Effective Workspace Research Articles

Formation dynamics of the satellite droplet in the breakup of a symmetrical liquid bridge

Inkjet printing technology has played an irreplaceable role in life science, precision manufacturing, and other frontier fields in recent years. However, the further development of this technology is limited by the fact that its printing resolution is difficult to raise to a higher level. The emerging satellite droplet printing technology offers a new approach for inkjet printing to break through the bottleneck of printing resolution limitations. In this paper, a symmetrical satellite droplet printing strategy is proposed. The effects of the geometric parameters of the satellite droplet generating device, the physical properties of the ink, and the operating parameters on the liquid bridge breakup process and the size of the satellite droplet are systematically studied. The phase field method and adaptive mesh refinement strategy are applied to solve the two-dimensional symmetrical model. The results indicate that the length of the liquid bridge, the radius of the bridge, the viscosity of the ink, and the drainage velocity are all positively correlated with the satellite droplet size, while the surface tension coefficient has a negative correlation with the satellite droplet size. Furthermore, the three-phase contact line at the orifice end will slip toward the center if the initial radius of the liquid bridge is quite large. Based on these investigations and discussions, a corresponding effective working space for satellite droplet printing is obtained, which lays the foundation for the popularization and further development of satellite droplet printing technology.

Progresses and Perspectives of 1D Soft Sensing Devices for Healthcare Applications

AbstractHealthcare sensing devices enable continuous monitoring of diverse biosignals, such as respiration, heartbeat, temperature, inflammation, Electroencephalogram (EEG), and biomechanical movement, contributing to the management of health conditions and early diagnosis of diseases. However, clinically available tools have several limitations for real‐time measurement of biosignals in non‐hospital environments owing to their cumbersome, complex designs, and rigidity. To address these limitations, there has been a growing body of research that explores flexible and soft electronics for healthcare applications, which feature high mechanical compliance and adaptability. Especially, sensing devices based on fiber structures have attracted significant attention due to high flexibility, lightweight design, effective workspace and unique structural adaptability. Moreover, 1D sensing devices can be seamlessly integrated into garments and the human body with complex structures without any unconformity. In this perspective, The fabrication and electrical functionalization of fiber substrates and focus on recent advances in various fiber‐based sensing systems for strain, pressure, temperature, pH, biomarkers, and neural activity is explored. Additionally, biodegradable fiber‐based sensing devices as future healthcare technologies are briefly discussed. Finally, this article provides a summary and outlook on the remaining challenges for current fiber‐based sensing devices.

Energy Efficient Building-Planning and Designing a Green and Cost-Effective House and Working Space for Farmer

Abstract: Agriculture in India is livelihood for a majority of the population and hence it stands great importance in Indian culture. Increasing population, increasing average income and globalization effects in India also increased the demand for quantity, quality and nutritious food, and variety of food. Therefore, pressure on decreasing available cultivable land to produce more quantity, variety and quality of food will keep on increasing. Farmers are still not able to earn respect a blearing. Therefore it is necessary to reduce this problem of them. The basic aim of this project is to plan, design a green and cost effective house and working space for farmer his family, shelter for his animals, proper grains to rage facilities and ware house for his tools and machineries. This project also provides an insight to overcome the water scarcity

Novel Technique to Increase the Effective Workspace of a Soft Robot.

This article presents a novel technique for a class 2 tensegrity robot, also classified as a soft robot, to increase workspace by increasing the number of geometric equilibrium configurations of the robot. The proposed modification, unlike the strategies reported in the literature, consists of increasing the number of points where the flexible and rigid elements that make up the robot come into contact without the need to increase the number of actuators, the number of flexible elements, or modify the geometry of the rigid elements. The form-finding methodology combines the basic principles of statics with the direct and inverse kinematic position analysis to determine the number of equilibrium positions of the modified robot. In addition, numerical experiments were carried out using the commercial software ANSYS®, R18.2 based on the finite element theory, to corroborate the results obtained with them. With the proposed modification, an increase of 23.369% in the number of geometric equilibrium configurations is achieved, which integrates the workspace of the modified class 2 tensegrity robot. The novel technique applied to tensegrity robots and the tools developed to increase their workspace apply perfectly to scale the robots presented in this paper.

Automated Inverse Kinematics Configuration Selection for Path Planning of a 6-DOF Robot

This article presents an automated technique for selecting suitable inverse configurations for the path planning of robots with six degrees of freedom (6 DOF). Traditionally, robots were limited to a single fixed configuration for movement, but now there's a growing need for robots that can adapt to different situations, especially in unknown environments. In this study, we introduce an innovative approach designed to assist a small industrial robot known as AKB-IRV1. This approach helps the robot determine and automatically select the most suitable configuration to move, which is essential for effective path planning. We simplify a complex problem related to how the robot's joints work through geometric analysis, breaking it down into two stages: calculation and selection of the best joint angles for movement. We also use computer simulations to assess the robot's workspace, considering joint angles as constraints. Our findings reveal that taking joint angles into account significantly reduces the robot's effective workspace. We also present a method for the robot to automatically choose the right configuration when planning its path, especially in uncertain situations. This ability allows the robot to change its configuration as needed, aligning with the goal of minimizing configuration changes. This method has promising applications for intelligent robots operating in unfamiliar environments.

AgroCableBot: Reconfigurable Cable-Driven Parallel Robot for Greenhouse or Urban Farming Automation

In this paper, a Cable-Driven Parallel Robot developed to automate repetitive and essential tasks in crop production in greenhouse and urban garden environments is introduced. The robot has a suspended configuration with five degrees-of-freedom, composed of a fixed platform (frame) and a moving platform known as the end-effector. To generate its movements and operations, eight cables are used, which move through eight pulley systems and are controlled by four winches. In addition, the robot is equipped with a seedbed that houses potted plants. Unlike conventional suspended cable robots, this robot incorporates four moving pulley systems in the frame, which significantly increases its workspace. The development of this type of robot requires precise control of the end-effector pose, which includes both the position and orientation of the robot extremity. To achieve this control, analysis is performed in two fundamental aspects: kinematic analysis and dynamic analysis. In addition, an analysis of the effective workspace of the robot is carried out, taking into account the distribution of tensions in the cables. The aim of this analysis is to verify the increase of the working area, which is useful to cover a larger crop area. The robot has been validated through simulations, where possible trajectories that the robot could follow depending on the tasks to be performed in the crop are presented. This work supports the feasibility of using this type of robotic systems to automate specific agricultural processes, such as sowing, irrigation, and crop inspection. This contribution aims to improve crop quality, reduce the consumption of critical resources such as water and fertilizers, and establish them as technological tools in the field of modern agriculture.

Motion and Trajectory Planning and Simulation of a High Frequency Transformer Winding Robot Pose

The application of high-frequency transformers is related to the development of all walks of life in the national economy and people’s livelihood, among which the fast and agile performance of winding knots in the system operation platform is crucial to the production efficiency and quality assurance of transformers. Aiming at the problems of slow attitude movement and trajectory planning time and complicated path trajectory points in the offline system of robots in the traditional production line, this paper proposes an optimization trajectory optimization algorithm based on the combination of accurate unit scanning and Cartesian spatial trajectory planning. When the known effective working space range is determined, the end effector of the robotic arm conducts trajectory search according to a specified time series after obstacle avoidance to find an optimal trajectory that meets the user parameters. At the same time, for the polyline trajectory, this paper uses the multi-dimensional interpolation method, that is, the adopted Cartesian space trajectory planning for smooth processing. Finally, through the MatlabRobot toolbox to end effector arm end angular velocity, angular acceleration for simulation research, according to the simulation results, it can be seen that the arm end angular velocity in three-dimensional space is controlled at −1m/s ~ 1m/s, angular acceleration is basically stable in the Z axis, and controlled in the X axis at −3m/s 2 ~1m/s2, so the control of the fusion algorithm on the motion and trajectory planning of the robot system is reasonable, and it also meets the quantitative needs of users.

Optimization design of a parallel surgical robot with remote center of motion

This paper proposes a parallel surgical robot with a remote center of motion, and the kinematic optimization design is studied. The surgical robot is composed of two branches, each of which is a planar mechanism. The kinematics model of the robot is established through spatial geometric analysis. A modified Monte-Carlo sampling method is presented to greatly increase the sampling rate during the workspace calculation of the parallel surgical robot. Further, through the boundary sampling method, the boundary of the workspace is encrypted and sampled, and the accurate workspace is obtained. A dexterity index with clear physical meaning is proposed and the corresponding solution is found. Based on the effective workspace volume index and global dexterity index, a multi-objective optimization is carried out on the parallel surgical robot by using the quantum particle swarm optimization. The optimized robot has a large effective workspace and good dexterity, which meets the needs of surgical robots.

Redesigning workspace at Adobe: an Indian perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to describe the success story of a software company, Adobe, in redesigning the workplace environment from cubicles to a connected collaborative workplace, which helped the organization optimize workplace usage. The goals were to design an innovative work environment to optimize the usage of the office portfolio, improve workplace service quality and infrastructure facilities of the portfolio, increase employee productivity, reduce technology costs, engage employees in a better way to enhance employee satisfaction, align workplace design with the brand, mobilize technology and enable a globalized workforce to facilitate higher productivity.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory research design method was adopted using the purposive sampling technique to collect data through semi-structured interviews with a team of nine property professionals from the operations team responsible for workspace redesign at Adobe in India.FindingsThe main observations of the corporate real estate (CRE) manager were on what value parameters drive workplace redesign and how different software companies were creating strategies to manage workplace design or redesign change for optimal use of the organization portfolio. To discuss the CRE strategies of global software leaders, IBM and SAP were pointed out in this case.Research limitations/implicationsThe number of interviews were limited. The related parameters for workplace transformation are not necessarily complete. However, the parameters are regarded to include the most important aspects of workplace redesign.Practical implicationsThis study provides useful insights into how benchmarking in the workplace transformation function of the CRE industry can be applied to address portfolio-related challenges, divergent employee needs and improve workspace usability following energy-efficient policies. Practitioners can use this study as a guide to develop more effective workspace designs.Social implicationsThis study may guide other firms on successful workspace design initiatives that may overcome many obstacles in the workplace transformation process to have their intended impact on workplace efficiency and employee satisfaction. The case can be used as an inspiration for developing specific user-focused innovative workspace design in practice.Originality/valueAdopting the theoretical background of the person–environment fit theory, this study adds to the understanding of the operational model of a digitally connected workspace designed as per real estate needs and strategies to manage the CRE portfolio of the company.

Reactive Power Optimization of Active Distribution Network with Distributed Generation

Taking an active distribution network with distributed generation as an example, this paper designs a reactive power optimization scheme for the operation of a power grid to reduce the node loss in the operation of an active distribution network. The objective function of voltage optimization is established with the minimum active power loss as the optimization objective. According to the stable operation requirements of an active distribution network, the constraint conditions for the objective function are designed. The improved particle swarm optimization algorithm is introduced to search the particles in the effective workspace of the distribution network. Optimal position of the particles is located in this way. According to the solution set, a reactive power convergence model is constructed. According to the operation state of the active distribution network, the switching times of power equipment are set. The output value of the distributed generation in the power grid is taken as the reactive power optimization target to realize the distribution network’s dynamic reactive power optimization. Taking a large power generation enterprise in the pilot area as the research object, the application experiment is designed. The practice proves that this approach can act in reducing the loss of the distribution network.

A Novel Cable-Driven Parallel Robot With Movable Anchor Points Capable for Obstacle Environments

Cable-driven parallel robots (CDPRs) have the characteristics of large workspace and fast response speed, which attracted lots of interests in the past decade. Most of the CDPRs use flexible cables to manipulate the moving platform while the length of cables is changed by the winches fixed on the base. Consequently, interferences among the driving cables, the moving platform, and the environment become inevitable problems, which significantly limit the effective workspace of CDPRs and its performance in complex multiobstacle environment. This article proposes a novel CDPR with movable anchor points (M-CDPR). The movable anchor point of each driving cable can move along the track on the fixed frames. Besides, we establish the kinematics and dynamics of the M-CDPR, and propose the collision detection method and the obstacle avoidance algorithm. Simulation analyzes indicate that the wrench-feasible workspace of the M-CDPR increases 456.06% compared with traditional CDPRs in the same dimension. Moreover, the M-CDPR can realize obstacle avoidance without changing the desired trajectory under different conditions when there exist multiple static obstacles, or both moving and static obstacles. In addition, a prototype is fabricated, consisting of eight driving cables and eight movable anchor points. Experimental results show that the proposed M-CDPR performed well in an environment containing a number of static and/or moving obstacles without any interference.

Digital Hydraulic Design for Low-Specific-Speed Propeller Runners with Fixed Blades

The operating point of a propeller hydropower station will deviate from the effective workspace while the discharge reduces excessively during dry seasons. It usually leads to a decrease in efficiency and even to being unable to work. To solve the above problem, a scheme named decreasing capacity to increase efficiency was presented in this article. A low-specific-speed propeller runner with fixed blades that has the same installing dimensions as the original one was redesigned and equipped in dry seasons. A positive circulation at the outlet of the blades bigger than in conventional runners is allowed. Some key technologies about hydraulic design for runner blades were researched, which include distribution of velocity circulation at the inlet and outlet of the runner, thickening of the epiphyseal line of an aerofoil, unfolding aerofoil being converted to a cylindrical section, etc. In the section on digital modeling for runner blades, aerofoils on the cylindrical sections at the rim and at the hub were constructed employing the trend extrapolation method. Moreover, a blade digital model was built at one time according to the aerofoils on all cylindrical sections by means of a successful redevelopment to UniGraphics, and it has perfect symmetry. A case presented indicates that the method of decreasing capacity to increase efficiency is feasible. Using the method, the turbine efficiency increased from less than 28.6% to 83.4% while the discharge decreased from 3.20 m3s−1 to 1.00 m3s−1, and then the hydropower unit was able to work properly.

Design and kinematical performance analysis of the 7-DOF upper-limb exoskeleton toward improving human-robot interface in active and passive movement training

Upper-limb rehabilitation robots have become an important piece of equipment in stroke rehabilitation. The design of exoskeleton mechanisms plays a key role to improve human-robot interface in the upper-limb movements under passive and active rehabilitation training. This paper proposes a novel of the 7-DOF (RR-RR-PRR) under-actuated exoskeleton mechanism based on the characteristics of the upper-limb movements in both of active and passive training. This aim of the proposed work is to improve human-robot interface in rehabilitation training with robots. Firstly, the characteristics of active and passive movement training are analyzed depending on the human upper-limb model. Then, a novel 7-DOF (RR-RR-PRR) exoskeleton mechanism is proposed based on the analyzed characteristics. After that, kinematical performances of the proposed exoskeleton are analyzed on the workspace, manipulability and manipulability ellipsoid by compared with the common exoskeleton configuration of the 7 DOFs (RRR-R-PRR) mechanism. In the end, the prototype is manufactured and tested by undergoing the experiments of single-joint passive movement training and multi-joint active movement training. The human-robot interface of the proposed exoskeleton is demonstrated by root mean square error, Pearson correlation coefficient, and the time-delay difference. The results of the kinematical performance show that the effective workspace and the flexibility of the exoskeleton with the proposed configuration are increased by 10.44% and 1.7%. In the single-joint passive movement training experiment, the root mean square errors are 6.986, 7.568, 5.846, and Pearson correlation coefficients are 0.989, 0.984, 0.988 at the shoulder joint and the elbow joint, respectively. The time-delay differences are not beyond 3.1%. In the multi-joint active movement training experiment, the root mean square errors are 9.312 and 7.677, and Pearson correlation coefficients are 0.906 and 0.968 at the shoulder joint and the elbow joint, respectively. The time-delay differences are not beyond 3.28%. The proposed 7 DOFs exoskeleton mechanism shows uniformity with that of the common exoskeleton on the same rehabilitation trajectory which is effective to improve human-robot interface under passive and active rehabilitation training.

Guideline on Initial Point Finding and Search Bounds Setting for Biomedical Magnetic Localization

Permanent magnet tracking technology provides a feasible way to localize noninvasive in vivo biomedical devices such as wireless capsule endoscopes. However, current permanent magnet tracking technology that typically relies on an optimization algorithm suffers from a trade-off between the accuracy, consistency, and speed of the results. In particular, in practical applications such as the magnetically actuated capsule, poor localization results are undesirable. In other words, high consistency and accuracy must be achieved concurrently. In this study, we propose an initial point finding method for optimization algorithms based on a semi-soft classifier that adopts a fully connected network and a convolution neural network as base classifiers. Furthermore, we present search bound setting guidelines for the optimization algorithms based on the estimated initial point. By setting tight bounds, the consistency and speed of the process can be improved while maintaining high accuracy. The proposed method is validated via simulations and experiments, and outperforms the previous methods under the same system configuration. Within an effective working space of 42 cm <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\times30$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cm <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\times24$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cm, it achieves an update rate of approximately 9-Hz, higher localization consistency, zero occurrence rate of poor localization results, an average error of 1.3 mm for position estimation, and an average error of 2.7° for orientation estimation.

Effective workspaces of parallel robots

AbstractAn approach for calculating the effective workspaces of parallel mechanisms has been considered in this paper. The effective workspace is a set of reachable by the end-effector points, where an important parameter (or parameters) from the point of view of operation is not higher than critical. In this article, the speed and torque in the drive and the stiffness of the mechanism are considered as such parameters. An approach to determining the appropriate effective workspace is presented for each parameter. The optimization process, which is based on presented methods, allows one to choose basic technical solutions of the designed robot: the links (lengths and cross-sections), the drives, and types of hinges, which guarantee its operability at the specified operational characteristics. Case studies of a delta robot with four degrees of freedom and a planar five-bar mechanism are presented for testing these approaches. The presented methods are of great practical importance because it uses movement parameters or operational characteristics that are decisive for this mechanism and have clear physical meaning.

A Novel Manual Training Platform for Single-Port Laparoscopic Surgery

Single-port minimally invasive surgery requires only a single incision, which further reduced intraoperative bleeding, reduced postoperative pain, and improved cosmetic benefits. However, the cooperative operation of multiple surgical instruments and forming an effective workspace under a single micro-incision remain a great challenge. This paper proposes a new type of manual training platform for single-port minimally invasive surgery. The designed surgical instrument imitates the structure of a human arm. The proximal end of the instrument is deployable structures (such as shoulder joint and elbow joint); they form an operating space and provide stable support for the instrument after deployed. In addition, the distal end of the instrument is a flexible instrument (such as a human hand), to realize posture adjustment and perform surgical operations. The surgical instrument implements a series of synergistic movements from placement, deployment, adjustment, and recovery. In addition, the platform includes a retightening force adjusting mechanism for the tendon-driven method and a quick-change mechanism for surgical instruments. A series of experiments on a functional prototype have validated the effectiveness and reliability of the designed platform. It can be convenient for doctors to practice master–slave single-port surgical instruments in a variety of environments.

Assessment of the mediating effect of benchmarking workspace usage on portfolio optimization and client satisfaction: Indian information technology companies

PurposeMany corporates in India are constantly adapting real estate benchmarks to reduce the workspace maintenance cost. However, anecdotally benchmarking the experience of clients while designing the workspace maintenance policies is not adequately taken into consideration in India. The focus of this study is on benchmarking workspace usage based on client usability.Design/methodology/approachThe research is descriptive in nature. A structured questionnaire was sent to Information Technology (IT) companies in India to collect data through SurveyMonkey. Stratified sampling was used to collect a sample of 697 respondents which was also verified using G* software. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics and partial least square–structured equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to investigate the mediating effect of benchmarking the workspace usage on portfolio optimization and client satisfaction.FindingsThe structural model results obtained through the bootstrapping technique show that benchmarking workspace usage for real estate management positively impacts client satisfaction in the Indian IT workspace. The findings of this study support the full mediation effect (97%) and indicate that benchmarking practices are necessary for developing strategies for optimal portfolio asset utilization and are essential to survive in the current competitive business environment.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study were influenced by the feedback from the top 100 IT clients in India. The research findings vary according to the cost-benefit analysis of adopting benchmarking measures in small and medium-sized IT companies which still benchmark the workspace usage based on cost-saving measures. Also, very sparse research has been conducted in the workspace management domain of IT firms, so the results of this study can further be used as a reference to explore this area.Practical implicationsThe study provides useful insights into how benchmarking in the workspace management domain of the CRE industry can be applied to address portfolio-related challenges, divergent client needs and improve workspace usability following energy-efficient policies. Practitioners can use this study as a guide to develop more effective workspace management policies.Social implicationsThis study may guide other firms to benchmark their current workspace usage and evaluate the impact of their workspace management policies based on the theoretical framework of value-added balanced benchmarking criteria.Originality/valueThis research adds value to the limited literature available on the impact of technology-enabled portfolio optimization techniques through benchmarking which can reduce workspace usage and enhance the usability of the workspace.

НАУЧНЫЙ ПОДХОД К ОРГАНИЗАЦИИ И РАЦИОНАЛИЗАЦИИ РАБОЧЕГО ПРОСТРАНСТВА ПЕРСОНАЛА С ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕМ КОНЦЕПЦИИ БЕРЕЖЛИВОГО ПРОИЗВОДСТВА «5S»

The article deals with the problem of organizing the workspace of the personnel. Analyzed tendencies to the introduction of various types of methods and systemic approaches to the arrangement of the workplace, both in the domestic and foreign markets. The «5S» system is proposed as an effective method for constructing an effective workspace and rationalization of work processes, the stages of implementation of the «5S» system in the working environment of an enterprise are considered and analyzed. According to the results of the study, the advantages and disadvantages of the «5S» system were determined, on the basis of the practical experience of domestic and foreign companies, the level of efficiency of the implementation of the system under consideration was substantiated and an appropriate assessment was given. The prospect of popularization of systems for organizing a comfortable and effective workspace at enterprises of the Russian Federation and abroad is considered.

Identification of Workspace of the Soft-Magnet Based Position Tracking System for Medical Robots Using Parallel Experiments

This paper proposes a method of identifying the effective workspace of the soft-magnet based position tracking system for medical robots, within which the position measurement error is bounded. A digital twin of the position tracking system is built using analytical magnetic modeling. Parallel virtual experiments of position tracking are performed to obtain empirical position measurement errors. Then the relationship between position error and magnetic sensitivity can be found out. Based on this relationship, given some desired position error bound, the effective workspace can be efficiently identified by thresholding the magnetic sensitivity, which can be analytically computed. Once the dependence of position error on magnetic sensitivity is accurately determined, simulation results show that the proposed method can be generalized to effectively identify the workspace of such soft-magnet based position tracking systems with different configurations of sensors, avoiding running any extra cumbersome experiment or simulation.

A Flexible Magnetically Controlled Continuum Robot Steering in the Enlarged Effective Workspace with Constraints for Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery

Magnetic Continuum Robots In article number 2000211, Niandong Jiao, Lianqing Liu, and co-workers propose a method of steering a miniaturized flexible magnetic continuum robot in the enlarged workspace of the electromagnetic navigation system. This method can greatly enlarge the effective workspace, and aims to expand the application of the magnetic continuum robot for retrograde intrarenal surgery.