Search results for " Robotics"

Deep Reinforcement Learning with Omnidirectional Images: application to UAV Navigation in Forests

2022

Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) is highly efficient for solving complex tasks such as drone obstacle avoidance using cameras. However, these methods are often limited by the camera perception capabilities. In this paper, we demonstrate that point-goal navigation performances can be improved by using cameras with a wider Field-Of-View (FOV). To this end, we present a DRL solution based on equirectangular images and demonstrates its relevance, especially compared to its perspective version. Several visual modalities are compared: ground truth depth, RGB, and depth directly estimated from these 360°R GB images using Deep Learning methods. Next, we propose a spherical adaptation to take into …

A novel soft robotic pediatric in vitro swallowing device to gain insights into the swallowability of mini-tablets Authors

2022

Software architectures for cloud robotics : the 5 view Hyperactive Transaction Meta-Model (HTM5)

2015

Software development for cloud connected robotic systems is a complex software engineeringendeavour. These systems are often an amalgamation of one or more robotic platforms, standalonecomputers, mobile devices, server banks, virtual machines, cameras, network elements and ambientintelligence. An agent oriented approach represents robots and other auxiliary systems as agents inthe system.Software development for distributed and diverse systems like cloud robotic systems require specialsoftware modelling processes and tools. Model driven software development for such complexsystems will increase flexibility, reusability, cost effectiveness and overall quality of the end product.The proposed …

Paediatric solid oral dosage forms for combination products: Improving in vitro swallowability of minitablets using binary mixtures with pellets

2023

There is a growing interest in determining and improving the acceptability of solid oral dosage forms (SODF) in paediatric populations. Combination products can be an interesting solution to combine two active pharmaceutical ingredients. This study shows that binary mixture of paediatric SODF could enhance formulation swallowability and palatability. Using the Paediatric Soft Robotic Tongue (PSRT) – an in vitro device inspired by the anatomy and physiology of 2-year-old children – we investigated the oral phase of swallowing of multi-particulate formulations, i.e., pellets (350 and 700 µm particles), minitablets (MTs, 1.8 mm), and their binary mixtures (BM), by measuring the oral swallowing…

Breedbot: An Edutainment Robotics System to Link Digital and Real World

2007

The paper describes Breedbot an edutainment software and hardware system that could be used to evolve autonomous agents in digital (software) world and to transfer the evolved minds in physical agents (robots). The system is based on a wide variety of Artificial Life techniques (Artificial Neural Networks, Genetic Algorithms, User Guided Evolutionary Design and Evolutionary Robotics). An user without any computer programming skill can determine the robot behaviour. Breedbot was used as a didactic tool in teaching Evolutionary Biology and as a futuristic toy by several Science Centers. The digital side of Breedbot is downloadable from www.isl.unina.it/breedbot.

Activities with Educational Robotics: Research Model and Tools for Evaluation of Progress

2019

The use of robots in the learning process has been popular since S. Papert developed his LOGO Turtle idea and argued that students can construct their own knowledge, test their constructive solutions and be motivated to learn if they use robotics in the learning process. Today, the idea of using elements of robotics in the learning process is no longer new and innovative but there are still elements that can be developed and issues that should be discussed. In this chapter, the authors provide the research model and five research tools (structured observation protocol, evaluation of the possible risks of early school leaving to be filled in by teachers before and after activities, students’…

Il Protocollo RE4BES per il potenziamento delle abilità cognitive, emotive e sociali di un bambino con disturbo dello spettro autistico

2020

The study reports an intervention study on a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The intervention was conducted using some activities included in the RE4BES protocol, a collection of guidelines for the implementation of educational robots intervention for children and young people with special educational eeeds. To assess the efficacy of the intervention, an A-B-A quasi-experimental design was used, in which the involved child was repeatedly evaluated before, during and after treatment. The results showed that robotics activities produced significant changes in his fine motor skills, verbal and preverbal skills, social reciprocity and emotional expression. Furthermore, it was possible to o…

Educational Robotics: Evaluating the Role of Computational Thinking in Attaining 21st Century Skills

2022

Abstract Educational Robotics (ER) has gained prominence in the literature on Computational Thinking (CT) because of its modularity, a feature that potentially facilitates the development of abstract thinking through complex robotic parts. The field of robotics encompasses the characteristics of technology, intelligence, embodiment, and interaction, and these characteristics can serve as means of instruction for CT. Essential 21st Century Skills include decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and the use of algorithms; which are fundamental to effective problem-solving skills. Although CT is believed to be the key to developing 21st Century Skills, its role in doing so is significa…

Computational Thinking Development: Benefiting from Educational Robotics in STEM Teaching

2022

<p style="text-align: justify;">The delivery of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning to improve an individual’s competence and future career interests has become a critical scientific undertaking for teachers and researchers alike. A plethora of research has proposed various hands-on robotics activities built on constructivist theories, thereby facilitating the development of knowledge based on reality for scientific and non-scientific stakeholders. Robotics may become an essential focus point within technology provision, which is an essential underlying characteristic for the seminal development of computational thinking (CT). However, despite the potentia…

Robomaths: Robotics to Learn Matematics in a Architecture Degree

2020

The abstract part of mathematics is a difficult matter included in many subjects in university degrees. Specifically, in architecture degrees students lack interest in this topic if they don’t experience its immediate application. In addition, technological skills are required at every educational level and the students of these degrees are usually more interested in art than in technology. With the aim of encouraging architecture students' interest in mathematics and technology, a methodology is presented here that includes the use of robotics in maths lectures. The key idea is to make the abstract part of mathematics understandable by means of robots.