Exploration of unknown object by active touch of robot hand

This paper proposes a method of exploring the local shape of an unknown object using the force and torque information obtained from active touch. In the first, we present a method to estimate an unknown curvature, using rolling and sliding motion with a force/torque sensor attached to the fingertip of the hand. Then, the normal curvature equation from 2D curvatures is obtained. Finally we present a reconstruction algorithm of local geometry by using a normal curvature equation, which is composed of principal curvatures and principal directions. The method is tested by using a hand-arm system consisting of an industrial robot arm and an anthropomorphic robot hand with 6-axis force/torque sensor. The feasibility of the proposed method is experimentally validated for objects with simple geometries such as cylinder, spheres etc.     

Virtual target tracking of mobile robot and its application to formation control

A virtual target tracking approach is proposed for kinematic control of mobile robot. In the controller, linear and angular velocity inputs are generated by using the local data of robot position and orientation along with the estimated velocity of target object. Applying the proposed approach to a cooperative robot group with arbitrary number of multiple mobile robots, it is possible to create various robot formations for cooperative navigation and tracking of moving object. The developed controller is shown to be stable and convergent through theoretical proof and a series of experiments.     

Improvement of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase as an antistaling enzyme by error-prone PCR

In an effort to improve the properties of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) as an antistaling enzyme, error-prone PCR was used to introduce random mutations into a CGTase cloned from alkalophilic Bacillus sp. I-5 (CGTase I-5). A mutant CGTase[3-18] with the three mutations M234T, F259I and V591A was selected by agar plate assay. Sequence alignment of various CGTases indicated that M234 and F259 are located in the vicinity of the catalytic sites of the enzyme and V591 in the starch binding domain E. The cyclization activity of CGTase[3-18] was dramatically decreased by 10-fold, while the hydrolyzing activity was increased by up to 15-fold. These mutations near subsite +1 (M234T) and at subsite +2 (F259I) are likely to alter the enzyme activity in a concerted manner, promoting hydrolysis of substrate while retarding cyclization. The addition of CGTase[3-18] reduced the retrogradation rate of bread by as much as did the commercial antistaling enzyme Novamyl during 7-day storage at 4 degrees C. No cyclodextrin (CD) was detected in bread treated with CGTase[3-18], whereas 21 mg of CD per 10 g of bread was produced in bread treated with wild-type CGTase.     

Evaluation on steel bar corrosion embedded in antiwashout underwater concrete containing mineral admixtures

This study aims the evaluation of the corrosion of steel bar embedded in antiwashout underwater concrete, which has rather been neglected to date. To that goal, accelerated steel bar corrosion tests have been performed for three series of steel bar-reinforced antiwashout underwater concrete specimens manufactured with different admixtures and under different environments. The three series of antiwashout underwater concrete were: concrete constituted exclusively by ordinary portland cement (OPC), concrete composed by ordinary portland cement mixed with fly-ash in 20% ratio (FA20) and concrete with ground granulated blast furnace slag is mixed in 50% ratio (BFS50). And, the three different environments were: manufacture in the air, in tap water, and in artificial seawater.Measurement results using half-cell potential surveyor showed that, among all the specimens, steel bar in OPC manufactured in artificial seawater was the first one that exceeded the threshold value proposed by ASTM C 876 with a potential value below − 350 mV after 14 cycles. And, the corresponding corrosion current density and concentration of water soluble chloride were measured as 0.3 μA/cm² and 0.258%. On the other hand, for the other specimens that are FA20 and BFS50, potential values below − 350 mV were observed later at 18 and 20 cycles, respectively.Results confirmed the expectation that mineral admixtures may be more effective in delaying the development of steel bar corrosion in antiwashout underwater concrete.     

Morphology-rheology relationship in hyaluronate/poly(vinyl alcohol)/borax polymer blends

In this work, we have prepared bioartificial polymer blends using hyaluronate (HA) as a biological component and poly(vinyl alcohol)-borax association (PVAs) as a synthetic component, and investigated the rheological properties as well as morphology of the blends. When plotted against the blend composition, the rheological properties showed both positive and negative deviation from the linear additive mixing rule depending on thermal history. The blend showed enhanced viscosity at the composition of 20 wt% of HA and 80 wt% of PVAs, when PVA was dissolved at high temperature. The viscosity enhancement was caused by the network formation of HA aggregates in the micrometer scale. In addition, the network structure of HA aggregates was found to be fractal with the fractal dimension of 1.7. As PVA system also forms a network structure in the nanometer scale between hydroxyl groups of PVA and borate anions, the blend system is unique in that it has network structures in both micrometer and nanometer scales in one material. On the contrary, HA formed aggregates but not any network structure in the blend of the same composition but of the negative deviation. In conclusion, we showed that HA/PVAs blend system may have diverse morphology as well as very broad spectrum of rheological properties, and could suggest that the rheology and morphology of HA/PVAs blends can be designed not only by controlling composition but also by controlling thermal and deformation history of the components.     

A multi-fluid nonrandom lattice fluid model: General derivation and application to pure fluids

A multi-fluid nonrandom lattice fluid model with no temperature dependence of close packed volumes of a mer, segment numbers and energy parameters of pure systems is presented. The multi-fluid nonrandom lattice fluid (MF-NLF) model with the local composition concept was capable of describing properties for complex systems. However, the MF-NLF model has strong temperature dependence of energy parameters and segment numbers of pure systems; thus empirical correlations as functions of temperature were represented for reliable and convenient use in engineering practices. The MF-NLF model without temperature dependence of pure parameters could not predict thermodynamic properties accurately. It was found that the present model with three parameters describes quantitatively the vapor pressure and the saturated density for the pure fluid.     

Preparation and characterization of maleic anhydride‐g‐polypropylene/diamine‐modified clay nanocomposites

Polypropylene (PP)/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposites were prepared by compounding maleic anhydride‐g‐polypropylene (MAPP) with MMT modified with α,ω‐diaminododecane. Structural characterization confirmed the formation of characteristic amide linkages and the intercalation of MAPP between the silicate layers. In particular, X‐ray diffraction patterns of the modified clay and MAPP/MMT composites showed 001 basal spacing enlargement as much as 1.49 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the thermal decomposition of the composite took place at a slightly higher temperature than that of MAPP. The heat of fusion of the MAPP phase decreased, indicating that the crystallization of MAPP was suppressed by the clay layers. PP/MAPP/MMT composites showed a 20–35% higher tensile modulus and tensile strength compared to those corresponding to PP/MAPP. However, the elongation at break decreased drastically, even when the content of MMT was as low as 1.25–5 wt %. The relatively short chain length and loop structure of MAPP bound to the clay layers made the penetration of MAPP molecules into the PP homopolymer phase implausible and is thought to be responsible for the decreased elongation at break. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 307–311, 2005     

Sensorless control for hysteresis compensation of AFM scanner by modified Rayleigh model

A novel modified Rayleigh model was developed for compensating hysteresis problem of an atomic force microscope (AFM) scanner. In high driving fields, piezoelectric actuators that integrated a scanner have severe hysteresis, which can cause serious displacement errors. Piezoelectric hysteresis is from various origins including movement of defects, grain boundary effects, and displacement of interfaces. Furthermore, because its characteristic is stochastic, it is almost impossible to predict the piezoelectric hysteresis analytically. Therefore, it was predicted phenomenologically, which means that the relationship between inputs and outputs is formulated. The typical phenomenological approach is the Rayleigh model. However, the model has the discrepancy with experiment result as the fields increase. To overcome the demerit of the Rayleigh model, a modified Rayleigh model was proposed. In the modified Rayleigh model, each coefficient should be defined differently according to the field direction due to the increase of the asymmetry in the high fields. By applying an inverse form of this modified Rayleigh model to an AFM scanner, it is proved that hysteresis can be compensated to a position error of less than 5%. This model has the merits of reducing complicated fitting procedures and saving computation time compared with the Preisach model.     

Induced Defensive Response of Myrtle Oak to Foliar Insect Herbivory in Ambient and Elevated Co2

The rising level of atmospheric CO2 has stimulated several recent studies attempting to predict the effects of increased CO2 on ecological communities. However, most of these studies have been conducted in the benign conditions of the laboratory and in the absence of herbivores. In the current study, we utilized large octagonal chambers, which enclosed portions of an intact scrub-oak community to investigate the interactive effects of CO2 and insect herbivory on myrtle oak, Quercus myrtifolia. Specifically, we assessed the effects of ambient and elevated CO2 (2x current concentrations) on percent foliar nitrogen, C:N ratio, total relative foliar tannin content, and the presence of leaf damage caused by leaf mining and leaf chewing insects that feed on myrtle oak. Total foliar N declined and C:N ratios increased significantly in oaks in elevated CO2 chambers. The percentages of leaves damaged by either leafminers or leaf chewers tended to be lower in elevated compared to ambient chambers, but they co-occurred on leaves less than expected, regardless of CO2 treatment. Leaves that had been either mined or chewed exhibited a similar wounding or defensive response; they had an average of 25 and 21% higher protein binding ability, which is correlated with tannin concentration, compared to nondamaged control leaves, respectively. While the protein-binding ability (expressed as total percent tannin) of leaves from elevated CO2 was slightly higher than from leaves grown in ambient chambers, this difference was not significant.     

Synthesis and applications of unsaturated polyester resins based on PET waste

Three types of unsaturated polyester resins were synthesized from the glycolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic waste, considering environment, cost and properties for their applications. These synthesized unsaturated polyester resins could be used for various construction processes and materials such as no dig pipelining (NDR-1), pultrusion (PLR-1) and polymer concrete (PCR-1). PET was taken from common soft-drink bottles, and ethylene glycol (EG), diethylene glycol (DEG) and MPdiol glycol mixtures were used for the depolymerization at molar ratios. The glycolyzed PET 1 ^st products (oligomers) were reacted with maleic anhydride, phthalic anhydride and dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) (especially for polymer concrete) to form unsaturated polyester resins with mixed styrene. The lab scale (1–5 kg) and pilot plant scale-up tests (200 kg) were experimented to evaluate the processing characteristics, viscosity, acid number and curing behaviors. The main properties such as hardness, flexural strength, tensile strength, heat distortion temperature, elongation, and chemical resistance were determined based on the various uses of the three resins. Furthermore, the applicability and the properties of these developed resins were verified through many real application tests.