Human-Automation Allocations for Current Robotic Space Operations

Within the Human Research Program, one risk delineates the uncertainty surrounding crew working with automation and robotics in spaceflight. The Risk of Inadequate Design of Human and Automation/Robotic Integration (HARI) is concerned with the detrimental effects on crew performance due to ineffective user interfaces, system designs and/or functional task allocation, potentially compromising mission success and safety. Risk arises because we have limited experience with complex automation and robotics. One key gap within HARI, is the gap related to functional allocation. The gap states: We need to evaluate, develop, and validate methods and guidelines for identifying human-automation/robot task information needs, function allocation, and team composition for future long duration, long distance space missions. Allocations determine the human-system performance as it identifies the functions and performance levels required by the automation/robotic system, and in turn, what work the crew is expected to perform and the necessary human performance requirements. Allocations must take into account each of the human, automation, and robotic systems capabilities and limitations. Some functions may be intuitively assigned to the human versus the robot, but to optimize efficiency and effectiveness, purposeful role assignments will be required. The role of automation and robotics will significantly change in future exploration missions, particularly as crew becomes more autonomous from ground controllers. Thus, we must understand the suitability of existing function allocation methods within NASA as well as the existing allocations established by the few robotic systems that are operational in spaceflight. In order to evaluate future methods of robotic allocations, we must first benchmark the allocations and allocation methods that have been used. We will present 1) documentation of human-automation-robotic allocations in existing, operational spaceflight systems; and 2) To gather existing lessons learned and best practices in these role assignments, from spaceflight operational experience of crew and ground teams that may be used to guide development for future systems. NASA and other space agencies have operational spaceflight experience with two key Human-Automation-Robotic (HAR) systems: heavy lift robotic arms and planetary robotic explorers. Additionally, NASA has invested in high-fidelity rover systems that can carry crew, building beyond Apollo's lunar rover. The heavy lift robotic arms reviewed are: Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), Japanese Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS), and the European Robotic Arm (ERA, designed but not deployed in space). The robotic rover systems reviewed are: Mars Exploration Rovers, Mars Science Laboratory rover, and the high-fidelity K10 rovers. Much of the design and operational feedback for these systems have been communicated to flight controllers and robotic design teams. As part of the mitigating the HARI risk for future human spaceflight operations, we must document function allocations between robots and humans that have worked well in practice

Modelling of residential side flexibility for distribution network planning

With the environmental impacts of the fossil fuel economy being more and more visible it became oblivious that action against further climate change needs to be taken. This led to theenergy transition effort undertaken by countries of the European Union with the goal of increased usage of sustainable energy at the costofnon-renewable fuel sources. And on the national level,it led to more regionalized targets.With this in mind, the Netherlands adopted several goals with a target of reducing dependence on fossil fuels. These ranged from a bigger percentage of renewable energy in energy supply, through electrification of heating, to widespread adoption of electric vehicles. All of theseintroduce changes to how the energy system is operated. And this is particularly visible forelectricitydistribution system operators. These new developmentscouldmeanthatthegrid assets that were previously assumed to be functioning for the next decades would be retired earlier than expected. However, progressin areas of flexibility in electrical energy consumption present opportunityfor deferred replacement of those otherwise prematurely retired assets.In this context, the main objective of this thesis was to assess the benefit thatactivation of electrical energy flexibility in households could bring to thedistribution system operator. Between two energy transition scenarios consideredand different simulation settings,it was discovered that from 3.3 to 35.4% cumulative investments into grid assets could be deferred in next 8 to 10 years into the future,for considered networks. This corresponds tobetween1.1 and16.7 million € for examined networks,whichcontained about 5% of assets(transformers,medium and low voltage cables)belonging tothe Dutchdistribution system operator Enexis. However, in order to arrive at these values,the followingsteps had to be taken.Firstly, possible methods used to activate flexibility were researchedand compared. These included tariff-and market-based solutions, connection agreements and direct control approach. Based on the review of current literature and pilot projects it was decided that power-based tariffs werethe most aligned with the goal of reducing the impact onto the DSO’s grid assetswithpresented requirements.This decision was taken dueto the cost-reflectiveness of network asset usagepresented by power-based tariffs. It was further reinforced by the factthe main criterion considered during asset sizingis expected loadingsince in medium and low voltage networks peak power corresponds to the majority of costs. Beside technical effectiveness,the power-based tariffwas found to promiseopportunity in other aspects. Thosewere social acceptance, influenced by customers alreadybeingaccustomed to the tariff system,the readinessof technology behind this approachand compliance with the legislative framework.Secondly, based on the outcome of the previous step it was decided to model the impact of the power-based tariff onto the grid assets. In order to analyse the impact of the potential solutiononto the real grid assets, the modelwas incorporatedinto the Enexis’ Scenariotool -bottom-up scenario analysis tool developed for short to medium-term network planning purposes. This decision posed a strict requirement onto a high computational performance in order to allow examination at network scale withinthe feasible timescale. The proposed model focused onsimulating the possible impact of the power-based tariff on the residential load profiles with a focus on electric vehicle charging and photovoltaic panel generation. Thirdly, model results were examined from the single household level up to multiple low voltage networks and connecting medium voltage network fragments. Examinationsat the network level were run for multiple sets of possible scenarios. Then based on the comparison with the baseline scenario, ones without activation of flexibility, assets for which deferred replacement is possible were identified. These deferral possibilities were later translated into the monetary values of cumulativesavingsup to a given year of simulation, resulting in the figures presented in the beginning.In conclusion,this project identified optimalmethod, from the viewpointof DSO,for activation of flexibility from the households, presented model that modifies residential loads according to this method and performed an economic evaluation of the tariff’s impact onto the part of DSO’s gridOutgoin

Manufacturing Microfluidic Flow Focusing Devices For Stimuli Responsive Alginate Microsphere Generation And Cell Encapsulation

In this paper a novel stimuli responsive hydrogel material, methacrylated sodium alginate beta-cyclodextrin (Alg-MA-β-CD), was used in combination with a microfluidic device to create microspheres. Currently there is no reliable method for fabricating homogeneous stimuli-responsive microspheres, in-house microfluidic devices are not reliable in manufacture quality or long-term use. Alginate hydrogels have many attractive characteristics for bioengineering applications and are commonly used to mimic the features and properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are of top interest to tissue engineers. hMSCs are widely available and can be harvested and cultured directly out of human bone marrow. hMSCs have the ability to differentiate into osteoblasts, adipocytes, chondrocytes, muscle cells, and stromal fibroblasts depending on mechanical signals transmitted through surrounding ECM. The biomechanical properties of alginate based stimuli-responsive hydrogels can be tuned to match those of different types of tissues. When trying to transport and control the differentiation of hMSCs into generating new tissues or regenerating damaged tissues, it is highly beneficial to encapsulate the cells inside a microsphere made from these hydrogels. The proposed research objectives are: 1) To optimize fabrication techniques and create functional microfluidic devices; 2) Analyze the effects of flow parameters on microsphere production; and 3) Encapsulate viable hMSCs inside multi-stimuli responsive alginate microspheres using the fabricated microfluidic devices (MFDs). In this study, photolithography microfabrication methods were used to create flow-focusing style MFDs. The hydrogel materials were characterized via rheological methods. Syringe pumps controlled flow rates of fluids through the devices. Active droplets formation was monitored through a camera attached to an inverted microscope, where images were analyzed. Microsphere production was analyzed optically and characterized. Alg-MA-β-CD polymer solutions containing hMSCs were encapsulated, and a live/dead florescence assay was preformed to verify cell viability. Using a modified fabrication process it was possible to manufacture Alg-MA-β-CD microspheres and encapsulate and maintain viable hMSCs inside

Third Grade and Concurrent Predictors of Engagement and Achievement in Reading

Theoretical models of learning highlight the role of engagement. The current investigation assessed the role of self-concept, locus of control, internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, and self-perceived interest and competence in reading in reading achievement. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class (ECLS-K), longitudinal (third grade) predictors of eighth grade reading achievement and motivation, and concurrent predictors of eighth grade reading achievement were analyzed. Regression modeling revealed that self-perceived interest and competence in reading, behavior problems, self-concept, and locus of control were weak predictors of reading achievement, both longitudinally and concurrently. Socioeconomic status and third grade reading achievement were the strongest predictors of eighth grade reading achievement. These findings highlight the importance of early intervention for reading deficits, especially for children of low socioeconomic status

Sobre melhoramento humano, otimismo, risco, risco existencial e como gerenciá-los e regulá-los:: uma entrevista com Anders Sandberg.

Interview with Anders Sandberg

Caixa-preta da IA e a supremacia dos padrões

This article investigates the metaphor of the “black box” in artificial intelligence, a representation that often suggests that AI is an unfathomable power, politically uncontrollable and shrouded in an aura of opacity. While the concept of the “black box” is legitimate and applicable in deep neural networks due to the in- herent complexity of the process, it has also become a generic pretext for the perception, which we seek to critically analyze, that AI systems are inscrutable and out of control, as well as supposedly endowed with intel- ligence and creativity. To challenge these ideas, we will address what we call the supremacy of patterns and the two significant phenomena that result from it: enchanted determinism and the dictatorship of the past.Este artigo investiga a metáfora da “black box” na inteligência artificial, uma representação que frequentemente sugere que a IA é um poder insondável, politicamente incontrolável e envolto em uma aura de opacidade. Embora o conceito de “black box” seja legítimo e aplicável em redes neurais profundas, devido à complexidade inerente do processo, ele também se transformou em um pretexto genérico para a percepção, que buscamos analisar de maneira crítica, de que os sistemas de IA são inescrutáveis e fora de controle, bem como dotados de suposta inteligência e criatividade. Para desafiar essas ideias, abordaremos o que chamamos de supremacia dos padrões e os dois fenômenos significativos decorrentes: o determinismo encantado e a ditadura do passado.Este artigo investiga a metáfora da “black box” na inteligência artificial, uma representação que frequentemente sugere que a IA é um poder insondável, politicamente incontrolável e envolto em uma aura de opacidade. Embora o conceito de “black box” seja legítimo e aplicável em redes neurais profundas, devido à complexidade inerente do processo, ele também se transformou em um pretexto genérico para a percepção, que buscamos analisar de maneira crítica, de que os sistemas de IA são inescrutáveis e fora de controle, bem como dotados de suposta inteligência e criatividade. Para desafiar essas ideias, abordaremos o que chamamos de supremacia dos padrões e os dois fenômenos significativos decorrentes: o determinismo encantado e a ditadura do passado

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Perceptions of Interprofessional Education

Engagement in interprofessional collaborative practice is critical for communication disorders professionals to provide quality clinical services. Given limited research on implementation of interprofessional education (IPE) within communication disorders pre-professional training programs and research highlighting potential barriers to implementation of IPE, this investigation assessed communication sciences and disorders (CSD) faculty attitudes toward IPE. One hundred fifty-eight CSD faculty from accredited CSD graduate programs completed the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale (Norris, Carpenter, Eaton, Guo, Lassche, Pett, & Blumenthal, 2016). Collectively, the faculty supported CSD students learning from and with students from different disciplines and endorsed IPE as beneficial. Faculty with master’s degrees were more likely to believe that IPE would increase student’s effectiveness as clinical care team members, whereas more faculty with research doctorates indicated that biases toward other professionals could get in the way of providing intervention. Compared to faculty in colleges other than health sciences, faculty in colleges of health sciences reported experiencing more bias toward and from professionals of other disciplines. Despite group differences, a majority of CSD faculty overwhelmingly favored IPE for students suggesting that the attitudes of CSD faculty toward IPE may not be a barrier to implementation of IPE within pre-professional training programs

Evaluating Augmented Reality for Space Telerobotics Training

Despite the extensive previous research into manual tracking, to the author’s knowledge there exists no study in the literature addressing human performance or workload changes in manual tracking tasks between traditional computer monitors and mobile, augmented reality headsets. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of several factors on human performance and workload in a three-axis manual tracking task. Recent advances in computing hardware have enabled a new generation of augmented reality stereoscopic devices, such as the Microsoft HoloLens, which have yet to be evaluated in the literature. The Microsoft HoloLens provides depth cues to the user which are not available with traditional 2D displays. If 3D displays can successfully improve performance and decrease workload in a manual tracking task, then it may also be valuable in the realm of robotics tasks. The human control of spacecraft, underwater, surface, and surgical robotics operations are all exciting areas of potential benefit. Each of these areas poses unique domain specific challenges, but the role of the human controller in robotic operations is often based on a simple three-axis tracking task. We designed an experiment that investigated if the depth cue offered by 3D displays could improve performance and decrease workload. With the knowledge that We were also interested to see if a 2D display could gain the benefits of a depth cue by rotating the axis of the task such that the depth cue was more readily available. Research has shown that presenting three-dimensional information on a two-dimensional screen is not a simple task, and that the projection of the 3D information onto the 2D screen can cause large changes in the performance of the user [3]. In addition to these cues, we also investigated the effects of concurrent bandwidth feedback on task performance and workload as an alternate technique to improving performance. Concurrent bandwidth feedback alerts the operator when their real-time performance has drifted outside an acceptable, predefined window of performance. The use of feedback has been shown to improve performance in a wide variety of motor control tasks [4, 5]. We added this countermeasure as we have previously found it to be effective in similar tasks [6]. This study assessed the influence of display type (perspective vs. stereoscopic), relative display attitude (zero degrees vs. thirty degrees), and concurrent bandwidth feedback (with vs. without) on performance and workload. Objective performance was measured using the root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the depth (z) axis, and subjective performance was measured with the use of a questionnaire. Objective workload was measured using the response time to a secondary, two-choice task, and subjective workload was measured using the NASA-TLX [7]. It was hypothesized that: 1. Concurrent bandwidth feedback improves performance in the depth (z) axis for both display types and will decrease workload. 2. Stereoscopic augmented reality displays improve performance in the depth (z) axis, but do not affect workload. 3. Rotating the display improves performance in the depth (z) axis for both display types and will decrease workload. A human-in-the-loop simulation was conducted using a fixed-base simulator, see Figure 1. The simulator consisted of two 10.4-inch LCD displays. The tracking task was completed on the left display, while the right display showed the two-choice task. For participants in the 3D group, the left LCD monitor was turned off, and the tracking task was instead displayed on the HoloLens. Subjects in both groups used the same Microsoft Xbox controller and control scheme to complete the task. Before entering the study, participants were randomly placed in a display group, and were then randomly placed into an order group (which consisted of Baseline-Feedback-Rotated, Feedback-Rotated-Baseline, and Rotated-Baseline-Feedback). This order group was created to remove any order effects that might arise due to training on a given display. The order of the designs was expected to be insignificant, but we will later discuss how this is not the case. Three designs were presented to the subjects to evaluate: a baseline design, a color-based concurrent bandwidth feedback (CBF) design, and a rotated design. Figure 2 shows all three designs in the same error state. The three designs were very similar, having only minor differences between each other. The baseline design consists of a flat cross with a center target point and a green sphere error indicator. This indicator also casts a green, variable-length rod perpendicular to the plane of the cross, which allows for a visual estimation of the error in the z-axis. The x-axis is parallel with the horizontal cross, while the y-axis is parallel with the vertical cross. The color feedback display was identical to the baseline design in every way, with the additional of visual concurrent bandwidth feedback on the z-axis. When the absolute value of the error on the z-axis exceeded a fixed bandwidth, the color of both the spherical indicator and the cylindrical rod changed from green to red. When the absolute value of the error on the z-axis was lowered back below this fixed bandwidth, the indicator changed back to a green color. The rotated display was identical to the baseline design, but the relative attitude of the display was rotated about the y-axis by 30 degrees