Wireless sensor networks have attracted attention as a possible solution for applications of periodic and continuous structural health monitoring. Ensuring synchronous data acquisition across wireless nodes in large networks of sensors spatially distributed on a structure is of critical importance for many methods of structural health monitoring, especially those based on analysis of vibration....

This paper presents a new architecture in soft robotics that utilizes particulate jamming technology. A novel concept of actuation is described that utilizes jamming technology to modulate the direction and magnitude of the work performed by a single central actuator. Jamming “activators” modulate work by jamming and unjamming (solidifying and liquifying) a granular medium coupled to a core act...

Embedded systems are in general designed to do some specific task, rather than be a general-purpose computer for multiple tasks. Common for embedded systems is that processing devices, sensors, transceivers, actuators, networks, and software are built into a system, encapsulated by the device it controls. Often, the development of various applications requires an embedded system that is small a...

This paper presents a method of modeling and subsequently characterizing stochastically controlled actuator arrays. The actuator arrays are built from cells, each containing six piezoelectric actuators and an amplification structure; however the results can be generalized to actuator arrays using solenoids, pneumatic cylinders, or any other fast acting linear actuators. The cells are controlled...

Since the actuator capacity is limited, in the real application of active control systems under sever earthquakes it is conceivable that the actuators saturate, hence the actuator saturation should be considered as a constraint in design of optimal controllers. In this paper optimal design of active controllers for nonlinear structures by considering actuator saturation, has been studied. The p...

Soft computing has aroused vast interests among the robotics community in which intelligent control for robot is targeted. Examples of soft computing including neural networks, genetic algorithms and fuzzy logic are widely applied in the field of robotic assembly, which is widely recognized as a complicated task in robotics. In order to achieve an intelligent robot, three issues should be consi...

The design and development of a smart monitoring and controlling system for household electrical appliances in real time has been reported in this paper. The system principally monitors electrical parameters of household appliances such as voltage and current and subsequently calculates the power consumed. The novelty of this system is the implementation of the controlling mechanism of applianc...

1— The goal of the project "SmartVision: active vision for the blind" is to develop a small and portable but intelligent and reliable system for assisting the blind and visually impaired while navigating autonomously, both outdoor and indoor. In this paper we present an overview of the prototype, design issues, and its different modules which integrate a GIS with GPS, Wi-Fi, RFID tags and compu...

Electro-hydraulic actuator (EHA system) identification is to describe the characteristic of the system that useful for prediction or control system design. There are numerous methods of EHA modeling but there has not been much model using fractional-order (FO) model. In this work, integer-order (IO) model and FO model are developed to model EHA system. Output-error method is used as the estimat...

Building is a harsh environment for reliable wireless communication and thus special means are needed for wireless sensor networking. This paper presents Kilavi wireless building control platform that provides a unified method to link up different kinds of building control applications. Kilavi platform is intended for low-power and low data rate autonomous communication between sensors and actu...