Hardware Assembly Research Articles

VR Simulation: Advancing Practical Skills in Computer Science Education

This study presents the successful integration of Virtual Reality (VR) tools as an element in the computer science curriculum at the German University of Technology, Oman. The research study investigates the use of MyScore, a VR application developed by RWTH Aachen University - Teaching & Research Field Engineering Hydrology as an environment for computer hardware assembly and troubleshooting exercises. The VR simulation utilized in this study acts as a gamified environment, incorporating elements like scorekeeping and interactive challenges to enhance practical learning in computer science, akin to game-based strategies that engage and motivate students. Over some weeks, the project involved seven students and one tutor in immersive learning sessions to develop applied skills in computer hardware assembly with VR technology over conventional teaching methods. Structured surveys and direct observations were used for data collection through students' interactions with the VR sessions. We also evaluated the student's learning experiences as well as the usability of technology. The results showed that the user-friendliness of the VR interface and its ability to accurately simulate real-world tasks associated with computer assembly received both positive and negative reactions. While some students praised the technology for being pretty cutting-edge, some criticized it as unrealistic or non-interactive. We also received complaints that ranged from actually moving around in the virtual space to navigating only through teleportation spark points. Specifically, two students got motion sickness, which is a well-known obstacle associated with VR environments, and consequently left the sessions prematurely. The feedback of the instructor pointed out that setting up the VR equipment is straightforward and described some potential methods. Still, a call for more reliability in simulations and better interfaces began to surface as nevertheless less controversial agenda items. However, the instructor saw how VR has the potential to revolutionize educational practices. Providing interactive views between the VR device and students that can act as new learning methods. The present study extends the discussion on educational technology by providing empirical evidence of the benefits and challenges experienced in deploying VR for technical education implementation. These findings thus support the continued development and validation of VR technologies in pursuit of improved commitment, cost-effectiveness, immersion, and environment quality that may maximize learning outcomes in future educational applications.

KEGIATAN MASA PENGENALAN LINGKUNGAN SEKOLAH DENGAN PENDEKATAN SOFT SKILL DALAM MENGEMBANGAN KETERAMPILAN DAN EMOSIONAL SISWA BARU DI SD NEGERI KADUBERUK CIOMAS – KAB. SERANG

Computer training in Cibadak Village aims to improve students' technological skills in hardware, applications, and creativity. The training was held to prepare students for the challenges of the digital era by providing them with relevant and practical capabilities. The training method involved both practical and theoretical approaches, which included hands-on sessions for hardware assembly and maintenance, the use of various productivity and creative applications, and projects that encourage innovation. The results of the training showed significant success in three key areas. First, students demonstrated improved proficiency in handling computer hardware, including basic skills in assembly and troubleshooting. Second, application training helped students master software such as word processing, worksheets, graphic design and basic programming tools. Third, students' creativity thrives through technology-based projects that encourage them to create innovative solutions, such as video creation, animation, and simple application development. In conclusion, the computer training in Cibadak Village successfully improved students' technical and creative skills, demonstrating the importance of integrating technology education in the school curriculum to prepare the younger generation for the digital world.

PENDAMPINGAN PENGGUNAAN KOMPUTER ANAK DI DESA CIBADAK KECAMATAN CIBADAK KABUPATEN LEBAK-BANTEN

Computer training in Cibadak Village aims to improve students' technological skills in hardware, applications, and creativity. The training was held to prepare students for the challenges of the digital era by providing them with relevant and practical capabilities. The training method involved both practical and theoretical approaches, which included hands-on sessions for hardware assembly and maintenance, the use of various productivity and creative applications, and projects that encourage innovation. The results of the training showed significant success in three key areas. First, students demonstrated improved proficiency in handling computer hardware, including basic skills in assembly and troubleshooting. Second, application training helped students master software such as word processing, worksheets, graphic design and basic programming tools. Third, students' creativity thrives through technology-based projects that encourage them to create innovative solutions, such as video creation, animation, and simple application development. In conclusion, the computer training in Cibadak Village successfully improved students' technical and creative skills, demonstrating the importance of integrating technology education in the school curriculum to prepare the younger generation for the digital world.

Building a Simplistic Automatic Extruder: Instrument Development Opportunities for the Laboratory.

This work presents an automatic extruder as a research experience for undergraduate students. The system offers a user-friendly approach to preparing vesicles, such as liposomes or polymersomes, with a defined size and polydispersity-properties crucial for research in biology and macromolecules. It comprises two syringe pumps connected by a membrane filter. The setup is controlled by software. Compared to manual extrusion, this automated system provides advantages, such as precisely controlled variables. The project describes a tool to enhance undergraduate learning in science and engineering laboratories. Building an automatic extruder serves as a simplified model of a complex industrial process. It offers a clear advantage: automating a well-understood manual extrusion process. To make this project accessible, it is broken down into three manageable tasks: software development, hardware assembly, and testing procedures. This breakdown describes the software created, the hardware components used, and the testing procedures conducted for this project. All project data, including software code, testing data, and procedures, are freely available online. This allows undergraduate students to not only begin their own projects but also contribute to this educational instrument's ongoing development.

SmartVR Pointer: Using Smartphones and Gaze Orientation for Selection and Navigation in Virtual Reality.

Some of the barriers preventing virtual reality (VR) from being widely adopted are the cost and unfamiliarity of VR systems. Here, we propose that in many cases, the specialized controllers shipped with most VR head-mounted displays can be replaced by a regular smartphone, cutting the cost of the system, and allowing users to interact in VR using a device they are already familiar with. To achieve this, we developed SmartVR Pointer, an approach that uses smartphones to replace the specialized controllers for two essential operations in VR: selection and navigation by teleporting. In SmartVR Pointer, a camera mounted on the head-mounted display (HMD) is tilted downwards so that it points to where the user will naturally be holding their phone in front of them. SmartVR Pointer supports three selection modalities: tracker based, gaze based, and combined/hybrid. In the tracker-based SmartVR Pointer selection, we use image-based tracking to track a QR code displayed on the phone screen and then map the phone's position to a pointer shown within the field of view of the camera in the virtual environment. In the gaze-based selection modality, the user controls the pointer using their gaze and taps on the phone for selection. The combined technique is a hybrid between gaze-based interaction in VR and tracker-based Augmented Reality. It allows the user to control a VR pointer that looks and behaves like a mouse pointer by moving their smartphone to select objects within the virtual environment, and to interact with the selected objects using the smartphone's touch screen. The touchscreen is used for selection and dragging. The SmartVR Pointer is simple and requires no calibration and no complex hardware assembly or disassembly. We demonstrate successful interactive applications of SmartVR Pointer in a VR environment with a demo where the user navigates in the virtual environment using teleportation points on the floor and then solves a Tetris-style key-and-lock challenge.

Arduino Nano Voice Recorder with MAX9814 Mic

This project involves creating a compact and efficient voice recorder using the Arduino Nano and the MAX9814 microphone amplifier. The device captures and stores high-quality audio, leveraging the Arduino Nano's small form factor and the superior audio sensitivity of the MAX9814. Ideal for various applications, including voice logging, sound monitoring, and DIY audio projects, this setup provides an affordable and accessible solution for enthusiasts and developers interested in audio recording technology. The project includes detailed instructions on hardware assembly and software implementation, ensuring ease of replication and customization.

Optical degradation correction of manufacturing-perturbed glass-plastic hybrid lens systems via a joint hardware-software optimization framework.

Glass-plastic hybrid lens systems are increasingly critical in various optical applications due to their unique advantages and growing demands. Due to limitations in manufacturing processes and costs, the yield rate of glass-plastic hybrid lens systems in mass production struggles to match that of mature all-plastic ones. In this work, we propose a pioneering joint hardware-software optimization framework designed for correcting optical degradation in manufacturing-perturbed glass-plastic hybrid lens systems. Our framework begins with the establishment of a differentiable imaging simulation system that is capable of simulating various manufacturing errors. This system facilitates the preliminary estimation of manufacturing deviations across individual lenses without precise measurements. Subsequently, from the perspective of the hardware assembly process, we integrate active alignment of the glass aspherical lens to mitigate degradation caused by these deviations. Moreover, we introduce a novel and lightweight degradation correction network as post-processing software to address residual optical degradation without fine-tuning for each manufacturing-perturbed lens system, significantly reducing deployment costs for mobile devices. Extensive experiments validate the efficacy of our joint hardware-software optimization framework, showing substantial improvements in imaging quality and enhanced yield rates in mass production. Overall, our framework establishes a new paradigm for optical degradation correction in glass-plastic hybrid lens systems by synergizing the front-end lens assembly process with the back-end degradation correction method. This new paradigm represents an inaugural effort within the optical engineering domain.

Development and Field Testing of the Technical Implementation Unit for Lowland Automatic Water Level Recorder (AWLR BTR) for Water Level Measurement in Jejangkit Lowland Irrigation Area, South Kalimantan

Observation of water levels using tide gauge is typically conducted by designated personnel or observers. However, its on-field implementation is deemed to be less effective due to the relatively low accuracy of readings. Additionally, hourly water level readings are necessary to generate detailed tidal patterns. Hence, Automatic Water Level Recorder (AWLR) plays a crucial role as an alternative to tide gauge. The utilization of AWLR is considered more practical, yielding more accurate reading data. Furthermore, readings can be conducted continuously, ensuring data acquisition in all conditions. The development of the AWLR BTR system involved literature reviews, software development, hardware assembly, device testing, field trials, and data comparison with the Valeport Tide Gauge. Field trials were conducted at DIR Jejangkit, South Kalimantan. The conducted trials involved operating the AWLR BTR and comparing it with the Valeport AWLR data for validation. Through calculations, the comparison of data between AWLR BTR and AWLR Valeport demonstrates similar water level values, where the average value from AWLR BTR data is 39,69 and Valeport is 39,55. Meanwhile, the Pearson correlation coefficient between the water levels of AWLR BTR and AWLR Valeport is found to be 0,9976, indicating a strong positive correlation between these two data variables.

Simultaneous localization and mapping of mobile robots with multi-sensor fusion

Abstract Simultaneous localization and map building of mobile robots is an important research direction in robotics, and multi-sensor fusion is one of the key technologies for mobile robots to achieve autonomous navigation. In this paper, firstly, based on the framework of the SLAM system, we analyze the extraction of FAST feature points and BRIEF feature descriptor matching and propose the CSD-ORB algorithm. Secondly, the FKCS-LD algorithm based on the fusion map key frame and center selection strategy is proposed. The suitable multi-sensor fusion SLAM system is selected to build the back-end optimization algorithm based on the bit-pose map. Finally, we complete the comparison experiments of the multi-sensor fusion SLAM system on standard data sets, robot hardware assembly and software environment construction, and actual field testing. The experimental data show that the trajectory calculation accuracy can be further improved by using local map tracking, i.e., the current frame and local keyframe to calculate the bit pose, in which the maximum error is 6 cm, the root mean square error is reduced to 3.6 cm, the maximum value of local optimization is 0.66034, the minimum value is 0.146232, the average is 0.32812, and the median is 0.33023. The experiment proves that the multi-sensor fusion SLAM system can achieve centimeter-level accuracy and has global consistency and real-time performance, and can effectively complete the task of simultaneous robot positioning and map building.

Identification and Archive of Mars 2020 Spacecraft Microbial Isolates.

To support NASA's Mars 2020 mission, bioassays were performed to ensure the biological cleanliness of the spacecraft, instruments, and hardware assembly areas. Bioassays began in May 2014, as the first components were assembled, and continued until their launch in July 2020. Over this 6-year period, 1811 bioassay sampling sessions were conducted. To understand the nature of microbiological presence on and around the spacecraft, an archive of organisms resulting from the bioassays was assembled. This archive included 4232 microbial specimens preserved as frozen stocks. To date, more than 3489 microbial isolates have been tested by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis. Identifications were based on high confidence level matches to known microorganisms in the reference spectra database where 39 distinct genera were identified. Gram-positive bacteria were isolated almost exclusively. Most, but not all, were spore-forming genera. The most prevalent genera isolated in order of frequency were Bacillus, Priestia, Paenibacillus, Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, and Streptomyces. Within the largely represented Bacillus-like genera, the five most prevalent species were cereus, licheniformis, horneckiae, subtilis, and safensis.

Evaluation of Effects of Impurities in Nuclear Fuel and Assembly Hardware on Radiation Source Term and Shielding

Evaluation of Effects of Impurities in Nuclear Fuel and Assembly Hardware on Radiation Source Term and Shielding

Development and Application of a Novel Pressure System for Evaluating Trauma Severities Using a Physiological Approach After Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats

The fluid percussion injury (FPI) model is a surgical method for mimicking traumatic brain injury (TBI) models as it automatically and accurately measures peak impact pressure. Nevertheless, its elevated costs have led numerous researchers to develop more inexpensive alternative methods. Therefore, we used a copy of the classic FPI device to develop a novel method to evaluate the pressure pulse and determine injury severity with even more precision during the surgical procedure to induce an injury. The electronic components, algorithms, and hardware assembly were initially studied. Adult male Wistar rats received 2 different impact forces, and our novel system measured the pressure pulse in atmospheres to verify the differences between mild and moderate severity and the physiological alterations. The newly developed system was capable of detecting differences between mild and moderate severity, and severity parameters (e.g., apnea and unconsciousness) were more significant in animals with more moderate FPI than those with mild FPI. Additionally, electrocardiographic signals were modified 1day after TBI, and mild and moderate FPI decreased R-wave peak to R-wave peak intervals (increased heart rate) and high frequency (HF) index as well as increased low frequency (LF) and low frequency/high frequency ratio indices. All electrocardiographic parameters evaluated were more expressive in the more moderate FPI than in the mild one, corroborating clinical heart impairments after TBI. The method developed to evaluate pressure pulse in an FPI model proved capable of precisely determining different degrees of injury.

A unified calibration method of 3D laser profile measurement with different of laser-line lengths

PurposeExisting calibration methods mainly focus on the camera laser-plane calibration of a single laser-line length, which is not convenient and cannot guarantee the consistency of the results when several three-dimensional (3D) scanners are involved. Thus, this study aims to provide a unified step for different laser-line length calibration requirements for laser profile measurement (LPM) systems.Design/methodology/approach3D LPM is the process of converting physical objects into 3D digital models, wherein camera laser-plane calibration is critical for ensuring system precision. However, conventional calibration methods for 3D LPM typically use a calibration target to calibrate the system for a single laser-line length, which needs multiple calibration patterns and makes the procedure complicated. In this paper, a unified calibration method was proposed to automatically calibrate the camera laser-plane parameters for the LPM systems with different laser-line lengths. The authors designed an elaborate planar calibration target with different-sized rings that mounted on a motorized linear platform to calculate the laser-plane parameters of the LPM systems. Then, the camera coordinates of the control points are obtained using the intersection line between the laser line and the planar target. With a new proposed error correction model, the errors caused by hardware assembly can be corrected. To validate the proposed method, three LPM devices with different laser-line lengths are used to verify the proposed system. Experimental results show that the proposed method can calibrate the LPM systems with different laser-line lengths conveniently with standard steps.FindingsThe repeatability and accuracy of the proposed calibration prototypes were evaluated with high-precision workpieces. The experiments have shown that the proposed method is highly adaptive and can automatically calibrate the LPM system with different laser-line lengths with high accuracy.Research limitations/implicationsIn the repeatability experiments, there were errors in the measured heights of the test workpieces, and this is because the laser emitter had the best working distance and laser-line length.Practical implicationsBy using this proposed method and device, the calibration of the 3D scanning laser device can be done in an automatic way.Social implicationsThe calibration efficiency of a laser camera device is increased.Originality/valueThe authors proposed a unified calibration method for LPM systems with different laser-line lengths that consist of a motorized linear joint and a calibration target with elaborately designed ring patterns; the authors realized the automatic parameter calibration.

3D Printing in LMICs: Functional Design for Upper Limb Prosthetics in Uganda

Meeting the needs of persons with upper limb loss in Uganda requires an understanding of the needs and desires of the local population. The limitations of resources and accessibility for the individual gave rise to a focused design methodology for delivering a culturally acceptable solution using 3D Printing technology. A series of co-design activities were held in Uganda and provided direct feedback to drive the design of two prototypes based on acceptable aesthetics and priority Activities of Daily Living. Two terminal device prototypes were 3D printed in the UK. These can be directly attached to a standard proximal socket thread. The passive hand was printed in a flexible filament and the prehensor was printed in a durable impact resistant material. Local researchers in Uganda have similar 3D printers, filaments, and assembly hardware, which allowed for concurrent development and refinement of the prototypes. Local participation provides a rich user feedback environment to understand which elements of prosthetic device design are integral to delivering acceptable prosthetics solutions for fabrication in Uganda. 3D printing can provide a viable route to addressing the needs of the user. The proposed terminal devices are now in the process of being printed locally for field testing.

Design Application of Augmented Reality-Based Computer Device Assembly Practicum Modules

The adaptation and use of digital technology have presented various opportunities and challenges for actors involved in educational services, i.e., colleges, educators, and students. Augmented reality has recently emerged as one of the digital technologies that have attracted the attention of many academies and practitioners; in addition, AR technology has brought about a change in the way users and machines interact that can teach and direct students to handle the topic of lessons differently and more proactively. This study aims to design and build an android-based Augmented Reality (AR) computer hardware assembly practicum module application as an alternative learning media in the computer hardware device assembly practicum module, which is expected in a learning activity to be more exciting and increase students' skills about computer assembly through AR technology can be one of the solutions to overcome the practicum module which was previously still in the form of a textbook and was not yet technology-based. The research method used is the Multimedia Development Life Cycle (MDLC), which consists of six stages, namely concept, design, material, collection, assembly, testing, and distribution. The results of the practicum module application with Augmented Reality technology can be run on mobile devices with an Android operating system for version 5.1 and above, and this module has a feature that can introduce 3-D objects of hardware devices and simulate the assembly of hardware devices 3D objects 3D IC processor components and mainboards that are driven with the touch of a finger by pairing elements (Drag and Drop).

Automated assembly of non-rigid objects

Many assembled products contain parts that are not rigid, and there is a large variety of such parts, which might be as different as cables, sheet metals, plastic covers, or foams. The assembly processes of such products may also involve non-rigidity in the tools used. Non-rigidity in the parts and tools adds additional degrees of freedom to the assembly processes and systems, which, on the one hand, adds engineering complexity, and on the other hand, may be the key for superior solutions. This paper reviews recent developments in models, methods, handling techniques, and control of such parts at the assembly station and systems levels with a main focus on applications related to the manufacturing industry. The core areas of knowledge addressed by this paper cover advanced models for non-rigid objects, process and system planning, new tooling, and new control concepts based on perception and human-robot interaction. More research work is expected in the field of modelling and perception due to the development of computer vision, robotics, and artificial intelligence. New advances on the processing and assembly hardware can also be expected due to the highly active research field of soft material robotics and high-payload-gripping with soft material versatility.

A microfluidic Braille valve platform for on-demand production, combinatorial screening and sorting of chemically distinct droplets.

Droplet microfluidics is a powerful tool for a variety of biological applications including single-cell genetics, antibody discovery and directed evolution. All these applications make use of genetic libraries, illustrating the difficulty of generating chemically distinct droplets for screening applications. This protocol describes our Braille Display valving platform for on-demand generation of droplets with different chemical contents (16 different reagents and combinations thereof), as well as sorting droplets with different chemical properties, on the basis of fluorescence signals. The Braille Display platform is compact, versatile and cost efficient (only ~US$1,000 on top of a standard droplet microfluidics setup). The procedure includes manufacturing of microfluidic chips, assembly of custom hardware, co-encapsulation of cells and drugs into droplets, fluorescence detection of readout signals and data analysis using shared, freely available LabVIEW and Python packages. As a first application, we demonstrate the complete workflow for screening cancer cell drug sensitivities toward 74 conditions. Furthermore, we describe here an assay enabling the normalization of the observed drug sensitivity to the number of cancer cells per droplet, which additionally increases the robustness of the system. As a second application, we also demonstrate the sorting of droplets according to enzymatic activity. The drug screening application can be completed within 2 d; droplet sorting takes ~1 d; and all preparatory steps for manufacturing molds, chips and setting up the Braille controller can be accomplished within 1 week.

ViviPaint: Creating Dynamic Painting with a Thermochromic Toolkit

New materials and technologies facilitate the design of thermochromic dynamic paintings. However, creating a thermochromic painting requires knowledge of electrical engineering and computer science, which is a barrier for artists and enthusiasts with non-technology backgrounds. Existing toolkits only support limited design space and fail to provide usable solutions for independent creation and for meeting the needs of the artists. We present ViviPaint, a toolkit that assists artists and enthusiasts in creating thermochromic paintings easily and conveniently. We summarized the pain points and challenges by observing a professional artist’s entire thermochromic painting creation process. We then designed ViviPaint consisting of a design tool and a set of hardware components. The design tool provides a GUI animation choreography interface, hardware assembly guidance, and assistance in assembly process. The hardware components comprise an augmented picture frame with a detachable structure and 24 temperature-changing units using Peltier elements. The results of our evaluation study (N = 8) indicate that our toolkit is easy to use and effectively assists users in creating thermochromic paintings.

A Novel Efficient Convolutional Neural Algorithm for Multi-Category Aliasing Hardware Recognition.

When performing robotic automatic sorting and assembly operations of multi-category hardware, there are some problems with the existing convolutional neural network visual recognition algorithms, such as large computing power consumption, low recognition efficiency, and a high rate of missed detection and false detection. A novel efficient convolutional neural algorithm for multi-category aliasing hardware recognition is proposed in this paper. On the basis of SSD, the novel algorithm uses Resnet-50 instead of VGG16 as the backbone feature extraction network, and it integrates ECA-Net and Improved Spatial Attention Block (ISAB): two attention mechanisms to improve the ability of learning and extract target features. Then, we pass the weighted features to extra feature layers to build an improved SSD algorithm. At last, in order to compare the performance difference between the novel algorithm and the existing algorithms, three kinds of hardware with different sizes are chosen to constitute an aliasing scene that can simulate an industrial site, and some comparative experiments have been completed finally. The experimental results show that the novel algorithm has an mAP of 98.20% and FPS of 78, which are better than Faster R-CNN, YOLOv4, YOLOXs, EfficientDet-D1, and original SSD in terms of comprehensive performance. The novel algorithm proposed in this paper can improve the efficiency of robotic sorting and assembly of multi-category hardware.

Photon-Counting Detectors in Computed Tomography: A Review

AbstractPhoton-counting computed tomography (CT) is a new technique that has the potential to revolutionize clinical CT and is predicted to be the next significant advancement. In recent years, tremendous research has been conducted to demonstrate the developments in hardware assembly and its working principles. The articles in this review were obtained by conducting a search of the MEDLINE database. Photon-counting detectors (PCDs) provide excellent quality diagnostic images with high spatial resolution, reduced noise, artifacts, increased contrast-to-noise ratio, and multienergy data acquisition as compared with conventionally used energy-integrating detector (EID). The search covered articles published between 2011 and 2021. The title and abstract of each article were reviewed as determined by the search strategy. From these, eligible studies and articles that provided the working and clinical application of PCDs were selected. This article aims to provide a systematic review of the basic working principles of PCDs, emphasize the uses and clinical applications of PCDs, and compare it to EIDs. It provides a nonmathematical explanation and understanding of photon-counting CT systems for radiologists as well as clinicians.