The ability to manipulate previously unseen objects under visual control is one of the key tasks in the successful implementation of robotic, automated assembly and adaptive material handling systems. The automation of such complex industrial environments will require the development of machine vision systems that are highly adaptable and capable of dealing with a wide range of variable product...

In this paper we describe a concept and a research project under way to develop a packing method for three dimensional objects of complex shape. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is a rapid prototyping (RP) technology which allows manufacturing of three dimensional objects directly from a solid CAD model by sintering fine plastic or metal powder in thin layers. When more than one part is to be ma...

Poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactide) (PDLA) crystallize into a stereocomplex with a melting point 50 °C higher than the crystals of the enantiomers. The racemic crystal is formed by packing â-form 31-helices of opposite absolute configuration alternatingly side by side. Single crystals of the stereocomplex exhibit triangular shape. The drastic difference of the powder patterns evidences t...

In many colloidal systems, an orientationally ordered nematic (N) phase emerges from the isotropic (I) melt in the form of spindle-like birefringent tactoids. In cases studied so far, the tactoids always reveal a mirror-symmetric nonchiral structure, sometimes even when the building units are chiral. We report on chiral symmetry breaking in the nematic tactoids formed in molecularly nonchiral p...

In this study, five microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) grades were physically characterized and their extrusion-spheronization behaviours were characterized in terms of water requirements and pellet shape profiles. It was found that the MCC grades differed significantly in the physical properties investigated. Physical properties of MCC were found to influence the water requirement for extrusion-...

We have used amperometric measurements in a model system consisting of two liposomes connected with a membrane nanotube to monitor catechol release during artificial exocytosis and thereby to elucidate the effect of small-chain alcohols on this dynamic membrane process. To determine the rate of membrane shape change, catechol release during membrane distention was monitored amperometrically, an...

In this paper, the effects of container size on the porosity of random loose packing of mono size particles have been investigated using an Event Dynamics (ED) based model. Simultaneous effects of square container walls on particles packing and their order are also investigated. Our simulation results indicate higher container size will increase the total packing factor and high density regions...

In this paper, we study the d-dimensional dynamic bin packing problem for general ddimensional boxes, for d ≥ 2. This problem is a generalization of the bin packing problem in which items may arrive and depart dynamically. Our main result is a 3-competitive online algorithm. We further study the 2and 3-dimensional problem closely and improve the competitive ratios. Technically speaking, our d-d...