A novel approach for dynamic hand gesture recognition using contour-based similarity images

A novel approach is proposed for the recognition of moving hand gestures based on the representation of hand motions as contour-based similarity images (CBSIs). The CBSI was constructed by calculating the similarity between hand contours in different frames. The input CBSI was then matched with CBSIs in the database to recognize the hand gesture. The proposed continuous hand gesture recognition algorithm can simultaneously divide the continuous gestures into disjointed gestures and recognize them. No restrictive assumptions were considered for the motion of the hand between the disjointed gestures. The proposed algorithm was tested using hand gestures from American Sign Language and the results showed a recognition rate of 91.3% for disjointed gestures and 90.4% for continuous gestures. The experimental results illustrate the efficiency of the algorithm for noisy videos.     

Permanent magnet configuration in design of an eddy current damper

This paper discusses the design of an eddy current passive damper using different configurations of permanent magnets. Motional eddy current damping effect is used for the development of a passive damper. Eddy currents are generated in a conductor in a time-varying magnetic field. They are induced either by movement of the conductor in a static field or by changing the strength of the magnetic field, initiating motional and transformer electromotive forces, respectively. The conceived eddy current damper consists of a conductor as an outer tube, and an array of axially magnetized, ring-shaped permanent magnets (PMs), separated by iron pole pieces as a mover. The relative movement of the magnets and the conductor causes the conductor to undergo motional eddy currents. Using this concept, damping characteristics of the new damper is obtained through analytical modeling, and verified by experimental analysis. The optimum PMs’ size and configuration are also derived using analytical and finite element analysis, respectively. A damping coefficient as high as 53 kg/s is achievable with the proposed design specifications.     

A novel forensic image analysis tool for discovering double JPEG compression clues

This paper presents a novel technique to discover double JPEG compression traces. Existing detectors only operate in a scenario that the image under investigation is explicitly available in JPEG format. Consequently, if quantization information of JPEG files is unknown, their performance dramatically degrades. Our method addresses both forensic scenarios which results in a fresh perceptual detection pipeline. We suggest a dimensionality reduction algorithm to visualize behaviors of a big database including various single and double compressed images. Based on intuitions of visualization, three bottom-up, top-down and combined top-down/bottom-up learning strategies are proposed. Our tool discriminates single compressed images from double counterparts, estimates the first quantization in double compression, and localizes tampered regions in a forgery examination. Extensive experiments on three databases demonstrate results are robust among different quality levels. F ₁-measure improvement to the best state-of-the-art approach reaches up to 26.32 %. An implementation of algorithms is available upon request to fellows.     

Development of a novel type of microrobot for biomedical application

This paper proposes a new type of microrobot that can move along a narrow area such as blood vessels which has great potential for application in microsurgery. Also, the development of a wireless microrobot that can be manipulated inside a pipe by adjusting an external magnetic field has been discussed. The model microrobot utilizes an electromagnetic actuator as the servo actuator to realize movement in biomedical applications. The structure, motion mechanism, and evaluation characteristic of motion of the microrobot have been discussed, and the directional control can be realized via the frequency of the input current. The moving experiments have been carried out in branching points in the horizontal direction, and the moving speed of the robot has been measured in vertical direction by changing frequency. Based on the results, the microrobot has a rapid response, and it can clear out dirt which is adhering to the inner wall of pipe. This microrobot will play an important role in both industrial and medical applications such as microsurgery.     

Nonlinear controller design for a magnetic levitation device

Various applications of micro-robotic technology suggest the use of new actuator systems which allow motions to be realized with micrometer accuracy. Conventional actuation techniques such as hydraulic or pneumatic systems are no longer capable of fulfilling the demands of hi-tech micro-scale areas such as miniaturized biomedical devices and MEMS production equipment. These applications pose significantly different problems from actuation on a large scale. In particular, large scale manipulation systems typically deal with sizable friction, whereas micro manipulation systems must minimize friction to achieve submicron precision and avoid generation of static electric fields. Recently, the magnetic levitation technique has been shown to be a feasible actuation method for micro-scale applications. In this paper, a magnetic levitation device is recalled from the authors’ previous work and a control approach is presented to achieve precise motion control of a magnetically levitated object with sub-micron positioning accuracy. The stability of the controller is discussed through the Lyapunov method. Experiments are conducted and showed that the proposed control technique is capable of performing a positioning operation with rms accuracy of 16 μm over a travel range of 30 mm. The nonlinear control strategy proposed in this paper showed a significant improvement in comparison with the conventional control strategies for large gap magnetic levitation systems.     

On the influence of rolling path change on static recrystallization behavior of commercial purity aluminum

An examination of the influence of rolling path change on the static recrystallization behavior of commercial purity aluminum was performed in the present work. Aluminum strips were cold rolled to a reduction of 50 % under various rolling sequences, i.e. single-pass, double-pass from one direction and with reverse directions, and were then annealed in 290 °C for different durations, while mechanical evaluations such as hardness and tensile tests were used to study the mechanical response of cold deformed and annealed samples. It was indicated that a variation in the recrystallization kinetics of the cold rolled aluminum strips takes place when the rolling path is altered from single to double-pass, and from forward to reverse directions. To express the obtained results and provide a more profound understanding of the flow behavior of rolling samples during deformation processing, combined finite element-dislocation models were taken into account, which were capable of predicting the deformation behavior of the aluminum strips and its consequence on the dislocation structure of the deformed metal. Using the proposed mathematical models, it was found that changing the rolling direction and/or sequence may result in the variation of strain field and dislocation density during cold rolling process, consequently affecting the subsequent restoration phenomena.     

Modular Soft Robotic Actuators from Flexible Perforated Sheets

Soft robotic actuators can be designed to achieve complex and tailored motions while simultaneously leveraging their compliance to interact with complex and often delicate environments. Mechanical metamaterials reveal a route to customizable deformations, force exertion, and mechanical energy efficiency attainable by careful arrangement of local geometric features. Herein, modular soft robotic actuators are developed from soft elastomers and flexible thermoplastic sheets of various unit cell designs. The efforts are focused on center-symmetric perforated sheets, which are formed into flexible cylindrical skins that surround the soft inflatable actuators. The results demonstrate the influence of perforation geometry on the spatial stiffness of the reinforcement structure and the proposed actuators’ response through several investigations. It is demonstrated that the free-boundary displacement, maximal force exertion, and mechanical energy efficiency of extensile actuators are dependent on a change of deformation mode in the mesostructure. The spatial stiffness concept is extended to develop soft robotic actuators that can bend, twist, and perform hybrid motions, such as simultaneous bending and twisting. Multisegment soft robotic arms are also developed from the aforementioned actuators. Investigations in this study provide a step toward the development of highly customizable and programmable soft robotic actuators for various applications.