Interface Device Research Articles

A Methodology for the Systematic Selection of Human-Machine Interface Device Types in Production Machinery Development

Progressive digitization accelerates the evolution of human-machine interface (HMI) technologies. In mechanical engineering, HMIs are decisive for accomplishing user-friendly, efficient, and effective machine control. Although various technologies, such as AR-glasses, have already been applied in industrial practice, mechanical engineering companies still face tremendous challenges in selecting and implementing suitable HMI devices. Therefore, this paper presents a novel methodology for systematically evaluating and selecting a suitable HMI device type for production machinery in mechanical engineering product development. The methodology provides a use case-specific process considering the company's resources, innovation strategy, and other relevant criteria enabling the systematic selection of a suitable HMI device type out of a predefined set of existing options. A case study demonstrates the applicability and practicability of the methodology.

Industrial Techno and SID Sound Design in the Commodore 64 GameSlipstream

Slipstream is a rail shooter developed by the group Bauknecht. The soundtrack, composed by Ronny Engmann, accentuates the game’s futuristic space setting and emphasis on speed by invoking the electronic dance music style of industrial techno, which combines the taut grooves of minimal techno with the abrasive sonics of early industrial music to make for an intensification of the sound that made the club scenes of Detroit and Berlin famous. Despite the Commodore 64 being a supposedly obsolete 8-bit platform that had its manufacture stopped decades ago, contemporary composers like Engmann are compelled to use the machine for its SID (Sound Interface Device) chip, which stands apart from the sound chips of other 8-bit home computers and consoles due to its variety of waveform types, filtering capabilities, ring modulation, and oscillator sync effects. The skills that Engmann developed while exploring the affordances of this versatile chip enabled him to compose a video game soundtrack that is informed by his engagement with the Berlin techno scene from the early 1990s onward. Drawing from ethnographic interviews with Engmann and Slipstream’s programmer Stefan Mader, this article demonstrates how techno’s pivotal theme of synergistic existence of humanity with technology resonates with an ecstatic feeling of forward propulsion that characterizes Slipstream. Focusing on the musical dimension of timbre and addressing the practical issues of modern cross-platform development through an analysis of Engmann’s project files for the Commodore 64 music tool GoatTracker, this article shows that Slipstream’s soundtrack is exemplary in effectively harnessing electronic dance music as video game music.

Tunable asymmetric magnetoresistance in an Fe3GeTe2/graphite/Fe3GeTe2 lateral spin valve.

van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnetic heterojunctions, characterized by an ultraclean device interface and the absence of lattice matching, have emerged as indispensable and efficient building blocks for future spintronic devices. In this study, we present a seldom observed antisymmetric magnetoresistance (MR) behavior with three distinctive resistance states in a lateral van der Waals (vdW) structure comprising Fe3GeTe2 (FGT)/graphite/FGT. In contrast to traditional spin valves governed by the magnetization configurations of ferromagnetic electrodes (FEs), this distinct feature can be attributed to the interaction between FGT and the FGT/graphite interface, which is primarily influenced by the internal spin-momentum locking effect. Furthermore, modulation of the MR behavior is accomplished by employing the coupling between antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic materials to adjust the coercive fields of two FEs subsequent to the in situ growth of an FGT oxide layer on FGT. This study elucidates the device physics and mechanism of property modulation in lateral spin valves and holds the potential for advancing the development of gate-tunable spintronic devices and next-generation integrated circuits.

Observing the Performance of Interface Device for Communicating Based on a Half-Duplex System by Giving a Realistic Condition

This article explains about a stage after the stage of the verification test, there is a phase of a form of prior activity to the final stage, i.e., the hot commissioning phase. Hot commissioning is a stage for providing a realistic condition or validation test activity. Based on the follow-up activity which is the reason for choosing the title, therefore the two research objectives in this article are set. The first objective is to create conditions for the system when the end user controls through the radio-based electronic device, whereas the second objective is to create conditions for the system when the end user controls through the telephony-based electronic device. The steps of research methods for achieving the research objectives are carried out through (i) calling activities, (ii) connecting process, and (iii) disconnecting activities after obtaining a connection to communicate from a radio-based device (using the handy talky, HT) and from the telephony-based device (used the mobile phone). The two results based on research objectives have been obtained after observation regarding activities of calling activity, making telephone calls, and termination activity after connecting from radio-based and telephony-based devices. Based on the research results, it can be concluded that the half duplex-based interface device for communicating (IDC) functioned after the realistic conditions is given.

Devising an approach to analyze the parameters for determining potential premodified firmware of USB devices

This paper reports the results of experiments and studies involving different types of devices that can implement a BadUSB scenario, for example, BadUSB, Rubber Ducky, which, when connected to a computer, impersonate a device with a Human Interface Device, emulating other devices such as a keyboard and mouse. Given the problem of the lack of management tools for detecting preliminary modifications of USB devices against attacks based on the seizure of computer control, a software and hardware system is proposed as an object of study. It is implemented programmatically in the Arduino IDE environment, and physically it is made on the Arduino Mega board with Shield, which reads the parameters of the devices. It monitors the startup of USB devices and checks each device for pre-retrofitting by passing HID descriptors from the connected hardware. Having parsed the data using Python, the data are represented in the appropriate form for analysis, on the basis of which a decision is made by the system on the possible preliminary modification of the USB drive from which these data came. This is due to the detailed consideration and thorough analysis of data, data types, temporal characteristics of data transmitted along different channels. The technical characteristics and functionality of USB devices were investigated; the parameters transmitted at the moment when they are supplied with power were determined. The system can draw a conclusion based on the analysis according to its algorithm and block a suspicious USB device that has been connected and that can intercept control over the computer. The results of the study could be used in the field of protection of information systems from attacks based on the seizure of control from external media. The designed solution increases the level of security of the system, making it possible to recognize a possibly pre-modified device at the connection stage

A flexible neural implant with ultrathin substrate for low-invasive brain–computer interface applications

Implantable brain–computer interface (BCI) devices are an effective tool to decipher fundamental brain mechanisms and treat neural diseases. However, traditional neural implants with rigid or bulky cross-sections cause trauma and decrease the quality of the neuronal signal. Here, we propose a MEMS-fabricated flexible interface device for BCI applications. The microdevice with a thin film substrate can be readily reduced to submicron scale for low-invasive implantation. An elaborate silicon shuttle with an improved structure is designed to reliably implant the flexible device into brain tissue. The flexible substrate is temporarily bonded to the silicon shuttle by polyethylene glycol. On the flexible substrate, eight electrodes with different diameters are distributed evenly for local field potential and neural spike recording, both of which are modified by Pt-black to enhance the charge storage capacity and reduce the impedance. The mechanical and electrochemical characteristics of this interface were investigated in vitro. In vivo, the small cross-section of the device promises reduced trauma, and the neuronal signals can still be recorded one month after implantation, demonstrating the promise of this kind of flexible BCI device as a low-invasive tool for brain–computer communication.

A novel model based on a 1D-ResCNN and transfer learning for processing EEG attenuation

EEG signals are valuable signals in clinical medicine, brain research, and the study of neurological illnesses. However, EEG signal attenuation may occur at any time from signal generation through BCI device acquisition due to defects in the brain–computer interface (BCI) devices, restrictions in the dynamic network, and individual variations across the subjects. The attenuation of EEG data will alter the data distribution and lead to information fuzziness, substantially influencing subsequent EEG research. A model based on one-dimensional residual convolutional neural networks (1D-ResCNN) and transfer learning is proposed in this article to reduce the negative impacts of EEG attenuation. An end-to-end manner maps an attenuated EEG signal to a normal EEG signal. The structure employs a multi-level residual connection structure with varying weight coefficients, transferring characteristics from the bottom to the top of the convolutional neural network, enhancing feature learning. In addition, we initialize the subsequent denoising model using the transfer learning method. The combination of these two networks can well solve the attenuation problem of EEG signals. Experiments are carried out using the EEG-denoisenet data set. According to the findings, the model can yield a clear waveform with a decent SNR and RRMSE value.

Flow rate Controlled Water Sprinkler using myRIO controller and LabVIEW

Agriculture is an important component of the primary sector and is also used to develop both secondary and tertiary sectors of the economy. Therefore, agriculture is the backbone of India. Farmers suffer from various problems like debts, crop failure, mental health, technology, water problems, etc. A system has been proposed in this paper to improve farming in a sustainable method using the existing technology. Flow rate -controlled water sprinkler using a PID controller which is executed using NI LabVIEW and a interfacing device NI myRIO, has been designed. NI LabVIEW is a graphical programming tool for validation and resolving system. Sensors like the rain sensor and moisture sensor are interfaced with NI LabVIEW, with the help of NI myRIO. A flow sensor is interfaced with NI myRIO through a UART connection. Sprinkling of water to the crops based on the requirement of the soil has been accomplished using this proposed system.

Tunable Schottky contact at the graphene/Janus SMoSiN2 interface for high-efficiency electronic devices

The electrical contacts formed between the channel materials and the electrodes play a vital role in the design and fabrication of high-performance optoelectronic and nanoelectronic devices. In this work we propose combining metallic single-layer graphene (SLG) and a Janus SMoSiN2 semiconductor and investigate the electronic properties and contact types of the combined heterostructures (HTSs) using first-principles calculations. The effects of electric fields and interlayer coupling are also examined. The combined SLG/SMoSiN2 and SLG/N2SiMoS HTSs are both structurally and thermodynamically stable at equilibrium interlayer coupling. The combination between SLG and a Janus SMoSiN2 semiconductor generates a p-type or n-type Schottky contact, depending on the stacking configuration. The SLG/SMoSiN2 HTS generates a p-type Schottky contact while the SLG/N2SiMoS HTS forms an n-type one. Furthermore, applied electric field and strain can adjust the electronic features and contact types of the HTSs. An applied negative electric field and tensile strain lead to conversion from a p-type to an n-type Schottky contact in the SLG/SMoSiN2 stacking configuration, whereas a positive electric field and compressive strain give a transformation from an n-type to a p-type Schottky contact in the SLG/N2SiMoS stacking configuration. Our findings provide rational evidence for the fabrication and design of electrical and optical devices based on SLG/SMoSiN2 HTSs.

ODSearch

Mobile and wearable technologies have promised significant changes to the healthcare industry. Although cutting-edge communication and cloud-based technologies have allowed for these upgrades, their implementation and popularization in low-income countries have been challenging. We propose ODSearch, an On-device Search framework equipped with a natural language interface for mobile and wearable devices. To implement search, ODSearch employs compression and Bloom filter, it provides near real-time search query responses without network dependency. In particular, the Bloom filter reduces the temporal scope of the search and compression reduces the size of the data to be searched. Our experiments were conducted on a mobile phone and smartwatch. We compared ODSearch with current state-of-the-art search mechanisms, and it outperformed them on average by 53 times in execution time, 26 times in energy usage, and 2.3% in memory utilization.

Measures for attenuation of interference at the level of design of the measuring system of spacecraft

One of the primary tasks in the development of temperature control interface modules used as part of onboard equipment for measuring systems on spacecraft for various purposes is to justify a set of measures to ensure their noise immunity, taken at the levels design of the measuring system, measuring device and temperature control interface module. Such a justification involves an assessment of the effectiveness of possible methods for attenuating various types of interference affecting the measuring system, which determine the electromagnetic environment on the spacecraft. The article is devoted to the consideration of interference mitigation measures at the design level of the measuring system, which should be taken to ensure the required noise immunity of the temperature control interface module in combination with measures taken at other design levels. It is shown that in order to ensure the required noise immunity of the temperature control interface modules, it is necessary at the level of the measuring system design to provide for measures to mitigate interference in the power cable and in the measuring cables. In the power cable, it is possible to attenuate interference by reducing the impedance of the common electrostatic shield and the resistance of the connection of the wires of the on-board power buses, as well as by twisting the wires in the form of a twisted pair. In measuring cables, it is possible to attenuate interference by reducing the impedance of the common electrostatic shield and the resistance of communication wires of communication lines, introducing an additional electrostatic shield for individual groups of wires of communication lines, and using pair or quadruple twist in individual groups of wires.

Fabrication of 3D printing extrusion-based Nylon 12/Bi2O3 composite filaments for thermal interface device application

Fused deposition modeling (FDM), an additive manufacturing (AM) technique, is capable of printing electronic devices by employing functional filaments. Fabrication of polymer composite filament with active fillers seems promising for printing various electronic devices. This study is focused to fabricate functional Nylon 12 based composite filaments reinforced with Bismuth oxide(Bi 2 O 3) for AM technique. Bi 2 O 3 at variable concentration was reinforced within Nylon 12 matrix, 5 wt% of Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was mixed with each composition to enhance the flexibility of Nylon-12 composites. XRD and FTIR study confirmed the presence of Bi 2 O 3 within the Nylon12 while scanning electron microscope study (SEM) revealed the meticulous dispersion of Bi 2 O 3 particles within the polymer. The filaments displayed excellent improvement in thermal conductivity (TC) with the addition of semiconducting Bi 2 O 3 and the TC values complemented with theoretical models. There was significant improvement in tensile strength of filaments with addition of Bi 2 O 3 and produced refined FDM printed prototypes with minimum dimensional inaccuracies. This harnesses the potential application of 3D printed Nylon 12/Bi 2 O 3 composites in thermal interface devices for thermal management in electronic devices.

Strategies to Mitigate and Treat Orthopaedic Device-Associated Infections.

Orthopaedic device implants play a crucial role in restoring functionality to patients suffering from debilitating musculoskeletal diseases or to those who have experienced traumatic injury. However, the surgical implantation of these devices carries a risk of infection, which represents a significant burden for patients and healthcare providers. This review delineates the pathogenesis of orthopaedic implant infections and the challenges that arise due to biofilm formation and the implications for treatment. It focuses on research advancements in the development of next-generation orthopaedic medical devices to mitigate against implant-related infections. Key considerations impacting the development of devices, which must often perform multiple biological and mechanical roles, are delineated. We review technologies designed to exert spatial and temporal control over antimicrobial presentation and the use of antimicrobial surfaces with intrinsic antibacterial activity. A range of measures to control bio-interfacial interactions including approaches that modify implant surface chemistry or topography to reduce the capacity of bacteria to colonise the surface, form biofilms and cause infections at the device interface and surrounding tissues are also reviewed.

Prediction of Dispersion Rate of Airborne Nanoparticles in a Gas-Liquid Dual-Microchannel Separated by a Porous Membrane: A Numerical Study.

Recently, there has been increasing attention toward inhaled nanoparticles (NPs) to develop inhalation therapies for diseases associated with the pulmonary system and investigate the toxic effects of hazardous environmental particles on human lung health. Taking advantage of microfluidic technology for cell culture applications, lung-on-a-chip devices with great potential in replicating the lung air-blood barrier (ABB) have opened new research insights in preclinical pathology and therapeutic studies associated with aerosol NPs. However, the air interface in such devices has been largely disregarded, leaving a gap in understanding the NPs' dynamics in lung-on-a-chip devices. Here, we develop a numerical parametric study to provide insights into the dynamic behavior of the airborne NPs in a gas-liquid dual-channel lung-on-a-chip device with a porous membrane separating the channels. We develop a finite element multi-physics model to investigate particle tracing in both air and medium phases to replicate the in vivo conditions. Our model considers the impact of fluid flow and geometrical properties on the distribution, deposition, and translocation of NPs with diameters ranging from 10 nm to 900 nm. Our findings suggest that, compared to the aqueous solution of NPs, the aerosol injection of NPs offers more efficient deposition on the substrate of the air channel and higher translocation to the media channel. Comparative studies against accessible data, as well as an experimental study, verify the accuracy of the present numerical analysis. We propose a strategy to optimize the affecting parameters to control the injection and delivery of aerosol particles into the lung-on-chip device depending on the objectives of biomedical investigations and provide optimized values for some specific cases. Therefore, our study can assist scientists and researchers in complementing their experimental investigation in future preclinical studies on pulmonary pathology associated with inhaled hazardous and toxic environmental particles, as well as therapeutic studies for developing inhalation drug delivery.

Fabrication and Properties of InGaZnO Thin-Film Transistors Based on a Sol-Gel Method with Different Electrode Patterns.

The preparation of thin-film transistors (TFTs) with InGaZnO (IGZO) channels using sol-gel technology has the advantages of simplicity in terms of process and weak substrate selectivity. We prepared a series of TFT devices with a top contact and bottom gate structure, in which the top contact was divided into rectangular and circular structures of drain/source electrodes. The field-effect performance of TFT devices with circular pattern drain/source electrodes was better than that with a traditional rectangular structure on both substrates. The uniform distribution of the potential in the circular electrode structure was more conducive to the regulation of carriers under the same channel length at different applied voltages. In addition, with the development of transparent substrate devices, we also constructed a hafnium oxide (HfO2) insulation layer and an IGZO active layer on an indium tin oxide conductive substrate, and explored the effect of circular drain/source electrodes on field-effect properties of the semitransparent TFT device. The IGZO deposited on the HfO2 dielectric layer by spin-coating can effectively reduce the surface roughness of the HfO2 layer and optimize the scattering of carriers at the interface in TFT devices.

A Review of Perovskite-Based Photodetectors and Their Applications.

Perovskite photodetectors have attracted much research and attention because of their outstanding photoelectric characteristics, such as good light harvesting capability, excellent carrier migration behavior, tunable band gap, and so on. Recently, the reported studies mainly focus on materials synthesis, device structure design, interface engineering and physical mechanism analysis to improve the device characteristics, including stability, sensitivity, response speed, device noise, etc. This paper systematically summarizes the application fields and device structures of several perovskite photodetectors, including perovskite photoconductors, perovskite photodiodes, and perovskite phototransistors. Moreover, based on their molecular structure, 3D, 2D, 1D, and 0D perovskite photodetectors are introduced in detail. The research achievements and applications of perovskite photodetectors are summarized. Eventually, the future research directions and main challenges of perovskite photodetectors are prospected, and some possible solutions are proposed. The aim of the work is to provide a new thinking direction for further improving the performance of perovskite photodetectors.

Recurrent Convolutional Neural Network-Based Assessment of Power System Transient Stability and Short-Term Voltage Stability

Transient stability (TS) and short-term voltage stability (STVS) assessment are of fundamental importance for the operation security of power systems. Both phenomena can be mutually influenced in weak power systems due to the proliferation of power electronic interface devices and the phase-out of conventional heavy machines (e.g., thermal power plants). There is little research on the assessment of both types of stability together, despite the fact that they develop over the same short-term period, and that they can have a major influence on the overall transient performance driven by large electrical disturbances (e.g., short circuits). This work addresses this open research challenge by proposing a methodology for the joint assessment of TS and STVS. The methodology aims at estimating the resulting short-term stability state (STSS) in stable, or unstable conditions, following critical events, such as the synchronism loss of synchronous generators (SG) or the stalling of induction motors (IM). The estimations capture the mechanisms responsible for the degradations of TS and STVS, respectively. The paper overviews the off-line design of the data-driven STSS classification methodology, which supports the design and training of a hybrid deep neural network RCNN (recurrent convolutional neural network). The RCNN can automatically capture spatial and temporal features from the power system through a time series of selected physical variables, which results in a high estimation degree for STSS in real-time applications. The methodology is tested on the New England 39-bus system, where the results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed methodology over other traditional and deep learning-based methodologies. For reference purposes, the numerical tests also illustrate the classification performance in special situations, when the training is performed by exclusively using measurements from generation and motor load buses, which constitute locations where the investigated stability can be observed.

A Sparse Sampling Sensor Front-end IC for Low Power Continuous SpO 2 & HR Monitoring.

Photoplethysmography (PPG) is an attractive method to acquire vital signs such as heart rate and blood oxygenation and is frequently used in clinical and at-home settings. Continuous operation of health monitoring devices demands a low power sensor that does not restrict the device battery life. Silicon photodiodes (PD) and LEDs are commonly used as interface devices in PPG sensors; however, using of flexible organic devices can enhance the sensor conformality and reduce the cost of fabrication. In most PPG sensors, most of system power consumption is concentrated in powering LEDs, traditionally consuming mWs. Using organic devices further increases this power demand since these devices exhibit larger parasitic capacitances and typically need higher drive voltages. This work presents a sensor IC for continuous SpO 2 and HR monitoring that features an on-chip reconstruction-free sparse sampling algorithm to reduce the overall system power consumption by ∼70% while maintaining the accuracy of the output information. The designed frontend is compatible with a wide range of devices from silicon PDs to organic PDs with parasitic capacitances up to 10 nF. Implemented in a 40 nm HV CMOS process, the chip occupies 2.43 mm 2 and consumes 49.7 μW and 15.2 μW of power in continuous and sparse sampling modes respectively. The performance of the sensor IC has been verified in vivo with both types of devices and the results are compared against a clinical grade reference. Less than 1 bpm and 1% mean absolute errors were achieved in both continuous and sparse modes of operation.

Consumable CdS nanolayer enables increased performance in kesterite solar cells

Although the ohmic-contact and electrostatic field can be regulated by the intermediate layer for efficient carrier extraction, challenges remain in high-quality back contact as well as improved quality of crystallized CZTSSe absorber layer simultaneously. Here, we introduce a controllable CdS nanolayer prepared by the chemical bath deposition (CBD) process between the CZTS precursors and Mo back contact. The results disclose that the surface chemistry of the naked Mo film can be modified by the formed CdS nanolayer and thus MoS2 complex during the chemical bath process. However, such CdS nanolayer and MoS2 complex can be readily consumed during the following selenization process, without deteriorating the ohmic-back contact. Simultaneously, the as-grown CZTSSe absorber is not only with high crystallinity and less composition fluctuations, but also doped by Cd2+. Subsequently the efficiency of CZTSSe solar cells is increased by 26% as CdS nanolayer is introduced. This work provides a cost-effective and universal approach to design and modify the interface or surface of photovoltaic and photoelectrochemical devices.

An Energy-Efficient Domain-Specific Reconfigurable Array Processor With Heterogeneous PEs for Wearable Brain–Computer Interface SoCs

Recently, there is increasing demand for energy-efficient signal processing in wearable visual-stimuli-based brain-computer interface (V-BCI) devices. For the better accuracy and the reduced latency of the V-BCI system, the target identification (TI) algorithm that analyzes brain signals is being advanced, and the importance of an energy-efficient accelerating chip that processes various linear algebra operations constituting the TI algorithms is growing. In this paper, we propose a domain-specific reconfigurable array processor (RAP) with a dynamically reconfigurable and scalable array including 5-heterogeneous processing elements (PEs) for the energy-efficient acceleration of basic linear algebra subprograms (BLAS) and matrix decompositions. The system-on-chip (SoC), including the proposed RAP, was fabricated in 130-nm CMOS technology with an area of 16.87-mm2 and measured at 1.0 V 90 MHz. The RAP achieved an information transfer rate (ITR) of 139.9-bits/min and a TI accuracy of 95.4% on a fabricated chip through an optimized TI algorithm and scalable array processing. In addition, the RAP has <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$16.8\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> higher TI energy efficiency than prior work and achieved an energy efficiency of 2144.2-bits/min/mW for information transfer processing rate with the proposed TI algorithm. The RAP supports a greater variety of linear algebra operations and data sizes with hardware reconfiguration than the prior accelerators.