Design and implementation of a block‐backstepping based tracking control for nonholonomic wheeled mobile robot

This paper presents formulation of a novel block‐backstepping based control algorithm to overcome the challenges posed by the tracking and the stabilization problem for a differential drive wheeled mobile robot (WMR). At first, a two‐dimensional output vector for the WMR has been defined in such a manner that it would decouple the two control inputs and, thereby, allow the designer to formulate the control laws for the two inputs one at a time. Actually, the decoupling has been carried out in a way to convert the system into block‐strict feedback form. Thereafter, block‐backstepping control algorithm has been utilized to derive the expressions of the control inputs for the WMR system. The proposed block‐backstepping technique has further been enriched by incorporating an integral action for enhancing the steady state performance of the overall system. Global asymptotic stability of the overall system has been analyzed using Lyapunov stability criteria. Finally, the proposed control algorithm has been implemented on a laboratory scale differential drive WMR to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control law in real‐time environment. Indeed, the proposed design approach is novel in the sense that it has judiciously exploited the nonholonomic constraint of the WMR to result in a reduced order block‐backstepping controller for the WMR, and thereby, it has eventually yielded a compact expression of the control law that is amenable to real‐time implementation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nonlinear state feedback controller design for underactuated mechanical system: A modified block backstepping approach

This paper presents the formulation of a novel block-backstepping based control algorithm to address the stabilization problem for a generalized nonlinear underactuated mechanical system. For the convenience of compact design, first, the state model of the underactuated system has been converted into the block-strict feedback form. Next, we have incorporated backstepping control action to derive the expression of the control input for the generic nonlinear underactuated system. The proposed block backstepping technique has further been enriched by incorporating an integral action additionally for enhancing the steady state performance of the overall system. Asymptotic stability of the overall system has been analyzed using Lyapunov stability criteria. Subsequently, the stability of the zero dynamics has also been analyzed to ensure the global asymptotic stability of the entire nonlinear system at its desired equilibrium point. The proposed control algorithm has been applied for the stabilization of a benchmarked underactuated mechanical system to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control law in real-time environment.     

High-surface step density on dendritic pd leads to exceptional catalytic activity for formic acid oxidation

Dendritic Pd with corrugated surfaces, obtained by a novel AC technique, exhibits an exceptionally high catalytic activity for the oxidation of formic acid because of the presence of a high density of surface steps. The formation of twinned dendrites leads to a predominance of exposed 111 facets with a high density of surface steps as evident from high resolution electron microscopy investigations. These surface sites provide active sites for the adsorption of the formic acid molecules, thereby enhancing the reaction rate. Control experiments by varying the time of deposition reveal the formation of partially grown dendrites at shorter times indicating that the dendrites were formed by growth rather than particle attachment. Our deposition method opens up interesting possibilities to produce anisotropic nanostructures with corrugated surfaces by exploiting the perturbations involved in the growth process.     

Mechanics of creep resistance in nanocrystalline solids

Summary In a nanocrystalline solid a significant portion of atoms resides in the grain boundary and the nearby outer grain. This combined region, known as the grain-boundary affected zone (GBAZ), is plastically softer than the grain interior, and it are the combined contributions of the grain interior and GBAZ that give rise to the overall response. In this spirit a two-phase composite model is developed to study the high-temperature creep resistance of nanocrystalline materials. Here the rate equation of each phase is represented by a power law and the Arrhenius function, but that of the grain interior is further taken to scale with the Hall–Petch relation whereas that of the GBAZ remains independent of grain size. This unified constitutive equation in turn leads to the concept of secant viscosity. Then a homogenization theory is developed by means of a transition from linear viscoelasticity to nonlinear viscoplasticity with the Maxwell viscosity constantly replaced by the secant viscosity. Subsequently a field-fluctuation method is called upon to determine the effective stress of both phases. The developed theory is applied to model the creep behavior of nanocrystalline Cu, NiP alloy, and Ni at various levels of stress, temperature, and grain size, with results that reflect good agreement with available experiments. We then applied the theory to examine the nature of creep resistance as the grain size decreases in the nanometer range in some detail, and it was discovered that creep resistance in the Hall–Petch like plot undergoes a transition from a positive slope to leveled off, and then to a negative slope. The leveled-off value in effect represents the maximum creep resistance that a material can attain, and it is found that this occurs at a critical grain size, d _crit, that exists in the nanometer range. Dedicated to Professor Franz Ziegler on the occasion of his 70th birthday     

Empirical relations for the propagation characteristics of diffused channel waveguides

Empirical relations for the propagation constant and the field profile parameters of integrated optical diffused channel waveguides have been developed. The field profile used is the evanescent secant-hyperbolic field, which has been shown earlier to be a very good approximation for diffused channel-waveguide modes. Least-square fitting has been used to obtain the empirical relations. The results show that the error in empirical relations for the propagation constant is within 2% for a broad range of waveguide parameters. The obtained empirical relations for the field profile and the propagation constant have been used, as an example, to calculate the coupling length of diffused channel-waveguide-based directional couplers.     

Prediction of asymmetric cyclic‐plastic behaviour for cyclically stable non‐ferrous materials

Investigation on asymmetric cyclic‐plastic or ratcheting behaviour of non‐ferrous materials has received relatively little attention compared with ferrous materials. Ratcheting behaviour of materials is generally simulated using isotropic‐kinematic hardening models; however, for materials showing cyclically stable response, isotropic hardening is often not accounted for the constitutive modelling. A methodology based on Chaboche's isotropic‐kinematic hardening (CIKH) model with the consideration of genetic algorithm for optimization of initial estimates of the CIKH parameters is used in this study. The investigated plastic responses incorporate both symmetric strain‐controlled hysteresis loops and ratcheting behaviour. The suggested approach satisfactorily predicts the reported plastic response of cyclically stable non‐ferrous alloys based on aluminum, zirconium, and titanium.     

Locomotion Control of a Hydraulically Actuated Hexapod Robot by Robust Adaptive Fuzzy Control with Self-Tuned Adaptation Gain and Dead Zone Fuzzy Pre-compensation

Hydraulically actuated robotic mechanisms are becoming popular for field robotic applications for their compact design and large output power. However, they exhibit nonlinearity, parameter variation and flattery delay in the response. This flattery delay, which often causes poor trajectory tracking performance of the robot, is possibly caused by the dead zone of the proportional electromagnetic control valves and the delay associated with oil flow. In this investigation, we have proposed a trajectory tracking control system for hydraulically actuated robotic mechanism that diminishes the flattery delay in the output response. The proposed controller consists of a robust adaptive fuzzy controller with self-tuned adaptation gain in the feedback loop to cope with the parameter variation and disturbances and a one-step-ahead fuzzy controller in the feed-forward loop for hydraulic dead zone pre-compensation. The adaptation law of the feedback controller has been designed by Lyapunov synthesis method and its adaptation rate is varied by fuzzy self-tuning. The variable adaptation rate helps to improve the tracking performance without sacrificing the stability. The proposed control technique has been applied for locomotion control of a hydraulically actuated hexapod robot under independent joint control framework. For tracking performance of the proposed controller has also been compared with classical PID controller, LQG state feedback controller and static fuzzy controller. The experimental results exhibit a very accurate foot trajectory tracking with very small tracking error with the proposed controller.     

Sustaining area-based initiatives by developing appropriate “anchors”: the role of social capital

This paper focuses on “anchoring”, understood as the process of building project-based organizational networks, or “anchors”, in order to sustain the efforts of area-based initiatives (ABIs) after they leave their targeted neighbourhoods. Drawing on the scholarly literature on social capital and an empirical examination of three different cases from an ABI in Copenhagen, the paper highlights why and how particular models of “anchors” develop in specific local contexts. We conclude by emphasizing the value of the lens of social capital, particularly, in the ABIs’ strategic efforts towards “anchoring”.     

Analysing social behaviour and message dissemination in human based delay tolerant network

Recent advances in mobile communication shows proliferation in networks formed by human carried devices known as the pocket switched network (PSN). Human beings are social animals. They tend to form groups and communities, and have repetitive mobility pattern which can be used to disseminate information in PSNs. In this paper, we give a deeper insight to the nature of community formation and how such information can be used to help opportunistic forwarding in mobile opportunistic networks. Using real world mobility traces, we first derive the adjacency list for each node and form the contact graph. Using tools from social network analysis we then determine various node properties like centrality and clustering coefficient and graph properties like average path length and modularity. Based on the derived graph properties, node encounter process and nature of message dissemination in PSNs, we propose two social based routing, known as the contact based routing and community aware two-hop routing. We compare the proposed routing techniques with generic epidemic and prophet routing and Bubble-Rap, a social based routing. Results show that the proposed algorithms is able to achieve better delivery ratio and lower delay than Bubble Rap, while reducing the high overhead ratio of epidemic and prophet routing.