Robotics

This work proposes a novel solution for detecting and tracing spatially varying edges of large manufacturing workpieces, using a consumer grade RGB depth camera, with only a partial view of the workpiece and without prior knowledge. The proposed system can visually detect and trace various edges, with a wide array of degrees, to an accuracy of 15 mm or less, without the need for any previous information, setup or planning. A combination of physical experiments on the setup and more complex simulated experiments were conducted. The effectiveness of the system is demonstrated via simulated and physical experiments carried out on both acute and obtuse edges, as well as typical aerospace structures, made from a variety of materials, with dimensions ranging from 400 mm to 600 mm. Simulated results show that, with artificial noise added, the solution presented can detect aerospace structures to an accuracy of 40 mm or less, depending on the amount of noise present, while physical aerospac...

This paper presents an analysis of two comparable studies with LEGO Robotics-based activities in a social skills training program for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). One study has been carried out with a group of 16 children in the Unit of Pediatrics Psychology and Psychiatry in HSJD in Barcelona , Spain and the other with a group of 17 children at the Center for Education and Engineering Outreach (Tufts U.) in Boston, USA. The aim of this comparison is discuss lessons learnt and develop empirical based guidelines for intervention design.

La reconnaissance de caractères ou de symboles s'appuie actuellement sur de nombreux descripteurs statistiques ou géométriques. Cependant, l'accroissement du nombre d'objets différents à traiter pose le problème de l'interaction avec l'utilisateur et la capacité de celui-ci à caractériser cette complexité. La représentation structurelle est une alternative intéressante car plus proche de l'appréhension visuelle humaine. Elle offre une approche plus intuitive de la reconnaissance permettant d'aborder des caractères difficiles à discriminer par des approches classiques. Nous nous intéressons donc, dans cet article, aux systèmes de reconnaissance de la structure des caractères et des symboles. Le travail étend la proposition de WONG ET YOU d'une reconnaissance basée sur une modélisation par graphe aléatoire à variables discrètes. L'utilisation d'attributs vectoriels plus complets impose le passage aux graphes aléatoires à variables continues.

GOLOVKO V.A., BEZOBRAZOV S.V., MELENCHUK V.V. Neural network approach for spam detectionРассмотрен нейросетевой подход для обнаружения электронного спама. Рассмотрены основные методы и алгоритмы, а также их недостатки, применяемые для обнаружения нежелательной электронной корреспонденции. Разработана система обнаружения спама на основе применения искусственных нейронных сетей. Представлены результаты исследований

In this paper, we present a complete description of the hardware design and control architecture of our custom built quadruped robot, called the Stoch. Our goal is to realize a robust, modular, and a reliable quadrupedal platform, using which various locomotion behaviors are explored. This platform enables us to explore different research problems in legged locomotion, which use both traditional and learning based techniques. We discuss the merits and limitations of the platform in terms of exploitation of available behaviours, fast rapid prototyping, reproduction and repair. Towards the end, we will demonstrate trotting, bounding behaviors, and preliminary results in turning. In addition, we will also show various gait transitions i.e., trot-to-turn and trot-to-bound behaviors.

Agriculture especially in India need to concentrate in some aspects such as how to increase the productivity and profit, how to reduce the cost and how to solve the problem comes from workers. Currently in India former used conventional method for the crop cutting i.e. The conventional method for crop cutting is as manually cutting using labor but this method is lengthy and time consuming. It well know that crop like jawar, tuar, bajra maize required more force as compare to easily cutting crop like wheat rice etc. This paper presents the concept for design and analysis of crop cutter. The crop cutting is important stage in agriculture field Crop cutting machine is mechanical device. It can be use for cutting the dry cut stalks of grain break or covering of trunk of tree. This mechanism is used for harvesting the moderate crop. single machine can be perform the work of seven to eight labour which is ultimately help to increase the economy of formers. The only drawback of machine is ...

Objective: This paper is focused on prototype development and accuracy evaluation of a medical Augmented Reality (AR) system. The accuracy of such a system is of critical importance for medical use, and is hence considered in detail. We analyze the individual error contributions and the system accuracy of the prototype. Materials and Methods: A passive articulated arm is used to track a calibrated end-effector-mounted video camera. The live video view is superimposed in real time with the synchronized graphical view of CT-derived segmented object(s) of interest within a phantom skull. The AR accuracy mostly depends on the accuracy of the tracking technology, the registration procedure, the camera calibration, and the image scanning device (e.g., a CT or MRI scanner). Results: The accuracy of the Microscribe arm was measured to be 0.87 mm. After mounting the camera on the tracking device, the AR accuracy was measured to be 2.74 mm on average (standard deviation ¼ 0.81 mm). After using data from a 2-mmthick CT scan, the AR error remained essentially the same at an average of 2.75 mm (standard deviation ¼ 1.19 mm). Conclusions: For neurosurgery, the acceptable error is approximately 2 -3 mm, and our prototype approaches these accuracy requirements. The accuracy could be increased with a higher-fidelity tracking system and improved calibration and object registration. The design and methods of this prototype device can be extrapolated to current medical robotics (due to the kinematic similarity) and neuronavigation systems.

Background: Intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) has the potential benefits of a smaller incision, reduced pain, decreased bowel exposure, and reduced risk of fluid imbalance. Objective: To compare the perioperative outcomes of patients undergoing extracorporeal urinary diversion (ECUD) and ICUD following robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC). Design, setting, and participants: We reviewed the database of the International Robotic Cystectomy Consortium (IRCC) (18 international centers), with 935 patients who had undergone RARC and pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) between 2003 and 2011. Intervention: All patients within the IRCC underwent RARC and PLND as indicated. The urinary diversion was performed either intracorporeally or extracorporeally. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Demographic data, perioperative outcomes, and complications in patients undergoing ICUD or ECUD were compared. All patients had at least a 90-d follow-up. The Fisher exact test was used to summarize categorical variables and the Wilcoxon rank sum test or Kruskal-Wallis test for continuous variables.

The increased diffusion of cooperation between humans and robotics in manufacturing systems is one of the next things to implement within robotics. Since the computer power gets more and more powerful, the possibilities increase to achieve safer working environment, due to that all safety signals demands fast management of data. This could lead to a possibility to work closer and more direct with a robot, using the robot as a third hand. Within an EU FW7 funded project called LOCOMACHs (Low Cost Manufacturing and Assembly of Composite and Hybrid Structures) there are one study focusing on how to support a future higher TRL-leveled HMI cell (Human Machine Interaction) in an assembly task. The main objective in this paper is to present how different external safety systems could support the whole HMI assembly cell to work properly in an industrial context. The scenario for HMI, in this case, is that an operator enters into the robot working area with the aim to perform an assembly task that need two hands. There are different support systems that could be applied to this assembly application, but every one of these needs to coincide with official standards to be applied in an approved industrial HMI assembly cell. The different safety support systems that are used in this research are light barriers, physical barriers and three-position enabler. These safety support systems are tested in a demonstrator assembly cell using a mock-up wing part. The tests with the selected safety support systems in the physical demonstrator will be compared with a concept that uses cameras to achieve the same degree of safety.

Prospective and early-career paleontologists deserve an accurate assessment of employment opportunities in their chosen field of study. Drawing on a wide range of sources, we have produced an admittedly incomplete analysis of the current status and recent trends of permanent academic employment in the discipline. Obtaining more complete longitudinal data on employment trends is a major difficulty; this is a challenge that needs to be addressed. The number of job seekers is far in excess of available positions. There has been a clear erosion in the number of academic paleontologists in the United States, a trend exacerbated in recent years. The decline, in constant dollars, of federal funding for paleontological research has potential strong negative impacts on future hiring. The loss of paleontology positions has also had a deleterious effect on our professional societies, which have seen a loss of regular (professional) membership, although student membership remains strong. These trends also potentially negatively impact efforts to diversify the field. Professional societies need to better coordinate their efforts to address these serious issues. Individual paleontologists also must become more effective advocates for the importance and relevance of our science.

Wireless Notice Boards are growing rapidly around the world nowadays. Wireless is a term used to define telecommunication and data transmission without wires. This technology is used to make the notice board portable and easy to handle. The project will be a great substitute to the traditional notices which were written on paper and attached to the notice boards. In this paper, the development of ESP-32-based wireless notice board is presented. This can be a more efficient method to display any message in any kind of application. The message that is to be conveyed to people can be displayed using a self-developed app, on the notice board in an instant and more effective way. The wireless notice board is used in various applications or places such as railway stations, government offices and some other public places. The project is made using ESP-32 module, 16x96 LED display, 5V DC supply, FRC connectors, connecting wires and LED display panels.

Machine vision application in mechanized tree fruits harvesting operations can be implemented by image processing algorithms. In this paper, a combination of color and shape processing was used to segment the red apples images in order to detect an apple fruit in each image and to determine its location. Thirty images had been taken, randomly. Images were filtered, converted to binary images, and noise reduced. The algorithm was finally assessed. The algorithm could detect apple fruits in the 83.33% of images and ...

DOI: 10.35629/5252-0312812816 Impact Factor value 7.429 | ISO 9001: 2008 Certified Journal Page 812 Physical Methods of Nanoparticles Preparation – An Overview Surender, Ajay Gahlot 1. Assistant Professor, Maharaja Surajmal Institute of Technology(GGSIPU), Janakpuri, New Delhi-110058, India. 2. Associate Professor, Maharaja Surajmal Institute of Technology(GGSIPU), Janakpuri, New Delhi-110058, India.

Background: Mitral valve repair has demonstrated better outcomes compared with valve replacement for the treatment of degenerative mitral regurgitation. objective: The aim of this study was to show the experience with premeasured expanded polytetrafluoroethylene chordal loops for successful mitral valve repair. Methods: Between May and December 2018, 13 patients with severe mitral regurgitation caused by degenerative disease and indication for surgery underwent mitral valve repair at Hospital Universitario Austral. Results: The procedure was successful in the 13 patients. Chordal loops were applied to the anterior leaflet in 4 patients, to the posterior leaflet in 6 patients and to both anterior and posterior leaflets in 3 patients. Conclusions: Polytetrafluoroethylene chordal loops allowed the satisfactory, safe and reproducible repair of mitral regurgitation due to prolapse of any mitral leaflet segment.

Site-specific management practices have been possible due to the wide range of solutions for data acquisition and interventions at the field level. Different approaches have to be considered for data collection, like dedicated soil and plant sensors, or even associated with the capacity of the agricultural machinery to generate valuable data that allows the farmer or the manager to infer the spatial variability of the fields. However, high computational resources are needed to convert extensive databases into useful information for site-specific management. Thus, technologies from industry, such as the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence, applied to agricultural production, have supported the decision-making process of precision agriculture practices. The interpretation and the integration of information from different sources of data allow enhancement of agricultural management due to its capacity to predict attributes of the crop and soil using advanced data-driven tools. Some examples are crop monitoring, local applications of inputs, and disease detection using cloud-based systems in digital platforms, previously elaborated for decision-support systems. In this review, we discuss the different approaches and technological resources, popularly named as Agriculture 4.0 or digital farming, inserted in the context of the management of spatial variability of the fields considering different sources of crop and soil data.

The simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) with evolutionary graph based approach is studied. The impact of re-sampling population on performance of evolutionary SLAM is experimentally studied. Two algorithms are compared: one with random re-sampling and one with greedy population re-sampling. With augmentation of number of nodes the greedy re-sampling crossing-over approach demonstrated significantly better performance.

Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) is a sub-field of artificial intelligence (AI), which aims to provide explanations about the reasons why an AI-based system takes a decision or provides an output (TechDispatch, 2023). The search for meaningful explanations is not new in the field of AI, but it has been mainly a technical issue for developers who were looking for reliability in the results obtained by their AI systems, so they could be accepted by end users of specific areas (Ali et al, 2023). The great advance of AI technology in the last years has turned these systems into general-purpose digital tools, and new considerations have arisen in this realm.

BackgroundEvaluation of the impact of a new robotic surgery programme on perioperative outcomes for endometrial cancerMethodsA prospective database of all patients undergoing staging for endometrial cancer during July 2007–July 2008 was collected and analysed. Demographic data and perioperative outcomes were compared between cases performed via laparotomy, laparoscopy and robotics.ResultsSixty‐five patients underwent staging during the time of data collection (LAP‐26, LSC‐7, ROB‐32). No difference in surgical volume in the year before vs. after robotics was identified. Median operative time for robotics and laparotomy was significantly less than for laparoscopy (p = 0.023). There was no significant difference in lymph node yields between the three groups (p = 0.92). Robotics was associated with significantly less blood loss (p < 0.0001). Complication rates were significantly lower in the robotic group compared to the laparotomy group (p = 0.05). Median hospital stay was 1 day for...

Objectives. To report the impact of a new robotic surgery program on the surgical training of gynecologic oncology fellows over a 12 month period of time. Methods. A robotic surgery program was introduced into the gynecologic oncology fellowship program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in June 2007. A database of patients undergoing surgical management of endometrial and cervical cancer between July 2007 and July 2008 was collected and analyzed. Changes in fellow surgical training were measured and analyzed. Results. Fellow surgical training for endometrial and cervical cancer underwent a dramatic transition in 12 months. The proportion of patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery increased from 3.3% (4/110 patients) to 43.5% (47/108 patients). Fellow training transitioned from primarily an open approach (94.4%) to a minimally invasive approach (11% laparoscopic, 49% robotic, 40% open) for endometrial cancer stagings, and from an open approach (100%) to an open (50%) and robotic (50%) approach for radical hysterectomies. Fellow participation in robotic procedures increased from 45% in the first 3 months to 72% within 6 months, and 92% by 12 months. The role of the fellow in robotic cases transitioned from bedside assistant to console operator within 3 months. Conclusions. Fellow surgical training underwent a dramatic change with the introduction of a robotic surgery program. The management of endometrial and cervical cancer was impacted the most by robotics. Robotic surgery broadened fellowship surgical training, but balanced surgical training and standardized fellow training modules remain challenges for fellowship programs.

This paper presents the results of the survey that was conducted during 2018 in four countries: Bulgaria, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. The survey is a part of activities within the project "Increasing the well being of the population by RObotic and ICT based iNNovative education" (RONNI), funded by the Danube Strategic Project Fund (DSPF). The survey included two target groups: the teachers/experts and the parents; and the corresponding questionnaires (QR) were delivered to schools in each of the participating countries. A total of 428 subjects participated in the survey (231 parents and 197 teachers/experts). Seven hypotheses related to stakeholders attitudes and opinions were formed and tested in the work, showing highly favorable sentiment toward inclusion of robotics and information technology (IT) in the classroom but with some exceptions. The conclusions drawn, based on the analysis of the results, can be used for proposing strategies and methodologies aimed at boosting inclusion of IT in the teaching process, transferable across the regions to support effective learning as well as to identify possible problems with their implementation in relation to attitudes of stakeholders: teachers and parents.

Objectives-To compare renal functional outcomes in robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) with selective arterial clamping guided by near infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging to a matched cohort of patients who underwent RPN without selective arterial clamping and NIRF imaging. Methods-From April 2011 to December 2012, NIRF imaging-enhanced RPN with selective clamping was utilized in 42 cases. Functional outcomes of successful cases were compared with a cohort of patients, matched by tumor size, preoperative eGFR, functional kidney status, age, sex, body mass index, and American Society of Anesthesiologists score, who underwent RPN without selective clamping and NIRF imaging. Results-In matched-pair analysis, selective clamping with NIRF was associated with superior kidney function at discharge, as demonstrated by postoperative eGFR (78.2 vs 68.5 ml/min per 1.73m 2 ; P=0.04), absolute reduction of eGFR (-2.5 vs -14.0 ml/min per 1.73m 2 ; P<0.01) and percent change in eGFR (-1.9% vs -16.8%, P<0.01). Similar trends were noted at three month follow up but these differences became non-significant (P[eGFR]=0.07], P[absolute reduction of eGFR]=0.10, and P[percent change in eGFR]=0.07). In the selective clamping group, a total of four perioperative complications occurred in three patients, all of which were Clavien I-III. of NIRF imaging was associated with improved short-term renal functional outcomes when compared to RPN without selective arterial clamping and NIRF imaging. With this effect attenuated at later follow-up, randomized prospective studies and longterm assessment of kidney-specific functional outcomes are needed to further assess the benefits of this technology.

Objectives-To compare renal functional outcomes in robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) with selective arterial clamping guided by near infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging to a matched cohort of patients who underwent RPN without selective arterial clamping and NIRF imaging. Methods-From April 2011 to December 2012, NIRF imaging-enhanced RPN with selective clamping was utilized in 42 cases. Functional outcomes of successful cases were compared with a cohort of patients, matched by tumor size, preoperative eGFR, functional kidney status, age, sex, body mass index, and American Society of Anesthesiologists score, who underwent RPN without selective clamping and NIRF imaging. Results-In matched-pair analysis, selective clamping with NIRF was associated with superior kidney function at discharge, as demonstrated by postoperative eGFR (78.2 vs 68.5 ml/min per 1.73m 2 ; P=0.04), absolute reduction of eGFR (-2.5 vs -14.0 ml/min per 1.73m 2 ; P<0.01) and percent change in eGFR (-1.9% vs -16.8%, P<0.01). Similar trends were noted at three month follow up but these differences became non-significant (P[eGFR]=0.07], P[absolute reduction of eGFR]=0.10, and P[percent change in eGFR]=0.07). In the selective clamping group, a total of four perioperative complications occurred in three patients, all of which were Clavien I-III. of NIRF imaging was associated with improved short-term renal functional outcomes when compared to RPN without selective arterial clamping and NIRF imaging. With this effect attenuated at later follow-up, randomized prospective studies and longterm assessment of kidney-specific functional outcomes are needed to further assess the benefits of this technology.

Background and Purpose: Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RPN) has emerged as a viable approach to minimally invasive surgery for small renal tumors. There are few reports of RPN for tumors > 4 cm. Our objective was to evaluate outcomes of RPN for tumors > 4 cm compared with RPN for tumors £ 4 cm in a large multi-institutional study. Patients and Methods: We reviewed data for 445 consecutive patients who underwent RPN by experienced surgeons at four academic institutions from 2006 to 2010. Patients were stratified into two groups according to radiographic tumor size. Patient demographics, perioperative outcomes, and oncologic outcomes were recorded. Results: A total of 83 of 445 (18.7%) patients had tumors > 4 cm with a median radiographic tumor size of 5.0 cm (4.1-11 cm). Patients with tumors > 4 cm had a higher proportion of hilar tumors (9.8% vs 4.7%, P < 0.001), a higher mean R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score (8.0 vs 6.3, P < 0.01), longer warm ischemia time (WIT) (24 vs 17 min, P < 0.001), and an increased rate of collecting system repair (72.2% vs 51.6%, P = 0.006) compared with patients with tumors £ 4 cm. Functional outcomes and complications were similar between groups. There were no positive margins in patients with tumors > 4 cm and only one recurrence. Conclusions: In the largest multi-institutional series of RPN for tumors > 4 cm, we demonstrate safety, feasibility, and efficacy of RPN for tumors > 4 cm. Patients with tumors > 4 cm had a higher nephrometry score, longer WIT, and slightly higher estimated blood loss compared with patients who had tumors £ 4 cm, but there was no increased risk of adverse outcomes in the hands of experienced surgeons.

Background: Minimally invasive approaches to partial nephrectomy have been rapidly gaining popularity but require advanced laparoscopic surgical skills. Renal hilar tumors, due to their anatomic location, pose additional technical challenges to the operating surgeon. Objective: We compared the outcomes of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RPN) for hilar and nonhilar tumors in our large multicenter contemporary series of patients. Design, setting, and participants: We retrospectively reviewed prospectively collected data on 446 consecutive patients who underwent RPN by renal surgeons experienced in minimally invasive techniques at four academic institutions from June 2006 to March 2010. Patients were stratified into two groups: those with hilar lesions and those with nonhilar lesions. Measurements: Patient demographics, operative outcomes, and postoperative outcomes, including oncologic outcomes, were recorded. Results and limitations: Forty-one patients (9%) had hilar renal masses; 405 patients (91%) had nonhilar masses. There was no statistical differences in patient demographics except for larger median tumor size in the hilar cohort (3.2 cm vs 2.6 cm; p = 0.001). The only significant difference in operative outcomes was an increase in warm ischemia times for the hilar group versus the nonhilar group (26.3 AE 7.4 min vs 19.6 AE 10.0 min; p = <0.0001). There were no differences in postoperative outcomes; however, there was a trend for increased risk of malignancy and higher stage tumors in the hilar lesion group. Final pathologic margin status was similar in both groups. Only one patient in the nonhilar group had evidence of recurrence at 21 mo. The study was limited by the lack of standard anatomic classification of renal tumors and the potential influence of the surgeons' prior robotic experience. Conclusions: The data represent the largest series of its kind and strongly suggest that RPN is a safe, effective, and feasible option for the minimally invasive approach to renal hilar tumors with no increased risk of adverse outcomes compared with nonhilar tumors in the hands of experienced robotic surgeons.

grading system for the patient. It is not easy to explain or to understand why a system that in theory could produce a range of Gleason sum scores from 2 to 10, is in practice actually limited on prostatic biopsy to Gleason sum score 6 to 10. Thus, rather confusingly, Gleason 6 is the most favourable category of prostatic carcinoma in terms of prognosis, rather than indicating a 'middle-of-the-scale' tumour. The paper presented in this issue of BJUI, 'Prognostic Gleason grade grouping: data based on the modified Gleason scoring system' [5], attempts to compensate for this by allowing the categorisation of prostatic carcinoma not only in terms of Gleason sum score, but also into prognostic groups I to V that correlate with the sum score and may be easier for the patient to appreciate.

Objective To conduct a meta‐analysis of the literature on the peri‐operative outcomes of both robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN). Materials and Methods An electronic database search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library was performed for publications up to 8 January 2013. All studies comparing RAPN with LPN were included. The outcome measures were demographic and peri‐operative results, including operating time, warm ischaemia time, blood loss, length of hospital stay, conversion rates, positive surgical margins and complications. A meta‐analysis of the results was conducted. Results A total of 766 patients were included, 425 patients in the RAPN group and 341 patients in the LPN group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in any of the demographic variables (age: P = 0.89; sex: P = 0.31; malignant pathology: P = 0.54; tumour size: P = 0.99; tumour laterality: P = 0.06). There was no differ...

Background Partial nephrectomy has been increasingly recommended over radical nephrectomy for the management of small renal masses based on improved renal functional outcomes without sacrifice of oncologic effectiveness. Robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) has been introduced in an effort to offer another minimally invasive option for nephron-sparing surgery. However, reports of RAPN have been limited to short-term perioperative outcomes. The goal of this study is to report and evaluate the initial oncologic outcomes of RAPN. Utilizing prospectively obtained data on RAPN performed by four surgeons at four separate tertiary care centers, we selected patients with unilateral, localized, non-familial, pathologically-confirmed pT1 renal cell carcinoma and a minimum post-operative follow-up of 12 months. Methods Utilizing prospectively obtained data on RAPN performed by four surgeons at four separate tertiary care centers, we selected patients with unilateral, localized, non-famili...

Background: Near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging is a technology with emerging applications in urologic surgery. Objective: To describe surgical techniques and provide clinical outcomes for robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) with selective clamping and robotic upper urinary tract reconstruction featuring novel applications of NIRF imaging. Design, setting, and participants: Data from 90 patients who underwent successful RPN with selective clamping or upper urinary tract reconstruction utilizing NIRF imaging between April 2011 and October 2012 were reviewed. Surgical procedure: We performed RPN utilizing NIRF imaging to aid with selective clamping and upper tract reconstruction with NIRF imaging, the details of which are outlined in this paper and the accompanying video. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Patient characteristics, perioperative outcomes, and complications were analyzed. Results and limitations: Of the 48 RPN patients for whom selective clamping was attempted successfully, median estimated blood loss was 200.0 ml, warm ischemia time was 17.0 min, and median change in estimated glomerular filtration rate was À6.3%. There was a 12.5% complication rate, and all complications were Clavien grade 1-3 (14.3%). The upper urinary tract reconstruction utilizing NIRF imaging was performed in 42 patients and included pyelopasty (n = 20), ureteral reimplant (n = 13), ureterolysis (n = 7), and ureteroureterostomy (n = 2). Radiographic and symptomatic improvement was observed in 100% of the pyeloplasty, ureteral reimplant, and ureteroureterostomy patients and 71.4% of ureterolysis patients, for an overall success rate of 95.2%. This study is limited by the small sample size, the short follow-up period, and the lack of a comparative cohort. Conclusions: Our technique of RPN with selective arterial clamping and robotic upper urinary tract reconstruction utilizing NIRF imaging is presented. This technology provides real-time intraoperative angiogram to confirm selective ischemia and may be an adjunct technology to confirm well-perfused tissue within a reconstruction anastomosis. Further investigation is needed to evaluate long-term outcomes of NIRF imaging in robotic upper urinary tract surgery and to delineate its indications.

Robotics is one of the many tools that is making a substantial difference as the world is experiencing the fourth industrial revolution. To ease control over this engineering marvel substantially, Reinforcement Learning (RL) has paved its way in recent years quite remarkably. RL enables robots to become self-aware towards carrying out a specific task followed by user operations. For decades of rigorous endeavor, this research field has gone through numerous groundbreaking developments and it will be the same for the coming days. Therefore, this paper steps in to enlighten the scientific community with a systemic review of the published research papers within the past decade. The bibliographic data that is extracted from the papers are analyzed using an automated tool named Vosviewer with respect to some parameters. Substantial excerpts from the most influential papers are highlighted in this work. Furthermore, this paper points out the global research practice in this field. The paper also generates some intriguing questions and answers them in regards to the research topic. After reading this paper, future researchers will have a firm idea in the RL-based robotics and will be able to incorporate in their own research.

Background Educational robotics (ER) is increasingly used in classrooms to implement activities aimed at fostering the development of students’ computational thinking (CT) skills. Though previous works have proposed different models and frameworks to describe the underlying concepts of CT, very few have discussed how ER activities should be implemented in classrooms to effectively foster CT skill development. Particularly, there is a lack of operational frameworks, supporting teachers in the design, implementation, and assessment of ER activities aimed at CT skill development. The current study therefore presents a model that allows teachers to identify relevant CT concepts for different phases of ER activities and aims at helping them to appropriately plan instructional interventions. As an experimental validation, the proposed model was used to design and analyze an ER activity aimed at overcoming a problem that is often observed in classrooms: the trial-and-error loop, i.e., an o...

Educational Robotics (ER) has the potential to provide significant benefits to education, provided an increase in outreach by transitioning from the extra-curricular initiatives in which ER has thrived to formal education. As Computer Science (CS) Education is undergoing curricular reforms worldwide, the present study addresses the case of a Digital Education reform that included ER as a means to teach core CS concepts. Approximately 350 teachers from the first four grades of primary school participated in a mandatory two-year continuing professional development (CPD) program. The first year of the program was dedicated to CS and introduced teachers to CS Unplugged (CSU) and Robotics Unplugged (RU) activities. As such, we analyse the interplay between these activities and focus on teachers’ voluntary adoption of the proposed content in classrooms. This is complemented by an analysis of their perception and recommendation of ER. The findings highlight three main points. Firstly, ER b...

Integrating computer science (CS) into school curricula has become a worldwide preoccupation. Therefore, we present a CS and Robotics integration model and its validation through a large-scale pilot study in the administrative region of the Canton Vaud in Switzerland. Approximately 350 primary school teachers followed a mandatory CS continuing professional development program (CPD) of adapted format with a curriculum scaffolded by instruction modality. This included CS Unplugged activities that aim to teach CS concepts without the use of screens, and Robotics Unplugged activities that employed physical robots, without screens, to learn about robotics and CS concepts. Teachers evaluated positively the CPD and their representation of CS improved. Voluntary adoption rates reached 97% during the CPD and 80% the following year. These results combined with the underpinning literature support the generalisability of the model to other contexts.

Robots have generated interest in schools since Seymour Papert's works; however when his Logo turtles were introduced into schools in the 1980s, they proved to be unreliable, expensive, and limited . Since then, we have seen various affordable, reliable, and polyvalent platforms such as Lego Mindstorms or the Bee-Bot . Robotics has become more appealing, and it is an established fact that educational robots can improve children's motivation , . Robotics also embodies a wide range of disciplines, which allows its use in a broad educational area and in interdisciplinary studies. Its use in compulsory schools could bring technology to a larger audience, including both genders. Although there has been an increasing number of extracurricular robotics activities such as robotic contests or festivals , which show the widespread adoption of robotics in informal education, several authors are struggling to understand why robots are still underused in schools, for formal education. Some argue, without clear evidence, that this is due to the lack of material available for teachers [6], missing functionalities [3], a paucity of flexibility and dynamism in schools , or a dearth of evidence regarding the educational benefits of this approach [4]. Although there is no agreement over the exact reasons for this situation, it seems clear, from these and other studies [8], , that teachers play a key role in the introduction of technology in schools. Despite this obvious observation, there is a severe lack of studies analyzing this key factor, and, in particular, the attitude of teachers toward educational robots. Lee et al. [3] examined the perception of such robots in Korea, by teachers, students, and parents. Their results showed that, while the teachers' opinions of robots were worse than those of the students and parents, none of them wanted robots to replace teachers. Fridin and Belokopytov [8] studied the first-time acceptance by teachers of a socially assistive humanoid robot, showing that teachers' desire to use robots is mainly linked to their perceived utility as tools. A limiting factor in this study is that the teachers were interacting with a robot for the first time. Kim et al. [9] performed a short survey of 116 Korean teachers who had had an initial experience of using robots in

We present the IniRobot pedagogical kit, conceived and deployed within French and Swiss primary schools for the initiation to robotics and computer science. It provides a microworld for learning, and takes an enquiry-based educational approach, where kids are led to construct their understanding through practicing an active investigation methodology within teams. It is based on the use of the Thymio II robotic platform. The paper presents the detailed pedagogical objectives and a first measure of results showing that children acquired several robotics-related concepts.

Thymio II is a small robot developed for education. It aims at offering a wide public the possibility to understand the basics of robotics and programming. To achieve this, it aims at being appealing to a large age range and serve as a medium for several types of activities. In this study, we tested it in five different workshops of the EPFL Robotics Festival with various activities. The workshops target different age groups and the participants can control the robot via different means: builtin buttons, graphical programming and text programming. At the end of the activities, participants were asked to fill a short survey to give their impressions about the robot, their appreciation of the tasks and their motivations to take part. We could show through this feedback that Thymio II appeals to young children as much as to teenagers, to both girls and boys, and allows them to have fun and learn new things.

In this article, we present results obtained from field trials with the Hobbit robotic platform, an assistive, social service robot aiming at enabling prolonged independent living of older adults in their own homes. Our main contribution lies within the detailed results on perceived safety, usability, and acceptance from field trials with autonomous robots in real homes of older users. In these field trials, we studied how 16 older adults (75 plus) lived with autonomously interacting service robots over multiple weeks. Robots have been employed for periods of months previously in home environments for older people, and some have been tested with manipulation abilities, but this is the first time a study has tested a robot in private homes that provided the combination of manipulation abilities, autonomous navigation, and non-scheduled interaction for an extended period of time. This article aims to explore how older adults interact with such a robot in their private homes. Our resul...

We present the robot developed within the Hobbit project, a socially assistive service robot aiming at the challenge of enabling prolonged independent living of elderly people in their own homes. We present the second prototype (Hobbit PT2) in terms of hardware and functionality improvements following first user studies. Our main contribution lies within the description of all components developed within the Hobbit project, leading to autonomous operation of 371 days during field trials in Austria, Greece, and Sweden. In these field trials, we studied how 18 elderly users (aged 75 years and older) lived with the autonomously interacting service robot over multiple weeks. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a multifunctional, low-cost service robot equipped with a manipulator was studied and evaluated for several weeks under real-world conditions. We show that Hobbit’s adaptive approach towards the user increasingly eased the interaction between the users and Hobbit....

This dissertation develops a practical approach to the planning of minimum energy consumpt~on trajectories for robotic manipulators. That is, a trajectory is sought between ' given initial and final states such that the energy consumption is minimized. This functional optimization problem may be described using classical variational theory. However, the two-point-boundary-value problem which arises from this formulation is practically insoluble. Therefore, the problem is converted to a function optimization by searching for an optimum among a class of functions which can be described by a fixed number of parameters; namely spline functions. Conversion to a function optimization problem allows a large number of numerical function optimization methods to be attempted. Methods attempted in this work are Powell's method, interval methods, genetic algorithms, simulated annealing and dynamic programming. Each of these methods are found to be wanting in some respects. Powell's method is a local optimization procedure. As such, it tends to get trapped in local minima. Interval methods, while interesting in that they provide the promise of a global optimum, fail, since a suitable interval bounding function for the energy consumption is not available. Genetic algorithms, simulated annealing and dynamic programming alJ require excessive computational effort. To overcome these difficulties, the basic dynamic programming method is modified to perform a series of dynamic programminp, passes over a small reconfigurable grid covering only a portion of the solution space at any one pass, rather than attempt to perform a single dynamic programming operation over a large tightly spaced grid. Although this modification changes the dynamic programming approach from a global to a local vi Chapter 4 Energy Consumption in Robotic Systems .

In the present paper, the initial theoretical results on wave-like aquatic propulsion of marine craft by propagating flexural waves are reported. Recent experimental investigations of small model boats propelled by propagating flexural waves carried out by the present author and his co-workers demonstrated viability of this type of propulsion as an alternative to a well-known screw propeller. In the attempts of theoretical explanation of the obtained experimental results using the theory of Lighthill for fish locomotion, it was found that this theory predicts zero thrust for such model boats, which is in contradiction with the results of the experiments. One should note in this connection that the theory developed by Lighthill assumes that the amplitudes of propulsive waves created by fish body motion grow from zero on the front (at fish heads) to their maximum values at the tails. This is consistent with fish body motion in nature, but is not compatible with the behaviour of localised flexural waves used for propulsion in the experimental model vessels. To overcome the problem of predicting zero thrust for the above vessels, it is suggested in the present work that nonlinear distortion of localised flexural waves may be responsible for generation of thrust. This hypothesis is explored in the present work by adding nonlinear harmonics of propulsive flexural waves to the formula derived by Lighthill for generated thrust. For simplicity, only the lowest (third) harmonic growing linearly with the distance of propagation was used. The resulting formula for the averaged thrust shows that, due to the effect of the third harmonic, the thrust is no longer zero, thereby demonstrating that nonlinear distortion of the propulsive flexural waves may be paramount for the existence of wave-like aquatic propulsion of small marine craft using freely propagating flexural waves.

Neurologic rehabilitation interventions may be either therapeutic or compensatory. Included in this article are lower extremity functional electrical stimulation, body weight-supported treadmill training, and lower extremity robotic-assisted gait training. These poststroke gait training therapies are predicated on activity-dependent neuroplasticity. All three interventions have been trialed extensively in research and clinical settings to show a positive effect on various gait parameters and measures of walking performance. This article provides an overview of evidence-based research that supports the efficacy of these three interventions to improve gait, as well as providing perspective on future developments to enhance poststroke gait in neurologic rehabilitation.

This paper demonstrates essential parameters that can be employed to optimize the performance of a low cost wearable glove interface that will measure a person's hand movements. These wearable interfaces are used in multiple applications; such as robotic tele-operation, computerinteraction, sign-language vocalization and rehabilitation of paralyzed. Since the accuracy and precision of the sensor datais extremely critical in these applications, a hybrid sensing technique is used. The flex bend sensors are used to measure the flexion of fingers, where as an accelerometer is used to sense the orientation of the palm.An 8-bit microcontroller is used to process the sensor data. Various causes of degradation insensor data are described. Solutions are also proposed to enhance the accuracy of the sensor output. The efficacy of the proposed solutions is also manifested in the document.

The biomass supply chain constitutes a system that is highly dynamic and stochastic. The developed and proposed systems architectures for the management of the supply chains of typical industrial products do not directly apply to the case of the biomass supply chain. Nevertheless, it is imperative that a dedicated framework is needed according to the industrial standards. In this paper, a framework for the biomass Supply Chain Event Management (SCEM) supporting the efficient management of inter-organizational events within the examined supply chain is proposed and analyzed. The conceptual model includes the identification and specification of events and the preparation of necessary notification based on information needs.

This dissertation is dedicated to my husband, Richard Terry Johnson. He has been my rock throughout this process. I couldn't have asked to me married to a kinder, or more understanding man. Most of all he is my best friend and soul mate. I could have not completed this dissertation without his constant belief and support. He has been my knight in shining armor throughout this process. Chapter Three: Methodology .