Semi-autonomous serially connected multi-crawler robot for search and rescue

In this paper, we develop a semi-autonomous serially connected multi-crawler robot for search and rescue. In large-scale disasters, such as earthquakes and tornadoes, the application of rescue robots to search for survivors under rubble would be beneficial. Snake-like robots (robots composed of serially connected units) are an effective candidate for such robots. Their long body enables them to overcome obstacles, and they can move into narrow spaces because of their thin shape. However, conventional snake-like robots have significant problems with operability. The numerous degrees of freedom of their bodies require complex operation to overcome obstacles, and training is required for the operators. Thus, survivors or community members cannot operate conventional robots to search for victims, despite the availability of such rescue robots. Here, we address this problem and develop a semi-autonomous serially connected multi-crawler robot designed for non-trained operators, such as community members or rescued survivors. It can be controlled easily by a conventional two-channel user interface with levers for turning and straight line motion. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed mechanism, a prototype robot was developed and experiments were conducted. The results confirm that the proposed robot had both higher operability and higher mobility than conventional robots.     

Slow eye movement as a possible predictor of reaction delays to auditory warning alarms in a drowsy state

In recently developed intelligent vehicles, warning alarms are often used to prompt avoidance behaviours from drivers facing imminent hazardous situations. However, when critical reaction delays to auditory stimulation are anticipated, the alarm should be activated earlier to compensate for such delays. It was found that reaction times to an auditory stimulus significantly increased in the presence of slow eye movement (SEM), which is known to occur frequently during the wake-sleep transition. The reaction delay could not be attributed to temporal effects such as fatigue and was invariant regardless of response effectors (finger or foot). Moreover, it was found that applied pedal force decreased immediately after an auditory stimulus interrupted SEM. Consequently, it was concluded that SEM can be a good predictor of reaction delays to auditory warning alarms when drivers are in a drowsy state. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: The present study demonstrated that simple auditory reaction time significantly increased when SEM emerged. In the design of vehicle safety systems using warning alarms to prompt avoidance behaviours from drivers, such reaction delays during SEM must be taken into account.     

Parameterizing cut sets in a graph by the number of their components

For a connected graph G=(V,E), a subset U⊆V is a disconnected cut if U disconnects G and the subgraph G[U] induced by U is disconnected as well. A cut U is a k-cut if G[U] contains exactly k(≥1) components. More specifically, a k-cut U is a (k,?)-cut if V?U induces a subgraph with exactly ?(≥2) components. The Disconnected Cut problem is to test whether a graph has a disconnected cut and is known to be NP-complete. The problems k-Cut and (k,?)-Cut are to test whether a graph has a k-cut or (k,?)-cut, respectively. By pinpointing a close relationship to graph contractibility problems we show that (k,?)-Cut is in P for k=1 and any fixed constant ?≥2, while it is NP-complete for any fixed pair k,?≥2. We then prove that k-Cut is in P for k=1 and NP-complete for any fixed k≥2. On the other hand, for every fixed integer g≥0, we present an FPT algorithm that solves (k,?)-Cut on graphs of Euler genus at most g when parameterized by k+?. By modifying this algorithm we can also show that k-Cut is in FPT for this graph class when parameterized by k. Finally, we show that Disconnected Cut is solvable in polynomial time for minor-closed classes of graphs excluding some apex graph.     

Editorial

Higher-Order and Symbolic Computation -     

Codevelopmental learning between human and humanoid robot using a dynamic neural-network model.

This paper examines characteristics of interactive learning between human tutors and a robot having a dynamic neural-network model, which is inspired by human parietal cortex functions. A humanoid robot, with a recurrent neural network that has a hierarchical structure, learns to manipulate objects. Robots learn tasks in repeated self-trials with the assistance of human interaction, which provides physical guidance until the tasks are mastered and learning is consolidated within the neural networks. Experimental results and the analyses showed the following: 1) codevelopmental shaping of task behaviors stems from interactions between the robot and a tutor; 2) dynamic structures for articulating and sequencing of behavior primitives are self-organized in the hierarchically organized network; and 3) such structures can afford both generalization and context dependency in generating skilled behaviors.     

Bottom-up pyramid cellular acceptors with three-dimensional layers

In 1997, C.R. Dyer and A. Rosenfeld introduced an acceptor on a two-dimensional pattern (or tape), called the pyramid cellular acceptor, and demonstrated that many useful recognition tasks are executed by pyramid cellular acceptors in time proportional to the logarithm of the diameter of the input. They also introduced a bottom-up pyramid cellular acceptor which is a restricted version of the pyramid cellular acceptor, and proposed some interesting open problems of the bottom-up pyramid cellular acceptors. On the other hand, we think that the study of threedimensional automata has been meaningful as the computational model of three-dimensional information processing such as computer vision, robotics, and so forth. In this paper, we investigate about bottom-up pyramid cellular acceptors with three-dimensional layers, and show their some accepting powers. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008     

Information gathering and searching approaches on the Web

The information accessible through the Internet is increasing explosively as the Web is getting more and more widespread. In this situation, the Web is indispensable information resource for both of information gathering and information searching. Though traditional information retrieval techniques have been applied to information gathering and searching in the Web, they are insufficient for this new form of information source. Fortunately some Al techniques can be straightforwardly applicable to such tasks in the Web, and many researchers are trying this approach. In this paper, we attempt to describe the current state of information gathering and searching technologies in the Web, and the application of AI techniques in the fields. Then we point out limitations of these traditional and AI approaches and introduce two aapproaches: navigation planning and a Mondou search engine for overcoming them. The navigation planning system tries to collect systematic knowledge, rather than Web pages, which are only pieces of knowledge. The Mondou search engine copes with the problems of the query expansion/modification based on the techniques of text/web mining and information visualization. Seiji Yamada, Dr. Eng.: He received the B.S., M.S. and Ph.S. degrees in control engineering and artificial intelligence from Osaka University, Osaka, Japan, in 1984, 1986 and 1989, respectively. From 1989 to 1991, he served as a Research Associate in the Department of Control Engineering at Osaka University. From 1991 to 1996, he served as a Lecturer in the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research at Osaka University. In 1996, he joined the Department of Computational Intelligence and Systems Science at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan, as an Associate Professor. His research interests include artificial intelligence, planning, machine learning for a robotics, intelligent information retrieval in the WWW, human computer interaction, He is a member of AAAI, IEEE, JSAI, RSJ and IEICE. Hiroyuki Kawano, Dr.Eng.: He is an Associate Professor at the Department of Systems Science, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Japan. He obtained his B.Eng. and M.Eng. degrees in Applied Mathematics and Physics, and his Dr.Eng. degree in Applied Systems Science from Kyoto University. His research interests are in advanced database technologies, such as data mining, data warehousing, knowledge discovery and web search engine (Mondou). He has served on the program committees of several conferences in the areas of Data Base Systems, and technical committes of advanced information systems.     

Making Java work for microcontroller applications

The authors investigate complete system development using a Java machine aimed at FPGA devices. A new design strategy targets a single FPGA chip, within which the dedicated Java microcontroller-FemtoJava-is synthesized     

Minimum cost source location problem with vertex-connectivity requirements in digraphs

Given a digraph (or an undirected graph) G=(V,E) with a set V of vertices v with nonnegative real costs w(v), and a set E of edges and a positive integer k, we deal with the problem of finding a minimum cost subset SV such that, for each vertex vV−S, there are k vertex-disjoint paths from S to v. In this paper, we show that the problem can be solved by a greedy algorithm in time in a digraph (or in time in an undirected graph), where n=|V| and m=|E|. Based on this, given a digraph and two integers k and ℓ, we also give a polynomial time algorithm for finding a minimum cost subset SV such that for each vertex vV−S, there are k vertex-disjoint paths from S to v as well as ℓ vertex-disjoint paths from v to S.