scholarly journals Functional Self-Awareness and Metacontrol for Underwater Robot Autonomy

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1210
Author(s):  
Esther Aguado ◽  
Zorana Milosevic ◽  
Carlos Hernández ◽  
Ricardo Sanz ◽  
Mario Garzon ◽  
...  

Autonomous systems are expected to maintain a dependable operation without human intervention. They are intended to fulfill the mission for which they were deployed, properly handling the disturbances that may affect them. Underwater robots, such as the UX-1 mine explorer developed in the UNEXMIN project, are paradigmatic examples of this need. Underwater robots are affected by both external and internal disturbances that hamper their capability for autonomous operation. Long-term autonomy requires not only the capability of perceiving and properly acting in open environments but also a sufficient degree of robustness and resilience so as to maintain and recover the operational functionality of the system when disturbed by unexpected events. In this article, we analyze the operational conditions for autonomous underwater robots with a special emphasis on the UX-1 miner explorer. We then describe a knowledge-based self-awareness and metacontrol subsystem that enables the autonomous reconfiguration of the robot subsystems to keep mission-oriented capability. This resilience augmenting solution is based on the deep modeling of the functional architecture of the autonomous robot in combination with ontological reasoning to allow self-diagnosis and reconfiguration during operation. This mechanism can transparently use robot functional redundancy to ensure mission satisfaction, even in the presence of faults.

2008 ◽  
pp. 47-55
Author(s):  
A. Nekipelov ◽  
Yu. Goland

The appeals to minimize state intervention in the Russian economy are counterproductive. However the excessive involvement of the state is fraught with the threat of building nomenclature capitalism. That is the main idea of the series of articles by prominent representatives of Russian economic thought who formulate their position on key elements of the long-term strategy of Russia’s development. The articles deal with such important issues as Russia’s economic policy, transition to knowledge-based economy, basic directions of monetary and structural policies, strengthening of property rights, development of human potential, foreign economic priorities of our state.


Author(s):  
Evi Zohar

Continuing the workshop I've given in the WPC Paris (2017), this article elaborates my discussion of the way I interlace Focusing with Differentiation Based Couples Therapy (Megged, 2017) under the systemic view, in order to facilitate processes of change and healing in working with intimate couples. This article presents the theory and rationale of integrating Differentiation (Bowen, 1978; Schnarch, 2009; Megged, 2017) and Focusing (Gendlin, 1981) approaches, and its therapeutic potential in couple's therapy. It is written from the point of view of a practicing professional in order to illustrate the experiential nature and dynamics of the suggested therapeutic path. Differentiation is a key to mutuality. It offers a solution to the central struggle of any long term intimate relationship: balancing two basic life forces - the drive for individuality and the drive for togetherness (Schnarch, 2009). Focusing is a body-oriented process of self-awareness and emotional healing, in which one learns to pay attention to the body and the ‘Felt Sense’, in order to unfold the implicit, keep it in motion at the precise pace it needs for carrying the next step forward (Gendlin, 1996). Combining Focusing and Differentiation perspectives can cultivate the kind of relationship where a conflict can be constructively and successfully held in the inner world of each partner, while taking into consideration the others' well-being. This creates the possibility for two people to build a mutual emotional field, open to changes, permeable and resilient.


2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.Q. Zhao ◽  
G. Sun ◽  
C. Lafferty ◽  
S.J. Allen

A gravel-based tidal flow reed bed system was operated with three different strategies in order to investigate its optimal performance for the treatment of a high strength agricultural wastewater. According to the three strategies, individual reed beds were saturated and unsaturated with the wastewater for different periods while reasonably stable hydraulic and organic loadings were maintained. Experimental results demonstrated that the system produced the highest pollutant removal efficiencies with a relatively short saturated period and long unsaturated period, highlighting the importance of oxygen transfer into reed bed matrices during the treatment. Significant removals of some major organic and inorganic pollutants were achieved under all three operational conditions. Nitrification was not the major route of ammoniacal-nitrogen removal when the system was under high organic loading. Due to the filtration of suspended solids and the accumulation of biomass, gradual clogging of the reed bed matrices took place, which caused concerns over the long-term efficiency of the tidal flow system.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1777
Author(s):  
Lisa Gerlach ◽  
Thilo Bocklisch

Off-grid applications based on intermittent solar power benefit greatly from hybrid energy storage systems consisting of a battery short-term and a hydrogen long-term storage path. An intelligent energy management is required to balance short-, intermediate- and long-term fluctuations in electricity demand and supply, while maximizing system efficiency and minimizing component stress. An energy management was developed that combines the benefits of an expert-knowledge based fuzzy logic approach with a metaheuristic particle swarm optimization. Unlike in most existing work, interpretability of the optimized fuzzy logic controller is maintained, allowing the expert to evaluate and adjust it if deemed necessary. The energy management was tested with 65 1-year household load datasets. It was shown that the expert tuned controller is more robust to changes in load pattern then the optimized controller. However, simple readjustments restore robustness, while largely retaining the benefits achieved through optimization. Nevertheless, it was demonstrated that there is no one-size-fits-all tuning. Especially, large power peaks on the demand-side require overly conservative tunings. This is not desirable in situations where such peaks can be avoided through other means.


2020 ◽  
Vol 108 (7) ◽  
pp. 971-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikil Dutt ◽  
Carlo S. Regazzoni ◽  
Bernhard Rinner ◽  
Xin Yao

2007 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiva Kumar Srinivasan

This paper argues that there is an intrinsic link between the concepts of “learning-to-learn” and the “knowledge worker” in the work of Peter Drucker. This is because the increasing life-span of knowledge workers and the decreasing life-span of organizations in the contemporary world have changed the underlying nature of the “social contract” that has hitherto governed the relationship between workers and organizations. Furthermore, these changes are forcing all stakeholders to confront the demands of learning-to-learn and self-management as the necessary modalities of professional and social mobility for knowledge workers in the global economy. Drucker therefore argues that formalizing an ethic of learning-to-learn will provide both knowledge workers and organizations, by implication, with a competitive advantage in “the next society.” Understanding the importance of learning practices and knowledge management will also make it possible for knowledge workers and knowledge-based organizations to continually renew themselves despite the intensity of competition and the relentless demands for individuation, differentiation, and innovation in the global economy. Drucker cites his own career as an example of such a possibility by demonstrating that “intellectual omnivorousness” can serve as an emotional and intellectual reservoir of possibilities for knowledge workers over a long life span. What knowledge workers need then is a “method of study.” In addition to spelling out a possible model of study based on his own formative experiences, Drucker also cites the sources from which he initially learnt the modalities that he calls for in a general theory of learning-to-learn in knowledge workers and organizations. The essential modality in making knowledge “actionable” for Drucker is “feedback analysis,” a practice that he identifies with the Jesuits and the Calvinists in Europe. In other words, decision-makers must have the confidence and patience to write decision reports and check to see if they have been able to anticipate the consequences of a given decision through feedback analysis. They must also develop a high degree of self-awareness on what constitutes their cognitive style by deciding whether their style of information-processing demands the style of a “reader or listener” and act accordingly. This relates to the larger necessity of acting from strengths rather than from weaknesses in Drucker's thought. And, finally, the knowledge worker must be willing to learn from the experience of artists, musicians, and scientists on the possibilities of creativity in old-age and internalize the moral obligation to pursue perfection whenever or wherever possible.


2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 1304-1311 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Mishima ◽  
M. Hama ◽  
Y. Tabata ◽  
J. Nakajima

Abstract Small-scale wastewater treatment plants (SWTPs), called Johkasou, are widely used as decentralized and individual wastewater treatment systems in sparsely populated areas in Japan. Even in SWTPs, nutrients should be removed to control eutrophication. An iron electrolysis method is effective to remove phosphorus chemically in SWTPs. However, it is necessary to determine the precise conditions under which phosphorus can be effectively and stably removed in full scale SWTPs for a long period. Therefore, long-term phosphorus removal from SWTPs was investigated and optimum operational conditions for phosphorus removal by iron electrolysis were analyzed in this study. Efficient phosphorus removal can be achieved for a long time by adjusting the amount of iron against the actual population equivalent. The change of the recirculation ratio had no negative effect on overall phosphorus removal. Phosphorus release to the bulk phase was prevented by the accumulated iron, which was supplied by iron electrolysis, resulting in stable phosphorus removal. The effect of environmental load reduction due to phosphorus removal by iron electrolysis was greater than the cost of power consumption for iron electrolysis.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-128
Author(s):  
Marqus Burrell ◽  
Jeffrey Demarest ◽  
Sarah LaRue ◽  
Angelo Martinez ◽  
Wilson Meyer

The United States military uses Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) operations to move soldiers, vehicles, and equipment across the globe for military and humanitarian missions. These logistics operations can only be accomplished through cooperation between commanders in all services.  The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center is developing a tool to analyze a set of early entry alternatives to optimize mission effectives and efficiencies in order to facilitate assured mobility and freedom of movement. This program is currently being developed under the name Planning Logistics Analysis Network System (PLANS). PLANS comprehensively covers air, land, and sea transportation infrastructure, regions of avoidance, and more. This research addresses a gap in strategic and operational planning by modeling the establishment of JLOTS operations on bare beach environments. The West Point developed discrete event simulation will determine the amount of time it takes to prepare a beach to sustain JLOTS operations under varying environmental and operational conditions.


Author(s):  
Allahyar Muradov Et al.

Sustainability in education is important in ensuring knowledge-based and innovation-driven development and human capital reproduction. Sustainability is particular important for the prevention of some economic and social problems that may arise in the future and raising the competitiveness of the country. Sustainability - the prevention as some of economic and social problems that may arise in the future is of particular importance in raising the country's competitiveness. The aim of the research is to estimate the economic-social benefits of regulation of sustainability in education and to give the suggestions in the direction of the improvement of the effectiveness of the regulation. The impact of continuity in education on the formation and development of human capital, knowledge-based society building, labour intelligence, competitiveness and the improvement of welfare are assessed cross-country in the article. In particular, in recent years, researches and politicians have analysed the ‘4th industry’ revolution (‘Industry 4.0’) ‘the benefits and losses in the medium and long-term perspective and its interaction with the sustainability of education. Here are two issues: 1) socioeconomic disadvantages of ensuring sustainability in education, 2) socioeconomic advantages of ensuring sustainability in education. Firstly, it is analysed the impacts of increased unemployment, reduction of employment income, declining social security and welfare that will be resulted as problems on economic development. Secondly, it is analysed (ensuring in sustainability condition) the distinguished factors of rapid technological innovation, labour productivity, repatriation of human capital, raising competitiveness on the international level, innovation-based development, economic benefits of knowledge and skills.


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