The electronic structures of fluorinated polyacetylenes. A design of new organic polymer alternatives to polyacetylene

The electronic structures of polyfluoroacetylene and polydifluoroacetylene are discussed on the basis of the tight-binding LCAO-SCF-MO calculations under the CNDO/2 approximations. A method of preparation of these polymers is also proposed. If they can be successfully prepared, they will be promising candidates for new electric conducting materials as alternatives to polyacetylene.     

Polynucleotides. XLV Synthesis and properties of poly(2'-azido-2'-deoxyinosinic acid)

Poly (2'-azido-2'-deoxyinosinic acid), [poly (Iz)], was synthesized from 2'-azido-2'-deoxyinosine diphosphate by the action of polynucleotide phosphorylase. Poly (Iz) has UV absorption properties similar to poly (I) and hypochromicity of 11% at 0.15M Na+ and neutrality. In solutions of high Na+ ion concentration, poly (Iz) forms a multi-stranded complex and its Tm at 1.0M Na+ ion concentration was 43 degrees. Upon mixing with poly (C), poly (Iz) forms a 1:1 complex having a Tm lower than that of poly (I)-poly (C) complex in the same conditions. The effect of substitution at the 2'-position of the poly (I) strand was discussed in relation to the interferon-inducing activity.     

Accurate and efficient RTL power estimation based on power contour model

This paper proposes a new RTL power estimation method based on a power contour model. The model achieves accurate and efficient power estimation. The experimental results show that the maximum error is reduced by 56.19% and the RMS error is also reduced by 3.41% compared to the conventional table‐based RTL power estimation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 182(3): 48–56, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22340     

Deformation characteristics of ultra-thin liquid film considering temperature and film thickness dependence of surface tension

Thermocapillary deformations of an ultra-thin liquid film caused by temperature distribution were three-dimensionally analyzed using the unsteady and linearized long wave equation considering the temperature and film thickness dependence of surface tension. The temperature and film thickness dependence equation for the surface tension of a liquid was firstly established. The temperature dependence of the surface tension was obtained experimentally using a surface tensiometer and the film thickness dependence was obtained theoretically from the corrected van der Waals pressure equation for a symmetric multilayer system. Time evolutions of depression and groove of the ultra-thin liquid film caused by local heating were obtained quantitatively.     

System for augmented human–robot interaction through mixed reality and robot training by non-experts in customer service environments

Human–robot interaction during general service tasks in home or retail environment has been proven challenging, partly because (1) robots lack high-level context-based cognition and (2) humans cannot intuit the perception state of robots as they can for other humans. To solve these two problems, we present a complete robot system that has been given the highest evaluation score at the Customer Interaction Task of the Future Convenience Store Challenge at the World Robot Summit 2018, which implements several key technologies: (1) a hierarchical spatial concepts formation for general robot task planning and (2) a mixed reality interface to enable users to intuitively visualize the current state of the robot perception and naturally interact with it. The results obtained during the competition indicate that the proposed system allows both non-expert operators and end users to achieve human–robot interactions in customer service environments. Furthermore, we describe a detailed scenario including employee operation and customer interaction which serves as a set of requirements for service robots and a road map for development. The system integration and task scenario described in this paper should be helpful for groups facing customer interaction challenges and looking for a successfully deployed base to build on.     

Discharge properties and chemical stability of SrZrO films

Abstract— MgO thin film is currently used as a surface protective layer for dielectric materials because MgO has a high resistance during ion sputtering and exhibits effective secondary electron emission. The secondary‐electron‐emission coefficient γ of MgO is high for Ne ions; however, it is low for Xe ions. The Xe content of the discharge gas of PDPs needs to be raised in order to increase the luminous efficiency. Thus, the development of high‐γ materials replacing MgO is required. The discharge properties and chemical surface stability of SrO containing Zr (SrZrO) as the candidate high‐γ protective layer for noble PDPs have been characterized. SrZrO films have superior chemical stability, especially the resistance to carbonation because of the existence of a few adsorption sites due to their amorphous structure. The firing voltage is 60 V lower than that of MgO films for a discharge gas of Ne/Xe = 85/15 at 60 kPa.     

Development and field test of the articulated mobile robot T2 Snake-4 for plant disaster prevention

Abstract

In this work, we develop an articulated mobile robot that can move in narrow spaces, climb stairs, gather information, and operate valves for plant disaster prevention. The robot can adopt a tall position using a folding arm and gather information using sensors mounted on the arm. In addition, this paper presents a stair climbing method using a single backward wave. This method enables the robot to climb stairs that have a short tread. The developed robot system is tested in a field test at the World Robot Summit 2018, and the lessons learned in the field test are discussed.     

Hand shape classification in various pronation angles using a wearable wrist contour sensor

Hand gestures are potentially useful for communications between humans and between a human and a machine. However, existing methods entail several problems for practical use. We have proposed an approach to hand shape recognition based on wrist contour measurement. Especially in this paper, two assignments are addressed. First is the development of a new sensing device in which all elements are installed in a wrist-watch-type device. Second is the development of a new hand shape classifier that can accommodate pronation angle changes. The developed sensing device enables wrist contour data collection under conditions in which the pronation angle varies. The classifier recognizes the hand shape based on statistics produced through data forming and statistics conversion processes. The most important result is that no large difference exists between classification rates that include or those that exclude the independent (preliminary) pronation estimation process using inertia measurement units. This result shows two possible insights: (1) the wrist contour has some features that depend on the hand shape but which do not depend on the pronation angle, or (2) the wrist contour potentially includes pronation angle variation information. These insights indicate the possibility that hand shape can be recognized solely from the wrist contour, even while changing the pronation angle.     

Dynamic flying characteristics of an air bearing slider over a disk with grooves and distribution of material properties

Bit-patterned media (BPM) consisting of land parts for read/writing and grooves, which are almost filled with non-magnetic materials to prevent magnetic interference between recording bits, are considered to be promising media for achieving ultrahigh density recording. A flying head slider flying over a BPM disk suffers from variations in both the spacing and van der Waals (vdW) attractive forces, which induce slider vibrations and spacing fluctuations. In the present study, we considered that BPM disks not only have a groove depth distribution, but that they also have a distribution of material properties (e.g., refractive index), which gives rise to a distribution in the vdW force. In the dynamic responses of sliders with small groove depths and a small variation in the refractive index, spacing fluctuations are found to be a superposition of fluctuations due to slider behaviors (1) over a disk with transverse grooves in a uniform material with a uniform refractive index (Case 1) and (2) over a flat disk with a refractive index distribution (Case 2). When the effects of Cases 1 and 2 cancel each other, the spacing fluctuations for the two cases cancel each other, reducing the total spacing fluctuation.