Haptic Cooperative Virtual Workspace: Architecture and evaluation

The Haptic Cooperative Virtual Workspace (HCVW), where users can simultaneously manipulate and haptically feel the same object, is beneficial and in some cases indispensable for training a team of surgeons, or in application areas in telerobotics and entertainment. In this paper we propose an architecture for the haptic cooperative workspace where the participants can kinesthetically interact, feel and push each other simultaneously while moving in the simulation. This involves the ability to manipulate the same virtual object at the same time. A set of experiments carried out to investigate the haptic cooperative workspace is reported. A new approach to quantitatively evaluate the cooperative haptic system is proposed, which can be extended to evaluate haptic systems in general.     

VLSI parallel architecture for Kalman filterAn algorithm specific approach

An algorithm specific architecture for Kalman filter is presented. It is based on systolic arrays. Parallelism has been exploited on both algorithm and architecture levels. Faddeev's algorithm has been employed. The involved computation tasks, triangularization and nullification are performed in parallel which leads to a speedup of about 40%. Throughput has been increased by using bi-trapezoidal arrays. Techniques have been employed for data storage and skewing which enables fast data transfer rates. A VLSI implementation of a prototype of matrix of size 4×4 has been discussed.     

High-Efficiency Angled-Dipole Antennas for Millimeter-Wave Phased Array Applications

A high-efficiency microstrip-fed endfire angled-dipole antenna has been developed for millimeter-wave phased array applications. The antenna is built on both sides of a Teflon substrate (epsiv_r = 2.2) and this allows a wideband feed from the single-ended microstrip line to the differential dipole. The design results in wide radiation patterns for scanning purposes with a gain of around 2.5 dB at 20-26 GHz and a cross-polarization level of < -15 dB at 24 GHz. A mutual coupling of < -23 dB is measured between adjacent elements with 6.8 mm center-to center spacing (0.50-0.54 lambda₀ at 22-24 GHz). A variant of the angled-dipole antenna with a magnetic ground plane edge was also developed, and shows a measured gain of > 6 dB at 23.2-24.6 GHz and very low mutual coupling between elements (<-23 dB for a 6.8 mm spacing). Both antennas result in a radiation efficiency of > 93% when referenced to the microstrip line feed (including mismatch loss). The usefulness of these antennas as phased array radiators is demonstrated by several eight-element linear arrays at 22-24 GHz with scan angle up to 50 degrees. The application areas are in automotive radars and high data-rate communication systems.     

Virtual reality systems enhance students’ achievements in engineering education

ABSTRACT

Virtual reality (VR) is being used for many applications, ranging from medicine to space and from entertainment to training. In this research paper, VR is applied in engineering education, the scope being to compare three major VR systems with the traditional education approach when we do not use any VR system (No-VR). The Corner Cave System (CCS) is compared with the Head Mounted Display (HMD) system. Both of these systems are using a tracking system to reflect the user movements in the virtual environment. The CCS uses only three coordinates: x-, y- and z-axis. The HMD system has six degrees of freedom, the x-, y- and z-axis, as well as the roll, pitch and yaw. Those two systems are also compared with HMD, as a standalone device (HMD-SA) without the tracking system where it has only roll, pitch and yaw. The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of VR systems on the students’ achievements in engineering colleges. The research examined the effect of the four different methods and compared the scores of the students after each test. The experiments were ran over 48 students. Those systems show incredible results.     

Patient monitoring at home using 32-channel cost-effective data acquisition device

Purpose

The objective of this work is to design, implement and introduce the application of 32-channel system in the biomedical field. The main aim is to introduce the system application at homes in a domestic scale.

VLSI parallel architecture for Kalman filterAn algorithm specific approach

An algorithm specific architecture for Kalman filter is presented. It is based on systolic arrays. Parallelism has been exploited on both algorithm and architecture levels. Faddeev's algorithm has been employed. The involved computation tasks, triangularization and nullification are performed in parallel which leads to a speedup of about 40%. Throughput has been increased by using bi-trapezoidal arrays. Techniques have been employed for data storage and skewing which enables fast data transfer rates. A VLSI implementation of a prototype of matrix of size 4×4 has been discussed.     

Mixed-Mode Programmable and Scalable Architecture for On-Chip Learning

Typical analog VLSI architectures for on-chip learning are limited in functionality, and scale poorly under variable problem size. We present a scalable hybrid analog-digital architecture for backpropagation learning in multilayer feedforward neural networks, which integrates the flexible functionality and programmability of digital control functions with the efficiency of analog parallel neural computation. The architecture is fully scalable, both in the parallel analog functions of forward and backward signal propagation through synaptic and neural functional units (SynMod and NeuMod), and in the global and local digital functions controlling recall, learning, initialization, monitoring and built-in test. The architecture includes local provisions for long-term weight storage using refresh, which is transparent to the functional operation both during recall and learning. Refresh While Learning (RWL) provides a means to compensate for the finite precision of the quantized analog weights during learning. We include simulation results for a network of 32×32 neurons, mapped in parallel onto a MassPar computational engine, which validate the functionality of the architecture on simple character recognition tasks, and demonstrate robust operation of the trained network under 4-bit quantization of the weights owing to the RWL technique.     

A user-centric semantic-based algorithm for ranking services: design and analysis

The number of online service providers and services hosted by them is rapidly increasing. Since services hosted by different service providers may have the same functionality, it is extremely hard for a user to determine those services that best match their requirements. To ease this difficulty, it is necessary that the service providing system rank those services based on users preferences, so that users receive only those services that suit them best. In this paper, a novel vector-based algorithm, which is multi-featured, semantic-based, and user-centric, is proposed for this service ranking problem. This algorithm overcomes all restrictions and limitations that exist in previously known vector-based ranking algorithms. The algorithm has been analyzed thoroughly with respect to performance, accuracy, and algorithmic complexity.     

Bidirectional intensity modulated/direct detection optical OFDM WDM-PON system

In this paper, we have evaluated a bidirectional wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network(WDM-PON) employing intensity modulated/direct detection optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing(IM/DD-OFDM). The proposed system employs 100 Gbit/s 16 quadrature amplitude modulation(16-QAM) downstream and 5 Gbit/s on-off keying(OOK) upstream wavelengths, respectively. The proposed system is considered low-cost as non-coherent IM/DD OFDM technology and a simple reflective semicond...