late. Early-type adaptations appear as rapid changes in interlimb and intralimb coordination activities when the belt speeds of the treadmill change between tied (same speed for both belts) and split-belt (different speeds for each belt) configurations. By contrast, late-type adaptations occur after the early-type adaptations as a gradual change and only involve interlimb coordination. Furthermore, interlimb coordination shows after-effects that are related to these adaptations. It has been suggested that these adaptations are governed primarily by the spinal cord and cerebellum, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Because various physiological findings suggest that foot contact timing is crucial to adaptive locomotion, this paper reports on the development of a two-layered control model for walking composed of spinal and cerebellar models, and on its use as the focus of our control model. The spinal model generates rhythmic motor commands using an oscillator network based on a central pattern generator and modulates the commands formulated in immediate response to foot contact, while the cerebellar model modifies motor commands through learning based on error information related to differences between the predicted and actual foot contact timings of each leg. We investigated adaptive behaviour and its mechanism by split-belt treadmill walking experiments using both computer simulations and an experimental bipedal robot. Our results showed that the robot exhibited rapid changes in interlimb and infralimb coordination that were similar to the early-type adaptations observed in humans. In addition, despite the lack of direct interlimb coordination control, gradual changes and after-effects in the inte

摘要： Advances in artificial intelligence and platform performance raise the prospect that lethal remote-controlled systems will become increasingly autonomous.

关键词： 机器人   MATLAB   ADAMS   动力学仿真  

摘要： 虚拟样机技术是机械产品开发的一个重要仿真手段,是提高产品开发效率和节约成本的有效途径。利用Solid Works建立六自由度雕刻工业机器人的三维模型,以D-H矩阵建立空间坐标系,将其机械臂以矩阵方式在空间坐标系中表达出来,通过对MATLAB Robotics Toolbox工具箱进行二次开发,完成其轨迹的逆运动求解,将逆运动求解结果及三维模型导入ADAMS进行机器人联合动力学仿真。实现了一种快速基于复杂工作路径下的六自由度机器人动力学的求解,与传统运用STEP函数求解相比,仿真轨迹更加真实、仿真结果更加可靠。

关键词： bariatric surgery   robotics   obesity   gastric bypass   gastrectomy   biliopancreatic diversion   laparoscopy   cancer  

摘要： The epidemic of obesity continues to be a major health issue. It is now almost uniform that surgical procedures for weight loss are performed with minimally invasive techniques. This article reviews the literature regarding obesity-related health issues, in particular risk of malignancy, and the application of robotic technology in weight loss surgical procedures. With increasing literature and technology in surgical robotics, its application in the field of bariatric surgery continues to evolve. (C) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

关键词： 奥林匹克竞赛   机器人   创意   中国   小学   山东泰安   青少年   晋江市  

摘要： 8月11～14日，2015年WRO世界青少年机器人奥林匹克竞赛中国总决赛在山东泰安举办。来自全国各省市的200多支代表队的1300多名队员参赛。晋江市实验小学代表队参加“创意赛”项目角逐并获得冠军。

关键词： ROBOTICS in medicine   SPEECH disorders   PSYCHOTHERAPY  

摘要： An introduction is presented in which the editors discuss various reports within the issue focusing on the use of robotics in medical research such as speech language pathology, psychotherapy and chronic diseases.

关键词： 机器人竞赛   骑士   故事   勇于创新   中小学   滨州市   比赛   学生  

摘要： 2015年滨州市中小学机器人竞赛在邹平举行，本着积极参与、注重体验、勤于实践、勇于创新的原则，我和学生们一起组队参加了“骑士比武”项目的比赛，希望通过参与机器人比赛体验机器人学习的乐趣，培养机器人创新的意识。