关键词： Tele-Rehabilitation   Stroke   Usability   Motivation   Gamification   Feedback  

摘要： We present the overall user experience designed for supporting rehabilitation of stroke patients at home. Patients use a robotic hand (orthosis) to control therapeutic games and a touch screen for the UI. They are supervised remotely by a therapist who uses a similar interface from their desk. The system includes therapeutic games and user interfaces (UIs) for both patients and therapists. The concept and design of these UIs were implemented during the first year of the SCRIPT project

关键词： IMAGINATION   ROBOTICS  

摘要： An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses artificial mental imagery in cognitive systems and robotics.

关键词： Robots   Research & development--R&D   Nuclear power plants   Robotics   Tsunamis   Earthquakes   Walking  

摘要： A simulator intended to give robot makers a hand during a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency contest is expected to remain an integral part of how developers design the machines in the future. DARPA is in the midst of its Robotics Challenge program, which is asking teams to use a humanoid robot to perform a series of complex disaster-response tasks. DARPA wanted to include as many entrants as possible, said Brian Gerkey, the CEO of the Open Source Robotics Foundation, a San Francisco Bay area nonprofit devoted to standardizing software in the industry.

摘要： Purpose: Robotics-assisted tilt table technology with integrated leg drives for basic stepping functionality is clinically available for patients with neurological impairments. Initially introduced for early rehabilitation, it provides cyclical stepping movement and physiological loading in immobilized patients. This technology provides stability and support in patients with neurological disorders for whom weakness, balance and coordination problems would preclude cardiopulmonary performance testing using a treadmill or cycle ergometer. This type of device may facilitate the estimation of peak oxygen uptake and other important cardiopulmonary performance parameters in patients who have neurological deficits. The aim of the present study was to assess the feasibility and safety of this device for peak cardiopulmonary performance testing in able-bodied ***: A robotics-assisted tilt table (Erigo, Hocoma AG, Switzerland) was augmented with force sensors in the thigh cuffs and a work rate estimation algorithm. A custom visual feedback system was employed to guide the subjects’ work rate and to provide real time feedback of actual work rate. Each subject carried out an incremental exercise test to the limit of functional capacity with a work rate increment of 5 W/minute in female subjects and 8 W/minute in males. Outcome measures were peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), peak heart rate (HRpeak), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), peak work rate (WRpeak) and the Borg CR10 scale to measure exertion and leg ***: 11 able-bodied subjects were included (9 male, 2 female; age 29.6±7.1 years: mean ± SD). Resting VO2 was 4.6±0.7 ml/kg/min and VO2peak was 32.4±5.1 ml/kg/min. All participants reached at least 85% of their predicted HRmax value. RER at peak VO2 was 1.02±0.07. Eight participants (72.7%) reached their peak VO2 in 8-12 minutes, which is considered the optimal duration. The average WRpeak was 65.7 W for males and 41.5 W for females. All participants rep

关键词： Wireless sensor networks  

摘要： In order to improve robot arm intelligent tracing control accuracy and make the robot move in the environment autonomously, the robot must be capable of calculating its pose, the nominal system dynamics model based on orientation parameters of moving plant of shoulder is developed. Pose localization problem is a key researching domain in the mobile robot community and get much attention around the world. This dissertation is focused on the multi-sensor fusion based pose calculation problem for mobile robot. Application results show that the intelligent tracking has a significant effect in improving the tracing efficiency and reducing the tracking and monitoring cost, improving the capability of environment perception, co-operating and autonomous navigation of mobile robot. © 2013 IFSA.

关键词： Autonomous robot design & construction   Contests  

摘要： The article reports that 20 student teams from universities of Australia and New Zealand have been tasked to build an autonomous robot for the NI Autonomous Robotics Competition organised by National Instruments Corp. in Victoria on September 24, 2013 and mentions engineer Jeannie Falcon.

关键词： Early childhood   Gender differences   Stereotypes   Robotics   Computer programming-Powerful ideas   STEM fields  

摘要： Early childhood is a critical period for introducing girls to traditionally masculine fields of science and technology before more extreme gender stereotypes surface in later years. This study looks at the TangibleK Robotics Program in order to determine whether kindergarten boys and girls were equally successful in a series of building and programming tasks. The TangibleK Program consisted of a six lesson robotics and programming curriculum that was implemented in three different kindergarten classrooms (N = 53 students). Although previous research has found that males outperform females in robotics and programming related fields, it was hypothesized that the young age of participants and their limited cultural indoctrination regarding gender stereotypes would allow boys and girls to have equal success in this program. Although boys had a higher mean score than girls on more than half of the tasks, very few of these differences were statistically significant. Boys scored significantly higher than girls only in two areas: properly attaching robotic materials, and programming using Ifs. Overall, both boys and girls were able to successfully complete the program.

关键词： Problem solving   Language   Cognition   Speech   Vygotsky   Collaboration  

摘要： This paper demonstrates, following Vygotsky, that language and tool use has a critical role in the collaborative problem-solving behaviour of school-age children. It reports original ethnographic classroom research examining the convergence of speech and practical activity in children's collaborative problem solving with robotics programming tasks. The researchers analysed children's interactions during a series of problem solving experiments in which Lego Mindstorms toolsets were used by teachers to create robotics design challenges among 24 students in a Year 4 Australian classroom (students aged 8.5-9.5 years). The design challenges were incrementally difficult, beginning with basic programming of straight line movement, and progressing to more complex challenges involving programming of the robots to raise Lego figures from conduit pipes using robots as pulleys with string and recycled materials. Data collection involved micro-genetic analysis of students' speech interactions with tools, peers, and other experts, teacher interviews, and student focus group data. Coding the repeated patterns in the transcripts, the authors outline the structure of the children's social speech in joint problem solving, demonstrating the patterns of speech and interaction that play an important role in the socialisation of the school-age child's practical intellect.

关键词： ROBOTICS -- Equipment & supplies   EVALUATION   ARDUINO (Microcontroller)  

摘要： The article evaluates the Arduino robotics kit by open-source electronics prototyping platform Arduino.

关键词： COMPUTER-assisted orthopedic surgery   TOTAL knee replacement   COMPUTER-assisted surgery   ORTHOPEDIC surgery   ORTHOPEDISTS   SURGEONS  

摘要： The author discusses developments related to computer-assisted navigation in total knee replacement (TKR). Small case reports are said to indicate that fixation of extreme deformities may be done easily and successfully with computer-aided methods. The author asserts that the overall acceptance of computer navigation among surgeons has been affected by expense, inconvenience and complexity of invention.