Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ego-Interaction: Visual Hand-Object Pose Correction for VR Experiences

Immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences may track both a user’s hands and a physical object at the same time and use the information to animate computer generated representations of the two interacting. However, to render visually without artefacts requires highly accurate tracking of the hands and the objects themselves as well as their relative locations – made even more difficult when the objects are articulated or deformable. If this tracking is incorrect, then the quality and immersion of the visual experience is reduced. In this paper we turn the problem around – instead of focusing on producing quality renders of hand-object interactions by improving tracking quality, we acknowledge there will be tracking errors and just focus on fixing the visualisations. We propose a Deep Neural Network (DNN) that modifies hand pose based on its relative position with the object. However, to train the network we require sufficient labelled data. We therefore also present a new dataset of hand-object interactions – Ego-Interaction. This is the first hand-object interaction dataset with egocentric RGBD videos and 3D ground truth data for both rigid and non-rigid objects. The Ego-Interaction dataset contains 92 sequences with 4 rigid, 1 articulated and 4 non-rigid objects and demonstrates hand-object interactions with 1 and 2 hands carefully captured, rigged and animated using motion capture. We provide our dataset as a general resource for researchers in the VR and AI community interested in other hand-object and egocentric tracking related problems.
Synesthesia Information Collection Method through Auditory Conversion of Visual Information

The human eardrum collects only sound waves as sensory information. If there is any loss or distortion in the sound wave information, it will not correctly receive the data. To overcome this limitation, we propose the ”method of collecting synesthetic information. ” This method creates sound using data whose initial information is visual images. This visual image can be created by recording a vibrating object that is affected by sound waves. We probe the possibility of applying the inpainting technique using a deep convolution network to sound restoration. Our method shows a similarity of 80 between the original sound and the restored sound.
Interactive Viewpoint Exploration for Constructing View-Dependent Models

We introduce an interactive method to sequentially find viewpoints for constructing view-dependent models which represent view-specific deformations in classic 2D cartoons [Chaudhuri et al. 2004, 2007; Koyama and Igarashi 2013; Rademacher 1999]. As users design one view-specific model from a single-fixed viewpoint, the system searches successive viewpoints for subsequent modeling and instantly jumps to the next viewpoints. Thereby, the users can efficiently repeat the design process of view-specific deformations until they are satisfied. This method is simple enough to easily implement in an existing modeling system. We conduct a user study with novice and amateur users and confirm that the proposed system is effective for designing view-specific models envisioned by the users.
Structural health monitoring system based on diffracted Lamb wave analysis by multiresolution processing

A health monitoring system is presented composed of integrated disc-shaped, 100 µm thick and 5 mm diameter piezoelectric transducers (PZTs) working sequentially as Lamb wave emitters and receivers. The diagnostic is based on the analysis of Lamb wave signals recorded before and after damage. In the composite, delaminations are discontinuities producing mode conversion processes generating various outgoing modes. The multiresolution processing allows the isolation of various propagation modes and their extraction in order to measure, for various propagation paths, the time delay between the arrivals of the main burst and of a specific outgoing mode. This process permits, with good accuracy, the localization of damage and the estimation of its extent. The robustness and portability of this technique is demonstrated by the fact that, after validation in our laboratory, it was successfully applied to data coming from an experiment conducted in another laboratory using its own acousto-ultrasonic health monitoring hardware system.
Robust Method for the Automatic Characterization of a Wooden Board's Geometrical State

ABSTRACT This article presents an algorithm for characterizing and detecting geometric faults in a wooden board. It is developed for integration into a quality control system in factories. The industrial environment where this system will be implemented is characterized by high levels of variation stemming from measurement noise and operating conditions. Geometrical defects in a board can often be summarized under four types of deformations: twist, bow, spring, and transversal alignment. A computer vision system with four cameras is developed and used to obtain a 3D representation of the board surface. The surfaces are digitized using “structured light” active vision techniques. The range of images obtained from the computer vision network can be considered as the input of the proposed algorithm. This algorithm consists of the following five steps: (1) transformation of the spatial position and orientation of each camera into a common reference system; (2) data filtering to eliminate aberrant errors originating from splinters or from tears on the board's surface; (3) integration of multiple local surfaces into a 3D global representation of the board; (4) extraction of significant feature points by means of polynomial surfaces obtained from linear regression; and (5) characterization and classification of different geometrical defects using the extracted points. This classification provides the basis for making a final decision with respect to the surface quality of the inspected part. Different types of defects combined with different noise levels were used to validate the algorithm. The results show that high-quality performance and precision can be achieved with this proposed method.
MCM and bare chip technology for a wide range of computers

For a versatile MCM packaging technology with bare chip interconnection, an adequate patterned substrate and efficient cooling have been developed. A lineup of MCMs from a high-end supercomputer to a low-end portable PC are arranged by the combination of flip-chip and substrate technologies. More than thirty kinds of MCMs have been developed and are in production. These MCMs are classified into MCM-D and MCM-L, which are applied to both bare flip-chip devices of area bump and peripheral bump type. This effective combination of MCM technology for a wide range computers is discussed in this paper.
PARAMETER IDENTIFICATION OF A SINGLE DEGREE OF FREEDOM HAPTIC INTERFACE

Abstract A haptic system consists in an articulated mechanical structure with motors and position sensors, as well as embedded electronics allowing force feedback. It is driven by a haptic interface, which enables the user to interact with an image in a virtual reality application, through the sense of touch. This paper presents a protocol allowing the identification of both electrical and mechanical parameters using inverse models and least-squares techniques, in order to achieve a robust control strategy of the overall system in terms of transparency and stiffness.
Electromagnetic Fields Produced by Inclined Return Stroke Channel

Abstract In this paper further theoretical investigations to understand and elucidate recently raised questions on the characteristics of lightning return-strokes curried out. Using Antenna Theory (AT) model, which is extended to take into account the channel inclination, the electromagnetic fields expressions for vertical dipole are completed, and an inclined channel is properly modeled, vertical electric and azimuthally magnetic fields are computed at different distances (close, intermediate and far distance ranges). The computations show that amplitudes and wave forms of the electromagnetic fields at close and intermediate lightning environment are considerably affected by the channel inclination.
Parameter estimation of an air-bearing suspended test table

A parameter estimation approach is proposed for parameter determination of a 3-axis air-bearing suspended test table. The table is to provide a balanced and frictionless environment for spacecraft ground test. To balance the suspension, the mechanical parameters of the table, including its angular inertias and centroid deviation from its rotating center, have to be determined first. Then sliding masses on the table can be adjusted by stepper motors to relocate the centroid of the table to its rotating center. Using the angular momentum theorem and the coriolis theorem, dynamic equations are derived describing the rotation of the table under the influence of gravity imbalance torque and activating torques. To generate the actuating torques, use of momentum wheels is proposed, whose virtue is that no active control is required to the momentum wheels, which merely have to spin at constant rates, thus avoiding the singularity problem and the difficulty of precisely adjusting the output torques, issues associated with control moment gyros. The gyroscopic torques generated by the momentum wheels, as they are forced by the table to precess, are sufficient to activate the table for parameter estimation. Then least-square estimation is be employed to calculate the desired parameters. The effectiveness of the method is validated by simulation.
Detailed study of a micro heat engine for thermal energy harvesting

This paper presents a micro heat engine fabricated in silicon micro technology. Its operation principle is based on a cavity filled with a liquid–gas phase-change working fluid that performs a self-controlled reciprocating motion between a heat source and a heat sink. A bistable buckling membrane generates the respective upward and downward driving forces upon expansion and contraction of the working fluid. For prediction of the engine performance a hybrid model is developed. This model predicts an operation frequency of 0.72 Hz and a mechanical output power of 1.29 µW at a temperature difference of 37 K. Loss mechanisms are theoretically explored and ways to enhance the overall engine efficiency are discussed. To verify this model, a functional demonstrator is fabricated. In the experiments, an operation frequency of 0.71 Hz is found at a temperature difference of 37 K.
The newly created Publicly Available Specification (PAS 141) for reusable electrical/electronic products: Goals and research needs for successful uptake

Purpose – In 2011, a governmental initiative driven by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills invited the British Standards Institute (BSI) to write and publish a publicly available specification (PAS) for the reuse of waste electrical and electronic equipment entitled PAS 141. The specification's ambitious goals, chief among them to reduce the amount of e-waste generated in the UK, has prompted debate as to whether they are realistic and the extent to which they can be influenced by the certification. The purpose of this paper is to propose a comprehensive framework that can be used in future research to enhance understanding of the mechanisms by which the introduction of PAS 141 certification could lead to the fulfillment of its goals, that is, successful uptake. The authors believe this framework can serve as a roadmap for those interested in the investigation of this novel certification and its effect on the market for reusable electrical and electronic products. Design/methodology/approach.
A Comparative Study of MCDM Methods Integrated with Rapid Visual Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Existing RC Structures

Recently, the demand for residence and usage of urban infrastructure has been increased, thereby resulting in the elevation of risk levels of human lives over natural calamities. The occupancy demand has rapidly increased the construction rate, whereas the inadequate design of structures prone to more vulnerability. Buildings constructed before the development of seismic codes have an additional susceptibility to earthquake vibrations. The structural collapse causes an economic loss as well as setbacks for human lives. An application of different theoretical methods to analyze the structural behavior is expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, introducing a rapid vulnerability assessment method to check structural performances is necessary for future developments. The process, as mentioned earlier, is known as Rapid Visual Screening (RVS). This technique has been generated to identify, inventory, and screen structures that are potentially hazardous. Sometimes, poor construction quality does not provide some of the required parameters; in this case, the RVS process turns into a tedious scenario. Hence, to tackle such a situation, multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods for the seismic vulnerability assessment opens a new gateway. The different parameters required by RVS can be taken in MCDM. MCDM evaluates multiple conflicting criteria in decision making in several fields. This paper has aimed to bridge the gap between RVS and MCDM. Furthermore, to define the correlation between these techniques, implementation of the methodologies from Indian, Turkish, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) codes has been done. The effects of seismic vulnerability of structures have been observed and compared.
Ultrathin film actuators fabricated by layer-by-layer molecular self-assembly

Polymer/metal cluster nanocomposite thin films as new types of electroactive polymer (EAP) material have been synthesized by the layer-by-layer (LBL) electrostatic self-assembly process. A self-assembled 11-bilayer poly-S-119/Pt nanocluster film, with a thickness of approximately 30 nm and a Pt content of 0.49 at. %, exhibited an actuation response similar to that of conventional ionic polymer-metal composite films for low applied voltage in air, but nonlinear bending behaviour in response to a slightly higher applied voltage. The film has a uniform nanostructure with the Pt nanoclusters dispersed within the multiple molecular layers, as confirmed by atomic force microscopy. The self-assembled electroactive films may have different actuation mechanisms from those of traditional piezoelectric materials, and from other EAP materials, due to the quite different LBL laminated structure. Further studies concerning the principles governing the novel processing of the films and applications are underway.
Survey on the Factors Required in Design of Communication Architecture for Future DC grids

This paper aims first to survey various aspects of DC grids from grid topologies to TSOs structure which has been carried out in several studies, and second try to highlight the factors to be considered in the design of the universal communication architecture for DC grid control and protection purposes. The result of the survey will be used as the first step to introduce the possible communication solutions such as network and data transfer protocols in order to ensure the reliable data delivery in operation of multi-national DC grids.
Maximising the saliency ratio of the synchronous reluctance motor

Recent interest in the synchronous reluctance motor has increased in the context of possible applications in field oriented AC drives. The absence of rotor slip losses and the apparent simplicity of the control suggest the possibility of performance and cost advantages over the induction motor. With field oriented control, and continuous shaft position feedback, the synchronous reluctance motor does not need a starting cage and can be designed for maximum saliency ratio (L/sub d//L/sub q/ ratio). This ratio is by far the most important parameter for achieving high power factor, torque/ampere, and constant-power speed range. This paper analyses the various known forms of the synchronous reluctance motor, to determine the maximum achievable saliency ratio and identify the parameters on which it depends. The main originality is the analysis of the effect of the number of flux guides/barriers. It is shown that a minimum number is required for the performance to surpass that of the induction motor. The analysis also reveals the optimum ratio of flux guide/flux barrier thicknesses and the effects of the tooth/slot geometry and stator saturation. Test results are included from three motors ranging from 50 W at 2000 r.p.m. to 7.5 kW at 1500 r.p.m. , covering both axially laminated and transversely laminated types. < >
Time spent playing video games is unlikely to impact well-being

Video games are a massively popular form of entertainment, socializing, cooperation and competition. Games' ubiquity fuels fears that they cause poor mental health, and major health bodies and national governments have made far-reaching policy decisions to address games’ potential risks, despite lacking adequate supporting data. The concern–evidence mismatch underscores that we know too little about games' impacts on well-being. We addressed this disconnect by linking six weeks of 38 935 players’ objective game-behaviour data, provided by seven global game publishers, with three waves of their self-reported well-being that we collected. We found little to no evidence for a causal connection between game play and well-being. However, results suggested that motivations play a role in players' well-being. For good or ill, the average effects of time spent playing video games on players’ well-being are probably very small, and further industry data are required to determine potential risks and supportive factors to health.
A new optimal vibration control system for two connection structures

Two adjacent parallel building structures are connected by control devices including stiffness and damping components. These building structures are currently used in engineering since the control devices may reduce the dynamic responses in earthquake and wind excitation. But the connecting stiffness may chance dynamic characteristics of whole building and the coupling between two structures should be considered. In this paper, a new optimal design method for twostructure connection control system is proposed. The mathematical model of two-structure connection control system is established only including the damping components. The optimal parameters of dampers can be obtained by using the simplex optimal method with the performance index J in frequency domain. A new performance index ▵J of control devices is also proposed to obtain the optimal number and placement of control dampers. Numerical results illustrate that the proposed optimal design method is effective and flexible. It may properly utilize the interaction between two structures and the control devices to reduce the response of buildings.
LQR control for speed and torque of internal combustion engines

Abstract This paper presents a robust automation model for internal combustion engines test beds. A Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) allows setting the desired engine speed and torque on both compression and spark ignition engines. With this methodology, the user can change the engine by another one of different characteristics with few adjustments on the controller parameters. The controller was implemented using a microcontroller in order to guarantee operation in real time. The LQR controller performance has been validated in a wide range of engine operating modes, from low to high speeds and variable loads showing a good response. The description of the model using first order transfer functions with delay has proven to be a good approximation, despite of the nonlinearities caused by the turbocharger and the electronic control unit (ECU) incorporated in the engines. This low cost automation system has been tested for the last three years in a test rig at a university laboratory showing a good performance.
Surface Properties and Cell Response of Bioactive Thermally Grown TiO2 Nanofibers

Titania nanofiber (TiO2 NFs) arrays were fabricated in situ on a Ti-6Al-4V substrate by an oxidation process. Their surface morphology, crystallographic structure, surface roughness and wettability were characterized, as well as their in vitro interaction with bovine articular chondrocytes at different time points. Results showed that TiO2 NFs possessed greater surface roughness, hydrophilicity and degree of crystallinity. The in vitro cell studies revealed that TiO2 NFs substrate triggers enhanced cell adhesion, proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) formation compared to the untreated control sample. These results showed that chondrocytes have an affinity to the nanofibrous substrate surface and thus we suggest that such surfaces are suited to be used as an implant designed for cartilage growth.
Combined experimental and numerical study of spontaneous dynamic rupture on frictional interfaces

The process of spontaneous dynamic frictional sliding along the interface of two elastic solids is of great interest to a number of disciplines in engineering and sciences. Applications include frictional rupture processes in earthquakes, delamination of layered composite materials, and sliding between soft membranes in biological systems. The transient nature of rupture dynamics presents an array of fascinating yet challenging questions, including the nucleation process, the mechanism of interface failure, and the speed and mode of rupture propagation. This thesis presents such a combined experimental and theoretical study aimed at understanding the conditions for selecting pulse-like vs. crack-like rupture modes and subshear vs. supershear rupture speeds. There are two major contributions in this work. The first one is high-resolution experimental study of the rupture modes on a frictional interface. The study presents first experimental observations of spontaneous pulse-like ruptures in a homogeneous linear-elastic setting that mimics crustal earthquakes, reveals how different rupture modes are selected based on the level of fault prestress, demonstrates that both rupture modes can transition to supershear speeds, and advocates, based on comparison with theoretical studies, importance of velocity-weakening friction for earthquake dynamics. The second major contribution is the numerical modeling of the rupture experiments that reveal the importance of the rupture nucleation mechanism and friction formulations. The modeling of sub-Rayleigh to supershear transition has demonstrated the influence of rupture nucleation mechanism on supershear transition distance, as well as on the mechanism of supershear transition. The modeling of pulse-like to crack-like rupture mode transition has confirmed the necessity of velocity weakening friction for producing pulse-like rupture to match the experimental observations.
Development of Automated Control System for Kuih Penderam Stamping Machine

It is essential to design a control system for stamping process in Kuih Penderam production. The main problem is how to produce the Kuih Penderam due to high demand but low in energy consumption. The objective of this study is to convert the system of Kuih Penderam stamping process from manual system to automatic system. The system is consists of the software and components to be used. There are few components that have been use on designing the automatic system which is PLC systems, compressor, sensors, connectors and push buttons. The results of the reliability for the system shows that all the LED lights are function when the signal is connected to the PLC system on the circuit in a direct connection. This case show every components testing is working properly.