Parameter sizing for fluid power circuits using taguchi methods

This paper describes the application of Taguchi methods [1,2,3] to the parameter sizing stage of fluid power system design. Taguchi methods have become almost synonymous with robust design and are used to design systems that are tolerant to the effects of noise factors. Noise factors are defined as anything that causes changes in the functional characteristics or performance of the system that are not controllable. In the hydraulic circuit example used in this paper, these noise factors are assumed to be effects of component failure. The method is therefore being used to select design parameter values such that the resulting circuits exhibit some tolerance to the initial development of faults in the system which will allow the system to continue to operate for a short period of time without catastrophic failure occurring

Multi-agent evolutionary systems for the generation of complex virtual worlds

Modern films, games and virtual reality applications are dependent on convincing computer graphics. Highly complex models are a requirement for the successful delivery of many scenes and environments. While workflows such as rendering, compositing and animation have been streamlined to accommodate increasing demands, modelling complex models is still a laborious task. This paper introduces the computational benefits of an Interactive Genetic Algorithm (IGA) to computer graphics modelling while compensating the effects of user fatigue, a common issue with Interactive Evolutionary Computation. An intelligent agent is used in conjunction with an IGA that offers the potential to reduce the effects of user fatigue by learning from the choices made by the human designer and directing the search accordingly. This workflow accelerates the layout and distribution of basic elements to form complex models. It captures the designer’s intent through interaction, and encourages playful discovery

Social play spaces for active community engagement

This paper puts forward the perspective that social play spaces are opportunities to utilise both technology and body for the benefit of community culture and engagement. Co-located social gaming coupled with tangible interfaces offer active participant engagement and the development of the local video game scene. This paper includes a descriptive account of Rabble Room Arcade, an experimental social event combining custom-built physical interface devices and multiplayer video games

An extensible framework for automatic knowledge extraction from student blogs

This article introduces a framework for automatically extracting knowledge from student blogs and injecting it into a shared resource, namely a Wiki. This is motivated by the need to preserve knowledge generated by students beyond their time of study. The framework is described in the context of the Bachelor of Creative Technologies degree at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand where it is being deployed alongside an existing blogging and ePortfolio process. The framework uses an extensible, layered architecture that allows for incremental development of components in the system to enhance the functionality over time. The current implementation is in beta-testing and uses simple heuristics in the core components. This article presents a road map for extending the functionality to improve the quality of knowledge extraction by introducing techniques from the artificial intelligence field

Towards the Holodeck: fully immersive virtual reality visualisation of scientific and engineering data

In this paper, we describe the development and operating principles of an immersive virtual reality (VR) visualisation environment that is designed around the use of consumer VR headsets in an existing wide area motion capture suite. We present two case studies in the application areas of visualisation of scientific and engineering data. Each of these case studies utilise a different render engine, namely a custom engine for one case and a commercial game engine for the other. The advantages and appropriateness of each approach are discussed along with suggestions for future work

A comparison of semi-deterministic and stochastic search techniques

This paper presents an investigation of two search techniques, tabu search (TS) and simulated annealing (SA), to assess their relative merits when applied to engineering design optimisation. Design optimisation problems are generally characterised as having multi-modal search spaces and discontinuities making global optimisation techniques beneficial. Both techniques claim to be capable of locating globally optimum solutions on a range of problems but this capability is derived from different underlying philosophies. While tabu search uses a semi-deterministic approach to escape local optima, simulated annealing uses a complete stochastic approach. The performance of each technique is investigated using a structural optimisation problem. These performances are then compared to each other as well as a steepest descent (SD) method

60 years of creativity in business organizations

This paper analyses the role of creativity in business organizations by examining the core ideas of an article published sixty years ago as a way to elucidate how relevant they are today in view of the research literature. The paper proposes the use of computational social simulations to support systematic reasoning about some of these longstanding issues around organizational creativity. An example of an agent-based simulation to study team ideation is presented to support systematic reasoning about the role of creativity in business organizations and to articulate future lines of inquiry

Augmented body: changing interactive body play

This paper investigates the player’s body as a system capable of unfamiliar interactive movement through digital mediation in a playful environment. Body interactions with both digital and non-digital environments are suggested here as a perceptually manipulative exploration area, where by a player altering how they perceive of their body and its operations can create a new playful and original experience. It questions how player interaction can change as perception of the body changes using augmentative technology

Mining software metrics from Jazz

In this paper, we describe the extraction of source code metrics from the Jazz repository and the application of data mining techniques to identify the most useful of those metrics for predicting the success or failure of an attempt to construct a working instance of the software product. We present results from a systematic study using the J48 classification method. The results indicate that only a relatively small number of the available software metrics that we considered have any significance for predicting the outcome of a build. These significant metrics are discussed and implication of the results discussed, particularly the relative difficulty of being able to predict failed build attempts

Mainstreaming video annotation software for critical video analysis

The range of video annotation software currently available is set within commercially specialized professions, distributed via outdated sources or through online video hosting services. As video content becomes an increasingly significant tool for analysis, there is a demand for appropriate digital annotation techniques that offer equivalent functionality to tools used for annotation of text based literature sources. This paper argues for the importance of video annotating as an effective method for research that is as accessible as literature annotation is. Video annotation has been shown to trigger higher learning and engagement but research struggles to explain the absence of video annotation in contemporary structures of education practice. In both academic and informal settings the use of video playback as a meaningful tool of analysis is apparent, yet the availability of supplementary annotation software is not within obvious grasp or even prevalent in standardized computer software. Practical software tools produced by the researcher have demonstrated effective video annotation in a short development time. With software design programs available for rapid application creation, this paper also highlights the absence of a development community. This paper argues that video annotation is an accessible tool, not just for academic contexts, but also for wider practical video analysis applications, potentially becoming a mainstream learning tool. This paper thus presents a practical multimodal public approach to video research that potentially affords a deeper analysis of media content. This is supported by an in-depth consideration of the motivation for undertaking video annotation and a critical analysis of currently available tools