Preface Part I. Turbulence: 1. Introduction 2. Coherent structures 3. Proper orthogonal decomposition 4. Galerkin projection Part II. Dynamical Systems: 5. Qualitative theory 6. Symmetry 7. One-dimensional 'turbulence' 8. Randomly perturbed systems Part III. 9. Low-dimensional Models: 10. Behaviour of the models Part IV. Other Applications and Related Work: 11. Some other fluid problems 12. Review: prospects for rigor Bibliography.

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Turbulence, Coherent Structures, Dynamical Systems and Symmetry

A survey of models, analysis tools and compensation methods for the control of machines with friction

Configuration of the computing and communications systems found at home and in the workplace is a complex task that currently requires the attention of the user. Researchers have begun to examine computers that would autonomously change their functionality based on observations of who or what was around them. By determining their context, using input from sensor systems distributed throughout the environment, computing devices could personalize themselves to their current user, adapt their behaviour according to their location, or react to their surroundings. The authors present a novel sensor system, suitable for large-scale deployment in indoor environments, which allows the locations of people and equipment to be accurately determined. We also describe some of the context-aware applications that might make use of this fine-grained location information.

/pdf/a-new-location-technique-for-the-active-office-5bygv7mxxa.pdf

A new location technique for the active office

Intelligent agents are employed as the central characters in this new introductory text. Beginning with elementary reactive agents, Nilsson gradually increases their cognitive horsepower to illustrate the most important and lasting ideas in AI. Neural networks, genetic programming, computer vision, heuristic search, knowledge representation and reasoning, Bayes networks, planning, and language understanding are each revealed through the growing capabilities of these agents. The book provides a refreshing and motivating new synthesis of the field by one of AI's master expositors and leading researchers. Artificial Intelligence: A New Synthesis takes the reader on a complete tour of this intriguing new world of AI.

* An evolutionary approach provides a unifying theme 
* Thorough coverage of important AI ideas, old and new
* Frequent use of examples and illustrative diagrams
* Extensive coverage of machine learning methods throughout the text
* Citations to over 500 references
* Comprehensive index

Table of Contents

1 Introduction
2 Stimulus-Response Agents
3 Neural Networks 
4 Machine Evolution 
5 State Machines 
6 Robot Vision 
7 Agents that Plan 
8 Uninformed Search 
9 Heuristic Search 
10 Planning, Acting, and Learning 
11 Alternative Search Formulations and Applications 
12 Adversarial Search 
13 The Propositional Calculus 
14 Resolution in The Propositional Calculus 
15 The Predicate Calculus 
16 Resolution in the Predicate Calculus 
17 Knowledge-Based Systems 
18 Representing Commonsense Knowledge 
19 Reasoning with Uncertain Information 
20 Learning and Acting with Bayes Nets 
21 The Situation Calculus 
22 Planning 
23 Multiple Agents 
24 Communication Among Agents 
25 Agent Architectures

/pdf/artificial-intelligence-a-new-synthesis-1mm7uhqtx9.pdf

Artificial Intelligence: A New Synthesis

Internet of Things (IoT) brings more than an explosive proliferation of endpoints. It is disruptive in several ways. In this chapter we examine those disruptions, and propose a hierarchical distributed architecture that extends from the edge of the network to the core nicknamed Fog Computing. In particular, we pay attention to a new dimension that IoT adds to Big Data and Analytics: a massively distributed number of sources at the edge.

Fog Computing: A Platform for Internet of Things and Analytics

Development and verification of a two-stage flow control servovalve model

An approach is presented which allows for the construction of robot behavior in terms of both spatially and temporally ordered sets of primitive reflexive behaviors. Each primitive reflexive behavior is based upon a stimulus/response model in which the devices which affect behavior are separated from the mechanism for controlling behavior. The approach allows for the explicit representation of complex forms of behavior through the use of abstraction. Behavior is represented in terms of component behaviors and acts to enforce declarative constraints between when a particular component behavior is active and when specific events occur in the environment and/or internal to the robot. In addition, we discuss the need for reactive behavior and illustrate how such behavior can be constructed using the proposed representation.

A Computational Structure For Enforcing Reactive Behavior In A Mobile Robot

In order to accurately model robots for precision applications where dynamics are significant, it is important to include the effects of Coulomb friction in the bearings and transmissions. The general guidelines for analyzing friction at the joints will be discussed. It will be shown that friction can be related to the joint coordinates and their first and second time derivatives. The resulting extended robot dynamics formulation will be investigated as it applies to the inverse and forward robot dynamics problems. The analytical dependency of Coulomb friction on joint interactions is explicitly examined. As an illustration of friction effects in transmissions, we elaborate on the friction in harmonic drives and develop a method for its evaluation. The effect of friction in the bearings on the dynamics is also considered and a quantitative characterization of several specific cases is provided. This study is significant to understanding the design and control issues as they relate to achieving high speed precision robot motion.

Determining the effects of Coulomb friction on the dynamics of bearings and transmissions in robot mechanisms

We are developing an "intersection decision support" (IDS) system to assist drivers with decision-making at unsignalized rural intersections. When deployed, the system provides to a driver stopped at a minor road, information related to the safety of entering or crossing the mainline road traffic stream. The system uses surveillance sensors alongside the major road to determine the state of the intersection, and this state information is used to determine whether the gaps that exist are unsafe, thereby triggering a warning to the stopped driver not to initiate the desired maneuver. Low cost automotive radar forms the basis of the surveillance system. This paper presents a performance evaluation of an Eaton-Vorad EVT-300 radar used as a fixed-base sensor for an IDS system. This evaluation documents the sensor's coverage of the lanes, its lane classification ability and its accuracy at tracking speed as a function of the unit's orientation to the road. High accuracy (5 cm) DGPS is used to validate all radar measurements.

Roadside range sensors for intersection decision support

The use of dedicated bus shoulders is a key method for implementing bus rapid transit (BRT) in areas that do not have the space for additional infrastructure. However, the narrow width of the bus shoulder and the need to anticipate traffic hazards in the adjacent lane can both be significant stressors for bus drivers. Bus driver mental workload and stress in response to these conditions should be a significant concern both for operational safety and driver health. This pilot study evaluated the potential stressors of traffic density and shoulder width in the context of an express BRT service in a large US metropolitan area. In addition, the study considered the potential role of a prototype lane support system (LSS) to support vehicle control within the narrow shoulder boundaries. Ten experienced bus drivers drove an actual route with an instrumented bus equipped with and without LSS. Self-reported effort was recorded along with performance measures of speed and position control relevant to mobility and safety objectives. Bus drivers did note stressors in the BRT environment and the prototype LSS. However, the use of the shoulder during high-density traffic conditions did improve mobility. Moreover, the LSS did enhance safety on the shoulder when there was high-density traffic in the adjacent lane. However, there was no evidence that the LSS reduced bus driver workload while operating in the narrow shoulder. Future research should consider the impact of BRT operations and support systems on bus driver mental workload and stress, and support the deployment of such devices for bus operations on shoulders during high traffic volumes.

Max Donath

Papers

Development and verification of a two-stage flow control servovalve model

A Computational Structure For Enforcing Reactive Behavior In A Mobile Robot

Determining the effects of Coulomb friction on the dynamics of bearings and transmissions in robot mechanisms

Roadside range sensors for intersection decision support

An evaluation of a lane support system for bus rapid transit on narrow shoulders and the relation to bus driver mental workload