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.     

Leakage current in a Si-based nanopore structure and its influence on noise characteristics

We have measured leakage current in a silicon substrate-based nanopore membrane device immersed in an aqueous environment which typically shows the current level of few nA. This current level is compared with the measured current density (400 nA/cm² at 1 V) from the pristine Si wafer (p-type, 10¹⁶/cm³ boron doping) indicating that the exposed Si surface in a nanopore membrane device acts as an electrochemical reaction site. The leakage current is drastically reduced from >10 nA to <100 pA at 1 V by the deposition of a dielectric layer to the Si-based nanopore membrane device. We also noted that the root-mean-square noise of the ionic current is also reduced from 38 to 28 pA in correlation with the reduction of leakage current, indicating that electrochemical reaction provides one of the major sources of noise.     

Conceptual and basic designs of the Mobile Harbor crane based on topology and shape optimization

The Mobile Harbor (MH) has been recently proposed as a novel maritime cargo transfer system that can move to a container ship anchored in the deep sea and handle containers directly at sea with the aid of a stabilized MH crane. Because this system operates under at-sea conditions, the MH crane must be designed to support an inertia load and wind force, as well as its self-weight. The wave-induced motions of the MH, e.g. rolling, pitching, and heaving, generate a significant amount of inertia load, which has not been considered in the design of conventional quayside cranes installed on stable ground. Wind force is also a critical design factor due to the higher wind velocity in the open sea. In addition to the aforementioned structural rigidity, mass minimization is also important in the structural design of MH cranes because it reduces the overturning moment and therefore enhances ship stability. In this paper, the sensitivities of the design-dependent loads (i.e. self-weight, inertia load, and wind force) are derived with respect to the design variables, and then a topology optimization is conducted with the derived sensitivities in order to obtain a conceptual design. Then, the conceptual design is elaborated into a three-dimensional basic design through shape optimization with design regulations for offshore cranes. Through the integrated design process with the topology and shape optimizations, a conceptual and basic design is successfully obtained for the MH crane.     

Authentification and identification — Taking the user into account

Username/Password is still the prevailing authentication mechanism for internet based services — but it is not secure! We show how new authentication and identification mechanisms focused on usability and security can change this.     

Efficient verifiably encrypted signatures from lattices

Verifiably encrypted signature schemes can convince a verifier that a given ciphertext is an encryption of an ordinary signature on a given message and the ordinary signature can be recovered by the third party, called adjudicator. In 2010, Rückert et al. proposed a general construction for the verifiably encrypted signatures, and then, they also showed that there exist the lattice-based verifiably encrypted signature schemes. Their constructions are very insightful, but their schemes need an extra adjudication setup phase and Merkle trees, so they have large parameters and keys, that is, they are inefficient. Also, their schemes provide only the limited signature capacity because the signing keys should be reissued after generating \(k\) th verifiably encrypted signatures. To overcome the weaknesses of Rückert et al.’s scheme, we construct a verifiably encrypted signature scheme based on the hard lattice problems. Our scheme provides the full functionality, i.e., the signatures can be generated without any limitations and does not need any extra adjudication setup phases. Moreover, the size of the secret keys in our scheme is constant. Our scheme provides unforgeability, opacity, extractability, and abuse-freeness in the random oracle model.     

Coronary heart disease optimization system on adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system and linear discriminant analysis (ANFIS–LDA)

Coronary heart disease is a great concern in the field of healthcare, and one of the main causes of death across the world. In the USA, as in Europe, it is responsible for the highest mortality rate. Although the risk of coronary heart disease has been recognized, few studies have been conducted on this topic. On the other hand, computer science has become an important part of our lives. The use of medicine and medical science-related artificial intelligence facilitating the diagnosis and analysis of diseases and health problems is attracting considerable attention. The present study focuses on the determination of the optimum method for using artificial intelligence in a clinical decision support system in order to provide a solution and diagnosis regarding the research and medical issues related to the application of such a system. In the present study, we have developed a prediction model capable of the risk assessment of coronary heart disease by optimizing an adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) on the basis of the dataset of Korean National Health and Nutrition Examinations Survey V. The ANFIS–LDA method, which is optimized using a hybrid method, exhibits a high prediction rate of 80.2 % and is more efficient and effective than the existing methods. We expect that our study to contribute to the prevention of coronary heart disease.     

Synthesis of mesoporous alumina by using a cost-effective template

A salt of stearic acid, i.e., magnesium stearate [(C₁₇H₃₅COO)₂Mg], can be used as a chemical template for the formation of mesoporous alumina, and is a less expensive reagent than stearic acid. Mesoporous alumina prepared using this cost-effective surfactant shows similar pore properties with respect to pore size (3.5 nm) and surface area (above 300 m²Vg) to that prepared using stearic acid. In addition, textural porosity, arising from non-crystalline intraaggregate voids and spaces, was effectively removed by the addition of magnesium nitrate. The entire transformation from aluminum hydroxide to active alumina was performed at 550 °C, and the crystallinity of the product was confirmed by powder XRD analysis.²⁷A1 MAS NMR result shows the phase of mesoporous alumina is the γ-alumina form.     

Gas permeation of polymer blends. III. Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/chlorinated polyethylene (CPE)

The permeability P, diffusivity D, and activation energy for diffusion, E_D, of He, O₂, N₂, and CO₂ were determined for blends of PVC/chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), where the chlorine content of the CPE components varied: 36 wt-% for CPE-1, 42 wt-% for CPE-2, and 48 wt-% for CPE-3. The difference in thermal expansion coefficients Δα above and below the glass transition temperature T_g of the polymers and the fractional free volume V_g of the polymers at their T_g were determined. Density and crystallinity measurements for the blends were also carried out as in the earlier work (Shur and Rånby, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 19 , 1337 (1975)). Dynamic mechanical measurements of the blends were made using a torsion pendulum at about 1 Hz. P and D decreased, but E_D increased with increasing CI content of CPE in the blends. P and D for the blends showed no additivity. The permeability indicated phase inversion for blend compositions at about 10% of CPE-1 and CPD-2 by weight. The experimental and the calculated densities were largely the same for PVC/CPE-1 blends; but for PVC/CPE-2 and PVC/CPE-3 blends, the experimental values were higher than the calculated ones. The Δα and V_g values for PVC and the three CPE samples decreased with increasing CI content in the polymers. Dynamic mechanical measurements indicate that PVC/CPE-1 and PVC/CPE-2 blends form largely incompatible blends, while PVC/CPE-3 blends are compatible to some extent. There is some weak interaction between PVC and CPE-3 giving a low level of compatibility. The solubility of gases obtained from time-lag measurements of diffusion for 50/50 blends decreased for He, O₂, and N₂, but increased for CO₂ with increasing Cl content in CPE. The solubility of He, O₂ and N₂ shows a positive correlation with the Lennard-Jones force constant ?/k. However, a deviation from the linear relation between ?/k and In S was observed for CO₂ and the deviation became larger with increasing Cl content in CPE. The abnormally high solubility of CO₂ is probably due to the high polarizability of this gas. The heat of solution ΔH_s indicates that for He the sorption process may be a molecular slip process (endothermic), but for other gases the sorption may proceed by a dissolution process (exothermic). There is a large difference between the calculated solubility for the blends assuming incompatibility and the experimental values from time-lag measurements. This may partly be due to the uncertainty of sorption values obtained from the time-lag method and/or partly to changes of sorption modes by interaction between PVC and CPE in the blends. The resulting transport behavior of the blends is discussed on the basis of the free volume concept and of phase–phase interaction in the blends.     

A new CVD reactor for semiconductor film deposition

The concept and design of a new chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor is presented for both epitaxial and nonepitaxial film deposition in semiconductor processing. The reactor is designed in such a way that a stagnant semiconductor source fluid of uniform concentration is provided for the film deposition without causing free or forced convection. The supply of the source gas for the deposition is by diffusion through a porous material such as quartz or graphite. Compared to the low pressure CVD (LPCVD) reactor with mounted wafer configuration, the new reactor should give a better film thickness uniformity and about an order of magnitude reduction in the amount of the source gas required. Further, at least for polycrystalline silicon deposition, the deposition rate can be much higher than is currently practiced with the LPCVD reactor. Design equations for the reactor are given. Details on the design for the polycrystalline silicon deposition are also given.