0000000000713187
AUTHOR
Daniel Schneider
Completely randomized RRT-connect: A case study on 3D rigid body motion planning
Nowadays sampling-based motion planners use the power of randomization to compute multidimensional motions at high performance. Nevertheless the performance is based on problem-dependent parameters like the weighting of translation versus rotation and the planning range of the algorithm. Former work uses constant user-adjusted values for these parameters which are defined a priori. Our new approach extends the power of randomization by varying the parameters randomly during runtime. This avoids a preprocessing step to adjust parameters and moreover improves the performance in comparison to existing methods in the majority of the benchmarks. Our method is simple to understand and implement. …
Boosting working memory with accelerated clocks
Our perception of time varies with the degree of cognitive engagement in tasks. The perceived passage of time accelerates while working on demanding tasks, whereas time appears to drag during boring situations. Our experiment aimed at investigating whether this relationship is mutual: Can manipulated announcements of elapsed time systematically affect the attentional resources applied to a cognitive task? We measured behavioral performance and the EEG in a whole report working memory paradigm with six items of different colors that each had to be reported after a short delay period. The 32 participants were informed about the current time after each 20 trials, while the clock was running at…
Don't stop me now: Hampered retrieval of action plans following interruptions
How can we retrieve action plans in working memory (WM) after being distracted or interrupted? The present EEG study investigated this question using a WM task in which a random sequence of single numbers (1-4 and 6-9) was presented. In a given trial, participants had to decide whether the number presented in the preceding trial was odd or even. Additionally, interfering stimuli were randomly presented in 25% of all trials, requiring the participants to either ignore a colored number (distraction) or respond to it (interruption) while maintaining the previously formed action plan in WM. Our results revealed a detrimental impact of interruptions on WM performance in trials after interrupting…
Collision detection for 3D rigid body motion planning with narrow passages
In sampling-based 3D rigid body motion planning one of the major subroutines is collision detection. Especially for problems with narrow passages many samples have to be checked by a collision detection algorithm. In this application, the runtime of the motion planning algorithm is dominated by collision detection and the samples have the very specific characteristic that many of them are in collision and have small penetration volumes. In our work, we introduce a data structure and an algorithm that makes use of this characteristic by combining well-known data structures like a distance field and an octree with the swap algorithm by Llanas et al. For 3D rigid body motion planning with narr…
Differential Effects of Interruptions and Distractions on Working Memory Processes in an ERP Study
Interruptions (interfering stimuli to respond to) and distractions (interfering stimuli to be ignored) have been shown to negatively impact performance, particularly in tasks requiring working memory (WM). This study investigated how these two types of external interference affect task performance and attentional and WM processes as indexed by specific event-related potentials (ERPs) of the EEG. A Continuous Number Task (CNT) was applied, in which participants had to either decide whether the current number (condition without WM load) or the sum of the current and the preceding number (condition with WM load) was odd or even while responding to interlaced single letters (interruptions) or i…
Encoding, storage, and response preparation-Distinct EEG correlates of stimulus and action representations in working memory.
Working memory (WM) allows for the active storage of stimulus- and higher level representations, such as action plans. This electroencephalography (EEG) study investigated the specific electrophysiological correlates dissociating action-related from stimulus-related representations in WM using three different experimental conditions based on the same stimulus material. In the experiment, a random sequence of single numbers (from 1 to 6) was presented and participants had to indicate whether the current number (N0 condition), the preceding number (N-1 condition), or the sum of the current and the preceding number (S-1 condition) was odd or even. Accordingly, participants had to store a stimu…
A motion planning algorithm for the invalid initial state disassembly problem
Sampling-based motion planners are able to plan disassembly paths at high performance. They are limited by the fact that the input triangle sets of the static and dynamic object need to be free of collision in the initial and all following states. In real world applications, like the disassembly planning in car industry, this often does not hold true. Beside data inaccuracy, this is mainly caused by the modeling of flexible parts as rigid bodies, especially fixture elements like clips. They cause the invalid initial state disassembly problem. In the literature there exists no algorithm that is able to calculate a reasonable disassembly path for an invalid initial state. Our novel algorithm …