Didactic Platform Research Articles

Optimised active disturbance rejection motion control with resonant extended state observer

ABSTRACTTracking sinusoidal references with high precision and rejection of sinusoidal disturbances is a challenging task in the motion control practice. In order to deal with this control problem, a new resonant extended state observer is proposed and introduced in the active disturbance rejection control concept. The frequency analysis shows that an appropriate selection of resonant frequency provides complete rejection of sinusoidal disturbance and ideal reference tracking in the steady state. Further, it is shown that the proposed structure achieves better performances than generalised extended state observer based system in the wide frequency range. Moreover, in order to improve the system performances in transient period, the optimal parameter tuning method is developed. The results demonstrate that the optimally tuned system achieves better performances than the conventionally tuned one by about 25%, with the same robustness and noise sensitivity. The experimental validation of the new controller is carried out on the laboratory model of the didactic three-axis radar platform in fast sinusoidal reference tracking mode.

Morphology on the cloud - Virtual Campus, an integrated didactic platform for biomedical studies

The current Core Curricula of Degree courses in Biomedical areas has enormously compressed the hours dedicated to the student for self-learning in morphological subjects. The result is a reduced student attitude to integrate the information received by attending lectures and practical sessions, with the indispensable consultation of texts dealing with morphological and ‘functional’ subjects, a key experience to autonomously logically identify the rational of the morphology/function relationship in the human body, at the macroscopic and microscopic level. These changes are occurring at a time when new medical imaging technologies become more and more informative in both morphological and functional areas. As a consequence, we are modifying our way of organize lessons compared to the generations of colleagues who have preceded us. More and more frontal lessons are organized with a logical morpho-functional approach. For example, the reference to the anatomy of the living, displayed through invasive or not invasive imaging, is added to the necessary and traditional anatomy of the cadaver. The reference to the pathology helps to define how the alteration of morphological integrity is reflected on function, both at the macro and microscopic level, and so on. However, there are no organized easy-to-use guided tours for the student to allow, in the shortest possible time, to ‘rationally see’ what he has studied, in the various imaging contexts available at the macro- and microscopic level. At the same time, there are no ‘data bank’ of resources for the preparation of the lessons. That is why we have imagined ‘virtual campus’ an integrated digital learning platform for self-learning. The platform has been thought and realized thanks to a group of teachers of ‘morphologic’ and ‘functional’ biomedical subjects and computer engineers belonging to a publishing house. The presentation will explain the rationale behind the platform, its structure and the educational opportunities offered.

Didactic Platform for Image Processing Experiments based on Digital Design

This paper presents the development of an educational platform, which can be used for Image Processing Experiments using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). This project aims to the development of a real embedded system by means of a set of phases of modular development and their subsequent integration into a single system, the proposal is intended for use in a semester-long course in order to give an overview of how the FPGA technology is integrated into a digital system, and expose the difficulties and challenges in the designing. The hardware description for each practice is driven in VHDL standard and implemented using an FPGA Spartan-3E-500k, embedded in a Nexys2 Kit, which represents a midrange and low-cost device. Some methodologies and hardware implementation details are presented. The system performs a comparison between MATLAB simulations and FPGA.

A randomized controlled trial of high-fidelity simulation versus lecture-based education in preclinical medical students

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of simulation versus lecture-based education among preclinical medical students.Methods: Twenty medical students participated in this randomized, controlled crossover study. Students were randomized to four groups. Each group received two simulations and two lectures covering four different topics. Students were administered a pre-test, post-test and delayed post-test. The mean percentage of questions answered correctly on each test was calculated. The mean of each student’s change in score across the three tests was used to compare simulation- versus lecture-based education.Results: Students in both the simulation and lecture groups demonstrated improvement between the pre-test and post-test (p < 0.05). Students in the simulation group demonstrated improvement between the immediate post-test and delayed post-test (p < 0.05), while students in the lecture group did not demonstrate improvement (p > 0.05). When comparing interventions, the change in score between the pre-test and post-test was similar among both the groups (p > 0.05). The change in score between the post-test and delayed post-test was greater in the simulation group (p < 0.05).Conclusions: High-fidelity simulation may serve as a viable didactic platform for preclinical medical education. Our study demonstrated equivalent immediate knowledge gain and superior long-term knowledge retention in comparison to lectures.

Didactic platform for teaching of three-phase rectifier circuits in power electronics

With the aim of preventing an Electrical Engineering course from being predominantly theoretical, the didactic materials used in laboratory activities are essential to make the learning process easier and more stimulating for the student. In this context, this paper presents a didactic platform developed for teaching a.c.-d.c. converters in the subject of power electronics at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), Brazil. The proposed platform consists of a three-phase controlled and/or uncontrolled rectifier. The IC TCA785 is used to control thyristor operation. In order to make teaching more dynamical, the didactic platform was designed to have various operating conditions, simulating, for example, breakdown components and mixed use of thyristors and diodes. A prototype of the proposed platform was built, evaluated experimentally in the laboratory and the results are shown in this paper.

A Simple, Inexpensive 1-D Haptic Tool

Haptics refers to recognizing objects through tactile feedback and haptic technology refers to applying forces to the user's hand, allowing the user to feel objects in a virtual environment. Haptics technology is an emerging field in developing countries and is being increasingly used in simulation and virtual training environment. Since haptic applications use specialized hardware to provide tactile feedback to the user, the costs are considerable limiting the study of haptics and the processes of designing haptic devices in general. In this paper, a simple, inexpensive single dimensional haptic device is presented. This simple design offers a basic didactic platform to explore and study haptic interfaces. The role of haptics in surgical simulators has been studied and how this simple tool can be modified to function as a basic simulator tool has been explored. In providing this simple design, users can experiment with possible variations with ease.

Low Cost Didactic Robotic Platform Based on Player/Stage Software Architecture and La Fonera Hardware

This paper presents a low-cost proposal for the development of a remote laboratory, offering the possibility of providing to learn in the field of robotics for users with no need to be physically in the laboratory, or simply not having to take the robotic platform to reprogram it. It also gives the option of working with the same platform to a group of users to test their algorithms by turns. The system is based on a Wi-Fi router updated with a Linux firmware connected to a control board that manages the hardware of a mobile robot. The microprocessor has also been loaded with the Player Server environment, which is widely used in commercial robotic platforms for research.

The MiniPET: a didactic PET system

The MiniPET project aims to design and build a small PET system. It consists of two 4 × 4 matrices of 16 LYSO scintillator crystals and two PMTs with 16 channels resulting in a low cost system with the essential functionality of a clinical PET instrument. It is designed to illustrate the physics of the PET technique and to provide a didactic platform for the training of students and nuclear imaging professionals as well as for scientific outreach. The PET modules can be configured to test for the coincidence of 511 keV gamma rays. The model has a flexible mechanical setup [1] and can simulate 14 diferent ring geometries, from a configuration with as few as 18 detectors per ring (ring radius ϕ=51 mm), up to a geometry with 70 detectors per ring (ϕ=200 mm). A second version of the electronic system [2] allowed measurement and recording of the energy deposited in 4 detector channels by photons from a 137Cs radioactive source and by photons resulting of the annihilation of positrons from a 22Na radioactive source. These energy spectra are used for detector performance studies, as well as angular dependency studies. In this paper, the mechanical setup, the front-end high-speed analog electronics, the digital acquisition and control electronics implemented in a FPGA, as well as the data-transfer interface between the FPGA board and a host PC are described. Recent preliminary results obtained with the 4 active channels in the prototype are also presented.

Virtual Laboratory for Distance Learning, Remote Process Control

This paper describes the philosophy behind the remote level control of a didactical platform. Issues related to the hardware and software architecture that allow remote access to the experimental platform using a simple Internet browser and some concepts about the control strategy used are presented. The virtual laboratory application is built primarily as an educational tool for distance learning, but these types of applications can be extended, with some considerations, to industrial process control.

CONVERGENCE OF COMMUNICATION WITH COMPUTING FOR A REMOTE ORIENTED MOBILE MINIROBOT

This paper describe a didactical platform for the study of the performances of a control system for mobile robots, composed from a workstation that ensure the data processing and a mobile module (minirobot) with autonomy of displacement. Successive are presented the platform characteristics and the solution for the coordination of local and remote communication and control system. The last section discusses interface problem (the low-level interface, the current middleware concept and the communication protocol) in the framework of a particular scenario where the platform would autonomously start communication in case of emergency. Conclusions and future work are finally presented.

A Methodology Proposal for Teaching and Research in Automation using Computer Mediated Education Tool

The industry automation, with your multidisciplinary feature, involves a large diversity of fundamental importance themes as the communication net developing, dedicated software's, system integration and flexibilization. The industry competition competence and the automated production systems integration has become synonym of flexibility to obtain competitive products and its quality. On this way, the paper shows a didactic platform purpose, which permits the application of methodologies developed for product obtainment. This workbench is important element into the educational process and professional development in industry automation area. It could show the all evolutions of production process using the Computer Mediated Education (EMC).