University of Lincoln

About: University of Lincoln is a education organization based out in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Higher education. The organization has 2341 authors who have published 7025 publications receiving 124797 citations.

The Implementation and Validation of a Virtual Environment for Training Powered Wheelchair Manoeuvres

Abstract: Navigating a powered wheelchair and avoiding collisions is often a daunting task for new wheelchair users. It takes time and practice to gain the coordination needed to become a competent driver and this can be even more of a challenge for someone with a disability. We present a cost-effective virtual reality (VR) application that takes advantage of consumer level VR hardware. The system can be easily deployed in an assessment centre or for home use, and does not depend on a specialized high-end virtual environment such as a Powerwall or CAVE. This paper reviews previous work that has used virtual environments technology for training tasks, particularly wheelchair simulation. We then describe the implementation of our own system and the first validation study carried out using thirty three able bodied volunteers. The study results indicate that at a significance level of 5 percent then there is an improvement in driving skills from the use of our VR system. We thus have the potential to develop the competency of a wheelchair user whilst avoiding the risks inherent to training in the real world. However, the occurrence of cybersickness is a particular problem in this application that will need to be addressed.

Structural selectivity of supported Pd nanoparticles for catalytic NH3 oxidation resolved using combined operando spectroscopy

Abstract: The selective catalytic oxidation of NH3 to N2 presents a promising solution for the abatement of unused NH3-based reductants from diesel exhaust after treatment. Supported Pd nanoparticle catalysts show selectivity to N2 rather than NOx, which is investigated in this work. The link between Pd nanoparticle structure and surface reactivity was found using operando X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transformed spectroscopy and on-line mass spectrometry. Nitrogen insertion into the metallic Pd nanoparticle structure at low temperatures ( 280 °C). Our work demonstrates the ability of combined operando spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations to characterize a previously unidentified PdNx species, and clarify the selectivity-directing structure of supported Pd catalysts for the selective catalytic oxidation of NH3 to N2.