HELIOS VIII: Toward Practical Robots for Search and Rescue Operations

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 675-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Guarnieri ◽  
◽  
Inoh Takao ◽  
Edwardo F. Fukushima ◽  
Shigeo Hirose ◽  
...  

With the progress and new technology developments in robotics research, the realization of practical tools for urban and industrial disaster response, from a mere dream, became a reality. Crawler vehicles, because of their terrain adaptability, have a considerable importance for rescue operations and tasks performed on damaged areas (i.e. unstructured environments). This contribution proposes a tracked robot named HELIOS VIII, consisting of a manipulator utilized not only for handling operations but mainly to assist the motion of the robot itself. In order to prove the efficacy of HELIOS vehicle concept, an overview on the experiments carried out with the first developed prototype HELIOS VII will be presented. Afterwards the new vehicle HELIOS VIII will be introduced illustrating in detail its mechanical design as well as its control architecture. Improvements from the previous version are explained and justified with emphasizing the mechanical design of a new soft gripper consisting of four fingers actuated by a single motor. The new end-effector consists also of a special mechanism for the connection of the vehicle to another crawler unit. This solution can improve the system terrain adaptability on very rough terrains. Finally tests will be explained and discussed as well as the impact of the proposed solution toward the realization of effective tools for disaster relief.

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Veton Zejnullahi

The process of globalization, which many times is considered as new world order is affecting all spheres of modern society but also the media. In this paper specifically we will see the impact of globalization because we see changing the media access to global problems in general being listed on these processes. We will see that the greatest difficulties will have small media as such because the process is moving in the direction of creating mega media which thanks to new technology are reaching to deliver news and information at the time of their occurrence through choked the small media. So it is fair to conclude that the rapid economic development and especially the technology have made the world seem "too small" to the human eyes, because for real-time we will communicate with the world with the only one Internet connection, and also all the information are take for the development of events in the four corners of the world and direct from the places when the events happen. Even Albanian space has not left out of this process because the media in the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Kosovo are adapted to the new conditions under the influence of the globalization process. This fact is proven powerful through creating new television packages, written the websites and newspapers in their possession.


2019 ◽  
pp. 33-41
Author(s):  
V. L. Harutyunyan ◽  
S. V. Dokholyan ◽  
A. R. Makaryan

The presented study discusses the issues of applying the Common Customs Tariff (CCT) rates of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) on rough diamonds and the impact thereof on the exports of stones cut and polished inArmeniaand then exported toRussia.Aim. The study aims to identify the possible strategies Armenian diamond cutting and polishing companies could adopt as a response to the application of the CCT rates on rough diamonds and how it would affect exports to various destinations, namely to Russia.Tasks. The authors analyze the current state of the gems and jewelry sector and substantiate the need to either integrate it into the jewelry manufacturing sector or to apply various strategies to facilitate exports to either Russia or other destinations in the medium term in response to the application of the CCT rates.Methods. This study uses general scientific methods of cognition, including analytical and methodological approaches and elements of forecasting. Possible strategies the Armenian diamond cutting and polishing companies could adopt in the medium term in response to the application of the EAEU CCT rates are determined using the analytical research method, forecasts in the context of the developments in the Armenian gem processing and jewelry market and global trends, statistical data on the imports and exports of cut and polished gems and jewelry for 2014–2018 published by the UN Comtrade Statistics.Results. Statistics on the exports of processed diamonds from 2014 to 2018 highlights the issue associated with the loss of competitiveness suffered by Armenian companies (mainly in comparison with Indian diamond cutters). The major global trends in the diamond cutting and polishing business indicate that it could be virtually impossible for Armenian cutters and polishers to compete with Indian companies in the medium term if they do not comes to investing in new technology to achieve operational efficiency. For these companies, it is important not to lose the Russian market due to an increase in the tariff rate and concentrate on the processing of gems that are larger than 1 carat. Another strategy to avoid an increase in the customs tariff rates would depend on the Armenian government’s ability to negotiate with Russia in respect of direct imports of diamond stones from Russian manufactures. Two other options for Armenian cutters involve focusing on cutting and polishing of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, etc. or integrating into the jewelry sector either by being the primary supplier or by considering this business as a channel to sell processed diamond stones by setting up their own jewelry manufacturing companies.Conclusions. With CCT going into effect in January 2021 and India’s dominant role in the diamond cutting and polishing business, Armenia needs to carefully consider all of the strategies the Armenian companies could adopt, as discussed above. As a member state of the EAEU, Armenia freely exports to Russia, however, further exports to Russia would depend on Armenia’s ability to ensure that cost-effective operations are in place, or to concentrate on the processing of precious gems rather than diamonds, or to switch to the manufacturing of jewelry items as a major export item.Practical Implication. The findings of this study could be of interest to the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia and Business Armenia that could be used in elaborating the strategy for the development of Armenian gems and jewelry sector of the economy.


Author(s):  
Gwenaëlle Wain ◽  
Loreleï Guéry ◽  
David Michael Kaplan ◽  
Daniel Gaertner

Abstract Numerous pelagic species are known to associate with floating objects (FOBs), including tropical tunas. Purse seiners use this behaviour to facilitate the capture of tropical tunas by deploying artificial drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs). One major recent change has been the integration of echosounders in satellite-tracked GPS buoys attached to FOBs, allowing fishers to remotely estimate fishable biomass. Understanding the effects of this new technology on catch of the three main tuna species (yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares; bigeye tuna, Thunnus obesus; and skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis) is important to accurately correct for this change in catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) indices used for stock assessments. We analysed catch data from the French purse seine fleet for the period 2010–2017 in the Indian Ocean to assess the impact of this fleet’s switch to echosounder buoys around 2012. Results indicate that echosounders do not increase the probability a set will be succesful, but they have a positive effect on catch per set, with catches on average increasing by ≈2−2.5 tonnes per set (≈10%) when made on the vessel's own dFADs equipped with an echosounder buoy. Increases were due to a decrease in sets below ≈25 tonnes and an increase in those greater than ≈25 tonnes, with a non-linear transition around this threshold. This increase explains the considerable investment of purse seiners in echosounder buoys, but also raises concerns about bias in stock size estimates based on CPUE if we do not correct for this fishing efficiency increase.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-94
Author(s):  
Pham Quang Huy ◽  
Vu Kien Phuc

Abstract This research ferreted out to inspect the interconnection between emotional intelligence (EI), Blockchain technology application (BLO) and the effectiveness of Accounting information system (AIS). Survey-based data obtained from 412 respondents were applied to validate the model hypotheses. Building on the statistical analysis with the support of SPSS 25.0 and SMART- PLS (partial least squares) 3.2.8 software package, the model results inferred the impact of EI on BLO. Besides, the outputs of the study accentuated on the importance of BLO on the effectiveness of AIS. These significant additions will optimistically inspire other scholars to carry on exploring the relationship between EI and BLO in enhancing the effectiveness of AIS in research settings as well as in explaining the results. On the other hand, taking these results into consideration could promote much better solutions for issues relevant to EI and new technology application among public sector organization (PSO) in term of increasing the performance of AIS.


Author(s):  
Falisha Kanji ◽  
Tara Cohen ◽  
Myrtede Alfred ◽  
Ashley Caron ◽  
Samuel Lawton ◽  
...  

The introduction of surgical technology into existing operating rooms (ORs) can place novel demands on staff and infrastructure. Despite the substantial physical size of the devices in robotic-assisted surgery (RAS), the workspace implications are rarely considered. This study aimed to explore the impact of OR size on the environmental causes of surgical flow disruptions (FDs) occurring during RAS. Fifty-six RAS procedures were observed at two academic hospitals between July 2019 and January 2021 across general, urologic, and gynecologic surgical specialties. A multiple regression analysis demonstrated significant effects of room size in the pre-docking phase (t = 2.170, df = 54, β = 0.017, p = 0.035) where the rate of FDs increased as room size increased, and docking phase (t = −2.488, df = 54, β = −0.017, p = 0.016) where the rate of FDs increased as room size decreased. Significant effects of site (pre-docking phase: p = 0.000 and docking phase: p = 0.000) were also demonstrated. Findings from this study demonstrate hitherto unrecognized spatial challenges involved with introducing surgical robots into the operating domain. While new technology may provide benefits towards patient safety, it is important to consider the needs of the technology prior to integration.


Surgery ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 137 (5) ◽  
pp. 518-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Stahl ◽  
Marie T. Egan ◽  
Julian M. Goldman ◽  
Dawn Tenney ◽  
Richard A. Wiklund ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 517-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wadid Lamine ◽  
Sarfraz Mian ◽  
Alain Fayolle

Purpose – This paper seeks to advance ongoing research in entrepreneurial perseverance. While the concept of perseverance is not new, few researchers paid attention to behavioural persistence in the entrepreneurial context. The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence of new technology based firms (NTBF) by focusing on the role of nascent entrepreneurs’ social skills in the meeting the changes of entrepreneurial perseverance. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the authors study the start-up phase of entrepreneurial process. The authors opted for a longitudinal case study approach in order to enhance the knowledge on entrepreneurs’ social skills and perseverance. For triangulation purpose the data were gathered using four different information sources. The use of Nvivo8 as the data analysis tool helped to impose a discipline and structure which facilitated the extraction of core insights. Findings – This paper contributes to the understanding of the entrepreneurial perseverance in the context of new venture creation. Particularly, reading the entrepreneurial process through the lens of the perseverance strategies model (Van Gelderen, 2012) provided a way to identify and then to assess the impact of the social skills on the overall entrepreneurial perseverance and their combined impact on the performance of NTBF creation process. In doing so, the authors identify the impact of entrepreneurs’ social skills to deal with a series of entrepreneurial problems such as scarcity of resources, uncertainty and ambiguity and consequently their impact on the likelihood of survival for new ventures. The issues that arose mostly reflected the inherent complexity of technology transfer processes, the university and entrepreneurs’ diverging cultures, and the very characteristics of the start-up phase of NTBFs. The findings reveal how social skills impact the entrepreneurial paths and probable outcomes. Research limitations/implications – This paper contributes to the understanding of the entrepreneurial perseverance in the context of NTBF creation. The findings reveal how social skills and perseverance impact the entrepreneurial paths and probable outcomes. Practical implications – The paper has implications for entrepreneurial support mechanisms such as technology business incubators in helping them to improve the efficacy and efficiency of their assistance to entrepreneurs through the development of their skill-sets and perseverance and providing enabling networking. In addition, the research has implications for entrepreneurship education and training. Indeed, there is an urgent need to design and implement courses and programs aiming at developing soft skills in entrepreneurship. Originality/value – In exploring networking and issues of perseverance for nascent entrepreneurs operating in new technology-based sectors, which the authors consider as an under searched area in entrepreneurial literature.


2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 561-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Suginaka ◽  
Ken Okamoto ◽  
Yohei Hirano ◽  
Yuichi Fukumoto ◽  
Miki Morikawa ◽  
...  

AbstractIntroductionThe catastrophic Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 created a crisis in a university-affiliated hospital by disrupting the water supply for 10 days. In response, this study was conducted to analyze water use and prioritize water consumption in each department of the hospital by applying a business impact analysis (BIA). Identifying the minimum amount of water necessary for continuing operations during a disaster was an additional goal.ProblemWater is essential for many hospital operations and disaster-ready policies must be in place for the safety and continued care of patients.MethodsA team of doctors, nurses, and office workers in the hospital devised a BIA questionnaire to examine all operations using water. The questionnaire included department name, operation name, suggested substitutes for water, and the estimated daily amount of water consumption. Operations were placed in one of three ranks (S, A, or B) depending on the impact on patients and the need for operational continuity. Recovery time objective (RTO), which is equivalent to the maximum tolerable period of disruption, was determined. Furthermore, the actual use of water and the efficiency of substitute methods, practiced during the water-disrupted periods, were verified in each operation.ResultsThere were 24 activities using water in eight departments, and the estimated water consumption in the hospital was 326 (SD = 17) m3per day: 64 (SD = 3) m3for S (20%), 167 (SD = 8) m3for A (51%), and 95 (SD = 5) m3for B operations (29%). During the disruption, the hospital had about 520 m3of available water. When the RTO was set to four days, the amount of water available would have been 130 m3per day. During the crisis, 81% of the substitute methods were used for the S and A operations.ConclusionThis is the first study to identify and prioritize hospital operations necessary for the efficient continuation of medical treatment during suspension of the water supply by applying a BIA. Understanding the priority of operations and the minimum daily water requirement for each operation is important for a hospital in the event of an unexpected adverse situation, such as a major disaster.SuginakaH,OkamotoK,HiranoY,FukumotoY,MorikawaM,OodeY,SumiY,InoueY,MatsudaS,TanakaH.Hospital disaster response using business impact analysis.Prehosp Disaster Med.2014;29(5):1-8.


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