关键词： robotics   spondylolisthesis   pediatric   navigation  

摘要： Background: Accurate pedicle screw placement is critical to surgically correct pediatric high-grade spondylolisthesis (HGS). The recent advent of robotics coupled with computer-assisted navigation (RAN) may represent a novel option to improve surgical outcomes of HGS, secondary to enhanced pedicle screw placement safety. This series presents the HGS-RAN technique adopted by our site, describing its surgical outcomes and feasibility. Methods: Consecutive patients with a diagnosis of HGS (Meyerding grade III to V), operated on using RAN from 2019 to 2020 at a single-center were reviewed. Demographics, screw accuracy, sagittal L5-S1 parameters, complications, and perioperative outcomes were described. All patients were treated with instrumentation, decompression, posterior lumbar interbody fusion, and reduction. Robotic time included anatomic registration to end of screw placement. Screw accuracy-defined as a screw placed safely within the planned intrapedicular trajectory-was characterized by the Gertzbein-Robbins system for patients with additional 3-dimensional imaging. Results: Ten HGS patients, with an average age of 13.7 years old, were included in the series. All 62 screws were placed without neurological deficit or complication. Seven patients had additional 3-dimensional imaging to assess screw accuracy (42 of 62 screws). One hundred percent of screws were placed safely with no pedicle breaches (Gertzbein-Robbins-grade A). Thirty screws (48%) were placed through separate incisions that were percutaneous/transmuscular and 32 screws (52%) were inserted through the main incision. There were statistically significant improvements in L5 slippage (P=0.002) and lumbosacral angle (P=0.002), reflecting successful HGS correction. The total median operative time was 324 minutes with the robotic usage time consuming a median of 72 minutes. Median estimated blood loss was 150 mL, and length-of-stay was a median 3 days. Conclusions: This case-series demonstrates that RAN re

关键词： Conferences   Robots   Education   Tools   Programming profession   STEM   Art   Education   programming   robotics   science   technology   engineering   art   and mathematics (STEAM)  

摘要： Today's society is facing new challenges and opportunities that demand professional profiles specialized in problem solving, with the ability to innovate and exploit the possibilities offered by information and communication technologies (ICTs). Far from being a novelty, the term STEM was coined in the mid-1990s. From then until now, there are a multitude of initiatives focusing on working STEM education with students. In recent years, the use of the arts as an enhancer of the educational experience has been incorporated into STEM education. There has also been a focus on involving the student in the educational process. Despite this, few experiences have been detected in which parents are involved in the educational process. Throughout this work, it is shown the pilot experience which has been developed to motivate parents to be part of the learning process in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) subjects.

关键词： Data augmentation   Deep learning   Semantic segmentation   Agricultural robot   Crop weed classification  

摘要： Deep learning methods such as convolutional neural networks (CNN) have become popular for addressing crops and weeds classification problems in agricultural robotics. However, to have satisfactory performance and avoid overfitting, training deep neural nets typically requires thousands of labeled images. This leads to tedious pixelwise labeling for semantic segmentation. In this paper, we hinge on the recent development in data augmentation and utilize the concept further for semantic segmentation and classification of crops and weeds. To be specific, we propose a novel data augmentation framework, based on the random image cropping and patching (RICAP) method, which is originally designed to augment data for generic image classification. The proposed framework introduces novel enhancements to the original RICAP so that it can be effectively used for data augmentation of semantic segmentation tasks. We evaluate the proposed methodology on two datasets from different farms. Comprehensive experimental evaluations and ablation studies show that the proposed framework can effectively improve segmentation accuracies, and the enhancements made over the original RICAP actually contribute to the performance gain. On average, the proposed method increases the mean accuracy and mean intersection over union (IOU) of the deep neural net with the conventional data augmentation (random flipping, rotation and colour jitter) from 91.01 to 94.02 and from 63.59 to 70.77 respectively for Narrabri dataset, and from 97.99 to 98.51 and from 74.26 to 77.09 respectively for Bonn dataset. The limitation of the proposed method, especially when a large number of training data is available, has also been discussed.

摘要： Computer Programming is seen as a valuable skill in the digital era that we presently live in. However, for the novice programmer, it is often accompanied with difficulties resulting in negative reactions. The dawning of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has catapulted many initiatives local and global to promote Computer Programming and Robotics. A major initiative by the South African government is the planning and implementing of a new subject in school to raise the awareness of coding at an early age. The lack of coding exposure and awareness leads to little or no interest in Computer Programming related courses after schooling years. This study focuses on exploring the learning of coding through the use of Robotics among computer registered students with no prior coding knowledge at a University in South Africa. Unlike the traditional use of block-based programming to introduce Computer Programming, which is limited to screen output, the study opted to use a physical manipulative by using a robotic element through prototype building using text-based programming, resulting in live autonomous output of code. The Arduino kit was used as the robot element to acquire knowledge development to the fundamental concepts of Computer Programming using the Python programming language. Participants' coding knowledge was assessed through a series of hands-on online activities. Design Based Research was adopted with the integration of Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle, framed within the second-generation Activity Theory. Mix methods were supported as it is in accordance with the pragmatic paradigm favoured by Design Based Research. All data collection took place online through workshops, surveys, questionnaires and a focus group interview. The sample size was 75 achieving a significant partial least squares structural equation model as a minimum of 50 participants was needed based on the ten times rule. The results show that students acquiring a direct learning experience wit

关键词： Admittance control   force tracking control   impedance control   robot manipulators   time-delayed control  

摘要： Force control for robot manipulators is increasingly demanded for stable and desired interaction between robots and environments. In this paper, several modifications of an admittance force control scheme are presented and derived from force tracking impedance functions to give a force tracking capability to position-controlled robot manipulators. Admittance force control known as the position-based force control has a structural advantage of easy implementation for the force control capability to the existing position-controlled robot systems by closing an outer force control loop. The admittance filter as an inverse of impedance function is implemented to filter force errors to modify the reference position such that the eventual force tracking impedance control is realized indirectly. Admittance filters are formulated from impedance functions that guarantee the desired force/position tracking performances with the help of the time-delayed controller. Desired contact force/position tracking control is achieved under uncertain environment and dynamics. Extensive simulation studies of force/position tracking control performances of the proposed control schemes for a robot manipulator are conducted to confirm the proposition.

摘要： The area features extreme weather conditions and challenging seas during the monsoon season, he *** standing up of Task Force 59 will allow officials to evaluate systems for real-world applications and to help accelerate technology development and integration across the *** task force will be closely linked to the Navy's secretive Project Overmatch, which is the sea service's contribution to the Defense Department's joint all-domain command and control effort, Brasseur said.

关键词： Manifolds   Sensitivity   Torque   Loading   Tactile sensors   Soft robotics   Sensor systems  

摘要： Robotic systems are becoming increasingly present in every aspect of our daily private as well as working environments. The more these systems enter into our spheres of action, the more they are intended to support humans in dangerous, dull and dirty tasks, and the more flexibility is expected from them. In order to prepare robotic systems for such duties, they need to be able to perceive their environment. In robotic systems, a perception of the environment can either be achieved through internal sensors, i.e., joint angle and torque sensors, or through external sensors, e.g., vision or tactile sensors. While the use of such internal sensors may seem advantageous because no additional system has to be added, the information that can be obtained from them is rather undifferentiated when we want to gather information about the environment. Thus, this information is in most cases augmented by external sensors. Considering exteroception, the most often used technology to analyze the environment is vision. However, due to general deficiencies of the system such as their dependence on lighting conditions and the necessary line of sight, the information accessible through vision alone [1] is not sufficient to accomplish differentiated manipulation tasks [2].

关键词： State quantization   Quantized feedback design   Predesignated performance guarantee   Nonholonomic mobile robots   Uncertain nonlinear dynamics  

摘要： This paper discusses a quantized feedback tracker design problem of nonholonomic mobile robots with uncertain nonlinear dynamics in a network environment with state and input quantization. Quantized state feedback information of mobile robots is only used for the tacker design. Compared with existing control approaches for uncertain nonholonomic mobile robots, the primary contribution of our study is to develop quantized-states-based low-complexity tracking and stability methodologies for ensuring the predesignated performance of tracking errors. A robust tracking scheme using quantized state variables is designed without any adaptive mechanisms to compensate for nonlinear dynamic uncertainties. The boundedness of the quantization errors of the closed-loop signals is derived from a theoretical lemma. Using this lemma, the closed-loop stability is analyzed with the predesignated performance guarantee of tracking errors in the Lyapunov sense. A robot simulation verifies the resulting theoretical tracking strategy. (C) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

关键词： 机器人竞赛   多学科融合   课程思政   人工智能  

摘要： 人工智能及机器人技术在国内外高校已被列入本科生和研究生课程,高校大力发展符合国家战略发展需求的新型专业,着重培养一大批高科技人才,助力国家科技发展。在大学生创新创业各类活动中,机器人竞赛成为工科学生主流赛事之一,吸引了很多队伍竞技。机器人竞赛下分服务类、无人机类、仿真类等各类机器人,横跨计算机、电子信息、人工智能、自动化等多种学科知识体系,该文重点研究多学科融合的以赛促学和以学促赛的机器人教学模式。

关键词： 可变线路   机器人   训练竞赛场地   坐标定位原理  

摘要： 在中小学综合实践课的机器人教学活动中,传统的机器人训练场地地图普遍采用喷绘印刷,其轨迹线路固定,学生长期面对单一轨迹地图极易产生懈怠心理。因此,有必要开发一种能随时变化的机器人训练场地地图,以便调动学生学习的积极性。利用坐标定位原理,采用PVC板、木工板、micro:bit开发板等材料制作可变线路机器人训练竞赛场地,可充分满足机器人教学训练的需要。