Development of Arm Equipped Single Wheel Rover: Effective Arm-Posture-Based Steering Method

We have been proposing a new planetary rover system named SMC Rover. This system consists of one main body and detachable units, which can work as child rovers, and also become driving units of the main body. Each detachable unit named Uni-Rover consists of a single manipulator mounted on a wheel. Prototype models of the Uni-Rover and the SMC Rover have been already developed. This paper describes a new method of trajectory modeling for the Uni-Rover using the relation between arm posture and turning radius. At first, an intuitively recognizable model which uses zero slip angle is introduced. However, because this intuitive model has some problems, a new solution which considers the loss of friction on the wheel and on the caster is also discussed. The validity of the presented method is verified by experiments with an actual mechanical model. Moreover, an effective steering method which considers the margin of the energy stability is introduced.Kazuhiro Motomura is a Ph.D candidate at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech). In 2001 he was admitted to skip the fourth grade of the bachelor course in the Department of Mechano-Aerospace engineering at Tokyo Tech to enterthe master course in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the same Institute. He received the B.E. degree in National Institution for Academic Degrees an University Evaluation in 2002, and received the M.E. degree in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Tokyo Tech in 2003. He has been a research fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science from 2004. He awarded the Incentive Award for the presentation in the 17th RSJ Annual Conference in 2001, and the Finalists for the Best Video Award in the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in 2003. His research interests include design of robotic mechanisms and control of mobile robots. He studies about the development of planetary rovers.Atsushi Kawakami awarded the chance to skip fourth gradein the bachelor course of Department of Mechano-Aerospace engineering in Tokyo Institute of Technology, and entered the master course in 1997. He received the M.E. and Dr. E. degrees in Department of Mechanical Engineering Science in Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1999 and 2003, respectively. From 2003, he is a post-doctoral researcher. His research interest is in design of robotic mechanisms. He studies about the development of planetary rover. He awarded the Incentive Award for the presentation in the 17th RSJ Annual Conference in 2001, and the Finalists for the Best Video Award in the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in 2003. He also acts as an organizer and lecturerin several hands on robots competitions that aim at the promotion and education for the beginners.Shigeo Hirose was born in Tokyo in 1947. He received the B. E. degree with first class honors in Mechanical Engineering from Yokohama National University in 1971, and the M. E. and Dr. E. degrees in Control Engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1973 and 1976, respectively. From 1976 to 1979 he was a Research Associate, from 1979 to 1992 an Associate Professor and since 1992 he has been a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He is the Fellow of both IEEE and Japanese Society of Mechanical Engineers. His research interest is in design of novel robotic mechanisms and its control. He awarded more than 30 prizes from academic societies; these include the first Pioneer in Robotics and Automation Award in 1999 and Best Conference Paper Award in 1995 both from IEEE Robotics & Automation Society. Prof. Hirose has published more than 200 academic papers as well as several books, including Snake Inspired Robots (Kogyo-chosakai Publishing Co. Ltd, 1987, in Japanese), Robotics (Shokabo Publishing Co. Ltd., 1987, in Japanese), and Biologically Inspired Robots (Oxford University Press,1993).     

Effects of calcining conditions of kaolinite on pore structures of mesoporous materials prepared by the selective leaching of calcined kaolinite

This paper describes the effects of calcining conditions of kaolinite on pore structures of the porous materials obtained from the selective leaching of calcined kaolinite using KOH solution. Mesoporous -Al₂O₃ was the predominant crystalline phase in the samples calcined in the temperature range between 950°C and 1050°C for 24 h. The mean specific surface area of these samples was approximately 250 m² · g^–1 and the mean total pore volume was approximately 0.8 ml · g^–1. The pore size distribution curves of these samples showed a sharp peak at around 2–3 nm pore radius. This peak was sharper for the sample calcined at 1000°C for 24 h. On the other hand, the pore sizes of the sample calcined at 1100°C for 24 h increased abruptly to 10–20 nm and this change corresponded to the formation of mullite in the sample. The pore sizes of the samples calcined at 1100°C varied with calcining time. The specific surface area and total pore volume decreased, the longer the calcining time of the samples, and this was correlated with an increase in the amount of mullite in the samples.     

Cytokine Networks in the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic systemic inflammation causing progressive joint damage that can lead to lifelong disability. The pathogenesis of RA involves a complex network of various cytokines and cells that trigger synovial cell proliferation and cause damage to both cartilage and bone. Involvement of the cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 is central to the pathogenesis of RA, but recent research has revealed that other cytokines such as IL-7, IL-17, IL-21, IL-23, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), IL-1β, IL-18, IL-33, and IL-2 also play a role. Clarification of RA pathology has led to the development of therapeutic agents such as biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, and further details of the immunological background to RA are emerging. This review covers existing knowledge regarding the roles of cytokines, related immune cells and the immune system in RA, manipulation of which may offer the potential for even safer and more effective treatments in the future.     

Trend of permanent magnet synchronous machines

The performance of permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) has improved rapidly by the progress in elemental technologies such as electromagnetic material technology, computer‐aided design technology, control technique, and drive circuit technology, and thus PMSMs are attractive as high‐performance machines in various fields. This paper describes the recent technology and the trends in PMSMs. To begin with the PMSMs are classified by the ratio of magnet torque to the reluctance torque and their features described, then the trend of the motor design and the electromagnetic material for highly efficient PMSM is shown. The technologies that help to reduce the vibration and noise are also described, and the recently developed PMSMs for traction drive application are introduced. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

2 Gb/s 15 pJ/b/chip Inductive-Coupling Programmable Bus for NAND Flash Memory Stacking

An inductive-coupling programmable bus for NAND flash memory access in solid state drive (SSD) is presented. Compared to the conventional SSD, this wireless interface using relayed transmission reduces power consumption to 1/2, I/O circuit-layout area to 1/40, and achieves a data rate of 2 Gb/s in 0.18 ?m CMOS process. In addition, since this wireless interface enables one package to contain 64 chips, the number of packages is reduced to 1/8.     

PBPAF／PBPA共混物相容性的研究

研究了双酚ＡＦ基聚合物和双酚Ａ基聚合物的共混相容性。通过用ＤＳＣ，ＴＭＡ测定单一聚合物和共混物的玻璃化温度来判别它们的相容性．结果表明，两种聚合物在部分组成比时有一定的相容性。     

Focus on Extracellular Vesicles: Development of Extracellular Vesicle-Based Therapeutic Systems

Many types of cells release phospholipid membrane vesicles thought to play key roles in cell-cell communication, antigen presentation, and the spread of infectious agents. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) carry various proteins, messenger RNAs (mRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs), like a “message in a bottle” to cells in remote locations. The encapsulated molecules are protected from multiple types of degradative enzymes in body fluids, making EVs ideal for delivering drugs. This review presents an overview of the potential roles of EVs as natural drugs and novel drug-delivery systems.     

A Graph‐based Approach to Continuous Line Illustrations with Variable Levels of Detail

This paper introduces a method for automatically generating continuous line illustrations, drawings consisting of a single line, from a given input image. Our approach begins by inferring a graph from a set of edges extracted from the image in question and obtaining a path that traverses through all edges of the said graph. The resulting path is then subjected to a series of post‐processing operations to transform it into a continuous line drawing. Moreover, our approach allows us to manipulate the amount of detail portrayed in our line illustrations, which is particularly useful for simplifying the overall illustration while still retaining its most significant features. We also present several experimental results to demonstrate that our approach can automatically synthesize continuous line illustrations comparable to those of some contemporary artists.     

Development of a stable localized visual inspection system for underwater structures

To avert potential crisis from Japan’s aging infrastructure and declining birth rate, the Japanese Government is planning to introduce robotic technology for the inspection of social infrastructure (such as pipes, dams, and bridges). Recording underwater positions is a difficult task for human divers who undertake conventional dam inspections. This study presents the Anchor Diver 5.2 system for efficient and effectual dam inspection. Anchor Diver 5.2 is based on an extended-tether-maneuvered remotely operated vehicle (ROV) equipped with cameras. The ROV is lowered into water by a hoist system from a boat and implements a visual survey of the concrete underwater structure. To improve the visibility of the ROV in murky and cloudy water, a novel concept named Water Loupe is proposed. In addition, a simple boat-fixing method is proposed to provide a stable base on the water surface, and the underwater position of the ROV, which cannot be accessed by global positioning systems, is recorded using a feasible localization method. Finally, the developed system was evaluated in field experiments conducted in the Amagase Dam, Japan, and its merits and problems are discussed.