Technical University Of Denmark Research Articles

Fabrication of micro-structured surfaces by additive manufacturing, with simulation of dynamic contact angle

This work presents an Additive Manufacturing (AM) based method for production of components with micro-structured surfaces. Vat photopolymerization was used for the experiments by an AM custom-build machine at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Components with micro holes were printed in different sizes and the uniformity of them analyzed. Subsequently, in order to assess the functionality of the surface, the water droplet contact angle was measured to evaluate the wettability of the different components with micro holes. It was found that it was possible to fabricate the components with micro holes using precision AM process. The printed substrate exhibited hydrophobicity as a hydrophilic material (intrinsic contact angle of 65°). A hydrophobic surface was achieved with the printed features exhibiting a maximum contact angle of 113°. Additionally, the volume of fluid (VOF) method was employed to predict the surface contact angle. The predicted results were validated by comparison against the experiments. The average value from experiments was predicted by the model. However, it was noted that the cross-sectional height profile of the structures and the surface roughness of the printed samples, were not precisely replicated as designed, which slightly affects the prediction results, though, similar prediction trend was observed.

Satellite Forensics: Analysing Sparse Beacon Data to Reveal the Fate of DTUsat-2

The CubeSat DTUsat-2 was designed and built by students and faculty at the Technical University of Denmark and launched to low earth orbit on June 2014. Its mission was to aid ornithologists in bird migration research. Shortly after launch and orbit injection, it became apparent that all was not nominal. To understand the problem and find the causes, a forensic investigation was initiated. The investigation used recorded Morse-encoded beacons emitted by the satellite as a starting point. This paper presents the real-life data from DTUsat-2 on orbit and the methodologies used to visualize the key element in the investigation, namely, the correlation between orbit position and the beacon counter. Based on the data presented, an explanation for the observed behaviour of DTUsat-2 is given.

A bibliometric analysis of top-cited papers in the biogas field

We identified and analyzed the characteristics of the 100 top-cited papers in the field of biogas using the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science database. The characteristics analyzed were the publication year, type of document, journal of publication, country and research institution, and citation life cycle. The top-cited papers were published between 1988 and 2015, with the majority published between 2006 and 2011, and were from 36 countries. These papers appeared in 44 journals and represent 28 Web of Science categories. Germany published most of the papers and the Technical University of Denmark was the most productive research institution.

(Invited) Ex-Situ Tracking of Microstructural Evolution in Solid Oxide Cell Electrodes with Ptychographic Nanotomography

The 3D morphology of solid oxide cell (SOC) electrode microstructure and its evolution has a strong impact on the SOC electrochemical performance during their lifetime. The morphology of the nickel network, in nickel – yttria-stabilized-zirconia (Ni-YSZ) hydrogen electrodes is particularly influenced by: their initial start-up reduction profile, high temperature annealing, high current density operation and exposure to oxidation-reduction cycles. Thus, the development of 3D microstructure characterisation techniques to quantify the 3D microstructure parameters has been an intense topic of research. What remains challenging, due to SOC operating conditions, is to track non-destructively the evolution of the same volume of electrode material with high 3D spatial resolution from before, after and during processes which alter initial SOC microstructures[1–3]. Here we summarise the advantage of X-ray ptychographic nanotomography to image Ni-YSZ electrodes before and after oxidation[4], reduction[5] and annealing[6] with voxel resolutions below 55 nm. Ptychography provides outstanding data quality containing quantitative electron density image contrast. The image quality extrapolates to phase segmentations which in turn provide 3D microstructure parameters of sufficient quality to track the details of e.g. phase fractions, interfacial areas and triple phase boundary density of the changing electrode. Further to this, the image quality enables the possibility to observe the details of structural change of individual particles and interfaces as the basis for gaining fundamental insights into the operating mechanisms. In particular we draw attention to the benefits of identifying isolated particles as models of closed systems that can provide empirical control points into physically based 3D models of electrode evolution. Examples of: redox induced YSZ backbone mechanical failure, resulting change in the Ni particle size distribution and interfacial areas (see Fig. 1a); as well as the effects of annealing on Ni and pore phase percolation on the activity of individual TPBs and the coarsening of isolated Ni particles will be summarised (see Fig. 1b). The importance of appropriate sample preparation will also be discussed. Figure 1: a) Magnified view of a region of Ni-YSZ electrode evolving from the pristine state via the oxidised state to the re-reduced state illustrating the effects volumetric expansion and contraction of Ni/NiO on the YSZ backbone. Reprinted from [4], with permission from Elsevier. b) A magnified view of the Ni network in a Ni-YSZ electrode illustrating the detachment of a Ni particle from a thinly necked region of the Ni network during annealing. Reprinted from [6], with permission from Elsevier. Kennouche D, Chen-Wiegart YK, Yakal-Kremski KJ, et al (2016) Observing the microstructural evolution of Ni-Yttria-stabilized zirconia solid oxide fuel cell anodes. Acta Mater 103:204–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2015.09.055Shearing PR, Bradley RS, Gelb J, et al (2011) Using Synchrotron X-Ray Nano-CT to Characterize SOFC Electrode Microstructures in Three-Dimensions at Operating Temperature. Electrochem Solid-State Lett 14:B117. https://doi.org/10.1149/1.3615824Shearing PR, Bradley RS, Gelb J, et al (2012) Exploring microstructural changes associated with oxidation in Ni–YSZ SOFC electrodes using high resolution X-ray computed tomography. Solid State Ion 216:69–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssi.2011.10.015De Angelis S, Jørgensen PS, Esposito V, et al (2017) Ex-situ tracking solid oxide cell electrode microstructural evolution in a redox cycle by high resolution ptychographic nanotomography. J Power Sources 360:520–527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2017.06.035De Angelis S (2017) Tracking Solid Oxide Cell Microstructure Evolution by High Resolution 3D Nano-Tomography. PhD Thesis Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark. http://orbit.dtu.dk/files/139977895/finalDef2.pdfDe Angelis S, Jørgensen PS, Tsai EHR, et al (2018) Three dimensional characterization of nickel coarsening in solid oxide cells via ex-situ ptychographic nano-tomography. J Power Sources 383:72–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2018.02.031 Figure 1

Lift-Factor Analysis of Multifilamentary Coated Conductor Produced Using Two Level Undercut-Profile Substrates

Here, we present a detailed characterization of the critical current density of YBa ${}_2$ Cu ${}_3$ O ${}_{7-x}$ two level undercut-profile substrate (2LUPS)-based samples made at the Technical University of Denmark using Hastelloy substrate. The CC architecture was produced at Bruker HTS by means of alternating beam assisted deposition and pulsed laser deposition. The magnetization of different samples having all the same size, but with various numbers of filaments, including a non-filamentary reference sample have been measured in applied magnetic fields up to 16 T and at temperatures ranging from $T = 2$ K to 77 K. A simple multiple rooftop model is proposed to estimate the critical current density of the filaments and it has been observed that filaments of 0.25 mm and 0.5 mm width are providing similar critical current densities in the order of $J_c \approx 2.3\,\text{MA}/\text{cm}^2$ at $T = 4.2$ K and $B = 10$ T as well as the reference samples without filaments. This result indicates that the filaments have been fabricated with no degradation of the superconductor and that the filaments are decoupled with non-superconducting material. Finally, the lift factor of the critical current $I_c$ with respect to $T = 77$ K and self field of the 2LUPS samples is estimated. This is reaching 10 at $T = 4.2$ K and $B = 10$ T.

Global survey maps antimicrobial resistance

Infectious-disease surveillance programs designed to track antimicrobial resistance face practical, ethical, and legal difficulties. Patient data must be anonymized, and it can be difficult to compare data collected from different countries and hospitals. The answer to these challenges, an international team believes, is sewage (Nat. Commun. 2019, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08853-3). Led by Frank Aarestrup at the Technical University of Denmark, researchers recruited people at 79 sites in 60 countries to the Global Sewage Surveillance Project. Those volunteers collected sewage samples and sent them to Denmark, where researchers looked for genes coding for antimicrobial resistance. They found global and regional differences in antimicrobial-resistance gene diversity and abundance. Microbes in samples from Australia, New Zealand, North America, and western Europe generally had lower levels of antimicrobial resistance; those from Asia, Africa, and South America generally had higher levels. The study found that sanitary conditions and the general health of the population were most

Informing sustainable building design

PurposeIn recent decades there has been a focus on reducing the overall emissions from the built environment, which increases the complexity of the building design process. More specialized knowledge, a greater common understanding and more cooperation between the stakeholders are required. Interdisciplinary design teams need simple and intuitive means of communication. Architects and engineers are starting to increase their focus on improving interdisciplinary communication, but it is often unclear how to do so. The purpose of this paper is to define the impact of visually communicating engineering knowledge to architects in an interdisciplinary design team and to define how quantifying architectural design decisions have an impact during the early phases of sustainable building design.Design/methodology/approachThis work is based on a study of extensive project materials consisting of presentations, reports, simulation results and case studies. The material is made available by one of the largest European Engineering Consultancies and by a large architectural office in the field of sustainable architecture in Denmark. The project material is used for mapping communication concepts from practice.FindingsIt is demonstrated that visual communication by engineers increases the level of technical knowledge in the design decisions made by architects. This is essential in order to reach the goal of designing buildings with low environmental impact. Conversely, quantification of architectural quality improved the engineer’s acceptance of the architects’ proposals.Originality/valueThis paper produces new knowledge through the case study processes performed. The main points are presented as clearly as possible; however, it should be stressed that it is only the top of the iceberg. In all, 17 extensive case studies design processes were performed with various design teams by the 3 authors of the paper Mathilde, Birthe and Signe. The companies that provided the framework for the cases are leading in Europe within sustainability in the built environment, and in the case of Sweco also in regards to size (number of employees). Data are thus first hand and developed by the researchers and authors of this paper, with explicit consent from the industry partners involved as well as assoc. Professor Lotte B. Jensen Technical University of Denmark (DTU). This material is in the DTU servers and is in the PhD dissertation by Mathilde Landgren (successful defence was in January 2019). The observations and reflection is presented in selected significant case examples. The methods are descriped in detail, and if further information on method is required a more in depth description is found in Mathilde Landgrens PhD Dissertation. There is a lack in existing literature of the effect of visualisation in interdisciplinary design teams and though the literature (e.g. guidelines) of integrated design is extensive, there is not much published on this essential part of an integrated design process.

Bringing Research Data Management to Academic Libraries

Modern research institutions are faced with rapidly increasing challenges imposed by data-driven science and have to deal with new demands from funding agencies and publishers regarding open access to research data as well as from the Code of Conduct for Research Integrity on reproducibility of results. In reply to these requirements, the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) has adapted a two-fold strategy of bringing together decision-makers, relevant support units in the administration and researchers from all departments for the task of designing policies and services in alignment with common traditions in the different fields of research. This mixed “bottom-up” / “top-down” approach ensures that best practices for research data management can be implemented in the daily routines of employees in a practical and supportive way while ensuring that the researchers can live up to all relevant administrative, legal and ethical standards. 
 In this presentation, we will show how DTU Library has taken over a central position in this process by investigating the needs and demands from researchers in the different fields, drafting procedures and guidelines for research data management and establishing support functions and training for all aspects of the data life cycle. Within this new and complex area, the creation of new positions for research data management at the library in addition to an optimal utilization of existing resources and knowledge has been crucial for building up the necessary expertise and thus for the success of the strategy. 
 AuthorsFalco Jonas Hüser, PhDProject Officer – Research Data Managementemail: falh@dtu.dkORCiD 0000-0001-9645-6691Paula Maria Martinez Lavanchy, PhDProject Officer – Research Data Managementemail: paml@dtu.dkORCiD 0000-0003-1448-0917

Assessment of Dietary Intake of Vitamin K and Maximum Limits for Vitamin K in Food Supplements

Assessment of Dietary Intake of Vitamin K and Maximum Limits for Vitamin K in Food Supplements

PhD defence about the ultrasound technique Vector Flow Imaging

Thor Bechsgaard, MD, defended the PhD thesis “In Vivo Vector Flow Imaging of Venous Flow in the Lower Extremities of healthy Volunteers and Patients with Chronic Venous Disease” on the 17th of December. The work leading to the thesis was a collaboration between the Department of Diagnostic Radiology at University Hospital Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet and Technical University of Denmark. The PhD thesis compared the relatively new ultrasound technique with the conventional technique spectral Doppler ultrasound in healthy volunteers and patients with chronic venous disease. The technical thesis found comparable precision of the relatively new technique in all three published journal paper: “Vector and Doppler Ultrasound Velocities Evaluated in a Flow Phantom and the Femoropopliteal Vein”, “Evaluation of Peak Reflux Velocities with Vector Flow Imaging and Spectral Doppler Ultrasound in Varicose Veins”, and “Respiratory Variability of Peak Velocities in the Common Femoral Vein Estimated with Vector Flow Imaging and Doppler Ultrasound”. The thesis is available on Researchgate.com: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330 370 583_PhD-thesis_In_Vivo_Vector_Flow_Imaging_of_Venous_Flow_in_the_Lower_Extremities_of_Healthy_Volunteers_and_Patients_with_Chronic_Venous_Diseases .

Long-term Global Radiation Measurements in Denmark and Sweden

The climate, especially global radiation is one of the key factors influencing the energy yield of solar energy systems. In connection with planning and optimization of energy efficient buildings and solar energy systems it is important to know the climate data of the area where the buildings/systems are located. This study is based on yearly and monthly values of global radiation based on measurements from a climate station placed on the roof of building 119 at Technical University of Denmark in Kgs. Lyngby, from different Danish climate stations ran by Danish Meteorological Institute and from different Swedish climate stations of Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. The global horizontal radiation has been measured for a high number of years at all of these stations. The values show a tendency of increased annual global radiation, most likely due to decreased pollution of the atmosphere, increased duration of periods without clouds and/or combination of both these effects. Twenty years of measurements from a climate station in Lyngby, Denmark show that the global radiation increase is almost 3.5 kWh/m2 per year, corresponding to a growth of 7 % for the last 20 years. The global radiation variation between the least sunny year to the sunniest year is 22%. Twenty-nine years of measuring of global radiation from twelve radiation stations across Sweden shows an increase of 3.1 kWh/m2 per year. The increase is 87 kWh/m2, corresponding to 9 % of global radiation growth during the last 29 years. The annual global radiation varies between 838 kWh/m2/year in 1998 and 1004 kWh/m2/year in 2002 with an average radiation of 932 kWh/m2/year, corresponding to a radiation variation from the least sunny year to the sunniest year of 20 %.

Happy Birthday! Advanced Materials Interfaces Turns Five

2018 was a tremendous year for Advanced Materials Interfaces. The Impact Factor further increased from 4.279 (Journal Citation Reports 2017) to 4.834 confirming growing readership and citation. Submissions continue to grow fast, and despite the rejection rate growing too, the number of published articles increased to 450. Founded in 2014, Advanced Materials Interfaces turns five years old this year and has already become a journal that publishes top-level research on interface technologies and effects. Popular topics covered by the journal are depicted in Figure 1. The journal has already attracted many important, highly interdisciplinary contributions from recognized experts from all over the world. An important part of the journal is the Editorial Advisory Board and we are very grateful to all our board members. This year we welcome Prof. Jennifer Rupp (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA), Prof. Sander Leeuwenburgh (Radboud University, The Netherlands) and Prof. Hailin Peng (Peking University, Beijing, China) as new members of the board. The current list of Editorial Advisory Board Members of Advanced Materials Interfaces can be found here. Very sadly on March 27th, one of our prominent board members, Prof. Helmut Möhwald, has died at the age of 72. Helmuth Möhwald published more than 1000 peer-reviewed publications and has been cited more than 50 000 times. In addition to his scientific research, Professor Möhwald was an accomplished teacher: in fact, more than 50 of his former students have taken up professorships in Germany and abroad. Please read here for more information. Furthermore, we are grateful to our authors, reviewers as well as readers who ensure that only the very best articles are finally selected for publication. This year Advanced Materials Interfaces has successfully launched a Hall of Fame (HoF) series of invited-only review articles from the top scientists in the field. A contribution from this series was published in each issue in 2018 and citations to these articles are high and, as can be seen in Table 1, a number of Hall of Fame review articles are among the top-cited articles in 2018. The HoF articles are collected into a special virtual issue online, highlighted on our Advanced Science News service. Some articles have drawn additional attention via news and social media platforms, which is reflected by their high Altmetric score. A selection of articles that had an exceptionally broad impact in media in 2018 is shown in Table 2. Also this year the journal has published many great looking front covers for the issues. A small selection of front covers from 2018 is included at the end of this Editorial. Another highlight in 2018 was the Special Issue on “Self-Healing Materials” by Sander Leeuwenburgh (Technical University Delft, NL) et al. and the Special Section on “Interfacial Engineering of Perovskite Solar Cells for Improved Performance and Stability” by Emmanuel Kymakis (Technological Education Institute of Crete, GR). A number of Special Issues are planned for 2019, including: “Thin Film Oxides”, guest-edited by Nini Pryds (Technical University of Denmark) and Albert Tarancón (IREC, Barcelona, Spain), and “Bottom-Up Self-Assembly”, guest-edited by Massimo Mastrangeli (Technical University Delft, NL) and Michele Perego (CNR, Rome, Italy). From the start of 2018 all journals of the Advanced Family as well the Macromolecular Journals waived the costs for printing colour figures, and now pre-submission to pre-print servers does not preclude publication. No doubt the new year will bring more exciting developments and we look forward to sharing much more exciting interface-related research with you! On behalf of the editorial team,

Spatial analysis and temporal trends of antimicrobial use in Danish pig herds following the introduction of the Yellow Card scheme

Spatial analysis and temporal trends of antimicrobial use in Danish pig herds following the introduction of the Yellow Card scheme

Energy and thermal comfort performance evaluation of PCM ceiling panels for cooling a renovated office room

The performance of suspended ceiling panels with phase change materials (PCM) for comfort cooling applications in office rooms was studied. The panel consisted of a metal casing, which encapsulates the PCM. Water can circulate through the pipes embedded in the panel to influence the latent energy storage of the material. To evaluate the performance of the PCM panels, a comparison with an all-air system and a thermally active building system (TABS) was made. Using TRNSYS 17, a recently renovated room in the Technical University of Denmark was modelled. The room was simulated during the cooling season with each of the three cooling systems in which the thermal environment and the corresponding energy use were determined. Operative temperature was maintained between 22°C to 27°C at least 90% of the occupied period with each system. Similarities were observed between the PCM and TABS systems. Energy savings of 15% and peak cooling power reduction of 30% compared with the all-air system were observed. This study proved the common claim that PCM ceiling panels and TABS perform similar in terms of the created thermal indoor environment and energy savings, as well in terms of heat removal from the indoor space. Therefore, PCM ceiling panels could be used as an alternative for TABS in renovation projects while providing similar benefits to TABS.

Investigation of the influence of operation conditions on the discharge of PCM ceiling panels.

The aim of this study was to determine favorable operation conditions for ceiling panels containing phase change materials (PCM) for cooling applications in office rooms. A recently renovated room in the Technical University of Denmark was used to have realistic boundary conditions. Using TRNSYS 17, the performance of the PCM panels during the cooling season in passive operation, discharge by air, and discharge by water circulation were investigated. A set of simulations were performed during a representative week in the cooling period. The room was simulated with no climatic systems, PCM without active discharge, ventilation during occupied hours only, and PCM with ventilation during occupied hours. Afterwards, two discharge methods were investigated, night ventilation at different flow rates and water circulation in pipes embedded in the panels. A parametric analysis was performed to identify the influence of operation factors in the thermal environment of the room. The parameters studied were the water flow rate, supply water temperature and circulation schedule as well as the conductivity of the PCM. After selecting different operating conditions of the water discharge, simulations were performed from May to October to observe the performance of the selected operation conditions. The results show that the PCM is more effective to provide adequate indoor thermal conditions if it is discharged actively by means of water. The parameters that affect the thermal indoor environment the most are the water circulation schedule, the water supply temperature, and the PCM thermal conductivity. The water flow rate did not have a significant influence. The study shows the importance of selecting an appropriate operation and control strategy for the PCM system. The process used in the study can be potentially used as a procedure for the design of similar climatic systems to determine if active discharge of the PCM is needed and if yes, which discharge method is needed.

Experimental Comparison of Radiant Ceiling Panels and Ceiling Panels Containing Phase Change material (PCM)

Two commercially available ceiling panels, one metal and one gypsum incorporating microencapsulated PCM were compared experimentally to determine their limitations and ability to provide an adequate indoor thermal environment. The experiments took place from February to May 2018 in a climate chamber at the Technical university of Denmark. In total, seven scenarios were evaluated, five with active cooling, where the flow rate and solar heat gains were varied, and two without. Results showed that according to EN 15251:2007, the RCPs maintained the best indoor thermal environment for 91% of occupancy time in Category III – operative temperature between 22oC and 27oC, and 75% in Category II – operative temperature between 23oC and 26oC, for a 140 kg/h flow rate and the reference solar heat gains. Alternatively, the PCM panels maintained Category III for only 48% of the time, while only 30% in Category II for a 220 kg/h flow rate and the reference solar heat gains. The PCM panel presented the ability to store the heat for a later time. However, the PCM panels’ solution proved inadequate in terms of heat storage capacity, pipe positioning and thermal conductivity while improvements are required in order to employ them in new and renovated buildings.

Knowledge transfer between building operation and building projects

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate how knowledge concerning operation and maintenance of buildings can be stored and transferred between the parties responsible for building operation and new building projects.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is theoretically based on knowledge management with a particular focus on interdepartmental knowledge transfer between departments responsible for operation and maintenance and departments responsible for building projects in organisations with large and fast changing building portfolios. The paper includes a case study of the facilities management organisation of the Technical University of Denmark with data collection mainly by interviews with managers and staff in the relevant departments in this organisation.FindingsThe case organisation seems to be aware of the importance of sharing and transferring their organisational knowledge. Over the past five years, the organisation has developed different tools and adopted several processes, aiming at integration of the knowledge they possess from many years of operation and maintenance of the existing buildings. However, there are many situations, where the tools and processes do not work efficiently, and therefore the knowledge transfer is not sufficiently effective. It is apparent that the best results can be achieved only if the different actors involved in a construction project collaborate aiming towards the same objectives.Originality/valueThe paper presents and evaluates a case of interdepartmental knowledge transfer in an organisation, which has a strong focus on improving the interconnections between building operations and planning new building projects.

Cell colony counter called CoCoNut.

Clonogenic assays are powerful tools for testing cell reproductive death after biological damage caused by, for example, ionizing radiation. Traditionally, the methods require a cumbersome, slow and eye-straining manual counting of viable colonies under a microscope. To speed up the counting process and minimize those issues related to the subjective decisions of the scoring personnel, we developed a semi-automated, image-based cell colony counting setup, named CoCoNut (Colony Counter developed by the Nutech department at the Technical University of Denmark). It consists in an ImageJ macro and a photographic 3D-printed light-box, conceived and demonstrated to work together for Crystal Violet-stained colonies. Careful attention was given to the image acquisition process, which allows background removal (i.e. any unwanted element in the picture) in a minimally invasive manner. This is mainly achieved by optimal lighting conditions in the light-box and dividing the image of a flask that contains viable colonies by the picture of an empty flask. In this way, CoCoNut avoids using aggressive background removal filters that usually lead to suboptimal colony count recovery. The full method was tested with V79 and HeLa cell survival samples. Results were compared to other freely available tools. CoCoNut proved able to successfully distinguish between single and merged colonies and to identify colonies bordering on flask edges. CoCoNut software calibration is fast; it requires the adjustment of a single parameter that is the smallest colony area to be counted. The employment of a single parameter reduces the risk of subjectivity, providing a robust and user-friendly tool, whose results can be easily compared over time and among different bio-laboratories. The method is inexpensive and easy to obtain. Among its advantages, we highlight the possibility of combining the macro with a perfectly reproducible 3D-printed light-box. The CoCoNut software and the 3D-printer files are provided as supporting information (S1 CoCoNut Files).

Toward an Atomistic Understanding of Solid-State Electrochemical Interfaces for Energy Storage

Veronica Augustyn is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science & Engineering at North Carolina State University. She received her PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles (2013) and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin (2013–2015). Her research is focused on the synthesis and characterization of materials operating at electrochemical interfaces, and in particular the relationships between material composition, structure, and morphology and the resulting electrochemical mechanisms. Recently, she was the recipient of a 2017 NSF CAREER Award and is a Scialog Fellow in Advanced Energy Storage at the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. Matthew McDowell is an assistant professor in the G.W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his PhD from Stanford University (2013) and was a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech from 2013 until 2015. His research is focused on understanding structural and chemical transformations in materials and at interfaces within electrochemical and electrical devices through the use of in situ and operando techniques. He has received the NSF CAREER Award, the AFOSR YIP Award, and the NASA Early Career Faculty Award and is a Scialog Fellow in Advanced Energy Storage. Aleksandra Vojvodic is Skirkanich Assistant Professor of Innovation in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at University of Pennsylvania. She received her PhD from Chalmers University of Technology, was Postdoc at Technical University of Denmark and Stanford University, and was Staff Scientist at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Her research focuses on computational-driven materials design including studies of surfaces and interfaces of materials for chemical transformations, energy conversion, and storage. She received the 2017 European Federation of Catalysis Societies Young Researcher Award and the MIT Technology Review 35 Award 2016. She is a CIFAR Bio-Inspired Solar Energy fellow and a Scialog Fellow in Advanced Energy Storage.

Force‐based perception and manipulation, the DTU team competing in MBZIRC 2017

AbstractThis paper presents how the team from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) implemented and solved the second challenge of the Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge. The competition was imitating a disaster scene where a robotic platform had to operate autonomously in a partly known environment to localize and manipulate a valve on a panel. To solve the given problem, the robot needs to be able to perceive the environment reliably. This is often accomplished using vision based solutions, however these might not always be feasible. Thus we show how force feedback can successfully be used as an alternative way of perception. To accomplish this the team equipped a robot arm with a force torque sensor, allowing the robot to perceive its environment through direct contact. This approach resulted in a robust solution of the task, independent of several external factors, such as lighting, which might affect a more traditional approach. First the theory and thoughts behind the implementation is presented, followed by an evaluation of the results from physical experiments and the competition itself, ultimately resulting in a robust solution which performed without errors in the competition.