Spatial Position Data Research Articles

Comparing Individual Tree Height Information Derived from Field Surveys, LiDAR and UAV-DAP for High-Value Timber Species in Northern Japan

High-value timber species such as monarch birch (Betula maximowicziana Regel), castor aralia (Kalopanax septemlobus (Thunb.) Koidz), and Japanese oak (Quercus crispula Blume) play important ecological and economic roles in forest management in the cool temperate mixed forests in northern Japan. The accurate measurement of their tree height is necessary for both practical management and scientific reasons such as estimation of biomass and site index. In this study, we investigated the similarity of individual tree heights derived from conventional field survey, digital aerial photographs derived from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV-DAP) data and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. We aimed to assess the applicability of UAV-DAP in obtaining individual tree height information for large-sized high-value broadleaf species. The spatial position, tree height, and diameter at breast height (DBH) were measured in the field for 178 trees of high-value broadleaf species. In addition, we manually derived individual tree height information from UAV-DAP and LiDAR data with the aid of spatial position data and high resolution orthophotographs. Tree heights from three different sources were cross-compared statistically through paired sample t-test, correlation coefficient, and height-diameter model. We found that UAV-DAP derived tree heights were highly correlated with LiDAR tree height and field measured tree height. The performance of individual tree height measurement using traditional field survey is likely to be influenced by individual species. Overall mean height difference between LiDAR and UAV-DAP derived tree height indicates that UAV-DAP could underestimate individual tree height for target high-value timber species. The height-diameter models revealed that tree height derived from LiDAR and UAV-DAP could be better explained by DBH with lower prediction errors than field measured tree height. We confirmed the applicability of UAV-DAP data for obtaining the individual tree height of large-size high-value broadleaf species with comparable accuracy to LiDAR and field survey. The result of this study will be useful for the species-specific forest management of economically high-value timber species.

Measurement and Analysis of Gait Pattern during Stair Walk for Improvement of Robotic Locomotion Rehabilitation System.

Background Robotic locomotion rehabilitation systems have been used for gait training in patients who have had a stroke. Most commercialized systems allow patients to perform simple exercises such as balancing or level walking, but an additional function such as stair-walk training is required to provide a wide range of recovery cycle rehabilitation. In this study, we analyzed stair-gait patterns and applied the result to a robotic rehabilitation system that can provide a vertical motion of footplates. Methods To obtain applicable data for the robotic system with vertically movable footplates, stair-walk action was measured using an optical marker-based motion capture system. The spatial position data of joints during stair walking was obtained from six healthy adults who participated in the experiment. The measured marker data were converted into joint kinematic data by using an algorithm that included resampling and normalization. The spatial position data are represented as angular trajectories and the relative displacement of each joint on the anatomical sagittal plane and movements of hip joints on the anatomical transverse plane. Results The average range of motion (ROM) of each joint was estimated as (−6.75°, 48.69°) at the hip, (8.20°, 93.78°) at the knee, and (−17.78°, 11.75°) at the ankle during ascent and as (6.41°, 31.67°) at the hip, (7.38°, 91.93°) at the knee, and (−24.89°, 24.18°) at the ankle during descent. Additionally, we attempted to create a more natural stair-gait pattern by analyzing the movement of the hip on the anatomical transverse plane. The hip movements were estimated to within ±1.57 cm and ±2.00 cm for hip translation and to within ±2.52° and ±2.70° for hip rotation during stair ascent and stair descent, respectively. Conclusions Based on the results, standard patterns of stair ascent and stair descent were derived and applied to a lower-limb rehabilitation robot with vertically movable footplates. The relative trajectory from the experiment ascertained that the function of stair walking in the robotic system properly worked within a normal ROM.

Multiphoton minimal inertia scanning for fast acquisition of neural activity signals

Objective. Multi-photon laser scanning microscopy provides a powerful tool for monitoring the spatiotemporal dynamics of neural circuit activity. It is, however, intrinsically a point scanning technique. Standard raster scanning enables imaging at subcellular resolution; however, acquisition rates are limited by the size of the field of view to be scanned. Recently developed scanning strategies such as travelling salesman scanning (TSS) have been developed to maximize cellular sampling rate by scanning only select regions in the field of view corresponding to locations of interest such as somata. However, such strategies are not optimized for the mechanical properties of galvanometric scanners. We thus aimed to develop a new scanning algorithm which produces minimal inertia trajectories, and compare its performance with existing scanning algorithms. Approach. We describe here the adaptive spiral scanning (SSA) algorithm, which fits a set of near-circular trajectories to the cellular distribution to avoid inertial drifts of galvanometer position. We compare its performance to raster scanning and TSS in terms of cellular sampling frequency and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Main Results. Using surrogate neuron spatial position data, we show that SSA acquisition rates are an order of magnitude higher than those for raster scanning and generally exceed those achieved by TSS for neural densities comparable with those found in the cortex. We show that this result also holds true for in vitro hippocampal mouse brain slices bath loaded with the synthetic calcium dye Cal-520 AM. The ability of TSS to ‘park’ the laser on each neuron along the scanning trajectory, however, enables higher SNR than SSA when all targets are precisely scanned. Raster scanning has the highest SNR but at a substantial cost in number of cells scanned. To understand the impact of sampling rate and SNR on functional calcium imaging, we used the Cramér–Rao Bound on evoked calcium traces recorded simultaneously with electrophysiology traces to calculate the lower bound estimate of the spike timing occurrence. Significance. The results show that TSS and SSA achieve comparable accuracy in spike time estimates compared to raster scanning, despite lower SNR. SSA is an easily implementable way for standard multi-photon laser scanning systems to gain temporal precision in the detection of action potentials while scanning hundreds of active cells.

Instrumented flight test of flapping micro air vehicle

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the procedure and results from instrumented flight test performed on the flapping MAVs being developed by the authors. A test is performed using a test measurement system to obtain the real characteristics of the flapping vehicles during their flight.Design/methodology/approach – The test is performed in an indoor flight test facility, equipped with a motion capture system and tracking cameras. Spatial position data are obtained from the vehicles with retro‐reflective tracking markers attached. A quantitative analysis is carried out through the investigation and interpretation of the test data for the flight performance assessment of the vehicles.Findings – The finding of the analysis addresses that the test enabled the numerical measurement of vehicles' flying performance and shows the present vehicles have combined characteristics of both birds and insects.Practical implications – The test metrics attempted in the present study are applicable to the test...

Automatic extraction and visualization of spatial position data for bulk porosities in laser weldments with complex structures

Abstract The left and right-turning scheme of weldments was adopted to detect small porosities in laser weldments with complex structures. Detection images were obtained in this study. An algorithm that determines the optimal structure elements for morphology simulation was provided to achieve fidelity segmentation of small porosities. Mathematical models for the defect depth and deviation of bulk porosities were established based on the geometric features of laser weldments. Thus, the features of spatial distribution of small porosities were determined. To improve detection efficiency, the automatic extraction of spatial position data for bulk porosities was divided into two parts: automatic extraction of projection distance, which is important for the determination of weld porosity depth and deviation, and automatic extraction of porosity size. The porosity distribution in the longitudinal direction was obtained by automatic searching, and the features of the spatial distribution of weld porosities were procured. A 3D model of laser weldments was established to visualize the spatial distribution of porosities. Extracted data were inputted to the model, and the spatial positions of bulk porosities were visualized.

Measuring the spatial intensity distribution of high-power focused laser beams using a rotating-wire type laser beam analyser. I. Theory

The beam 'diameter' or 'spot size' and the spatial distribution of power density at the focal point of the high-power laser beams used in laser materials processing applications are fundamental process parameters. The ability to measure these process parameters accurately is essential for effective control of these laser materials processes. In this two part article, the theory and application of a rotating-wire type laser beam analyser (LBA) device for measurement of both the spatial distribution of power density and beam 'diameter' of a converging/diverging (focused) high-power laser beam are presented. In this article, theoretical analyses using geometrical optics are presented for the determination of the sampling path through the beam, the spatial resolution of the LBA, and the transformation relationship between the output voltage versus time signal produced by the LBA detector and the desired power density versus spatial position data. The analyses showed that operation and correct interpretation of measured results from the LBA are strongly dependent upon the relative position of the LBA measurement plane and the laser beam focal plane. This work shows that the LBA can be used to measure the spatial intensity distribution of unattenuated, focused laser beams from high-power lasers.