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Vision-Language Model for Robot Grasping
No full textRobot grasping is emerging as an active area of research in robotics as the interest in humanrobot interaction is gaining worldwide because of diverse industrial settings for sharing tasks and workplaces. It mainly focuses on the quality of generated grasps for object manipulation. However, despite advancements, these methods need to consider the human-robot collaboration settings where robots and humans will have to grasp the same objects concurrently. Therefore, generating robot grasps compatible with human preferences of simultaneously holding an object is necessary to ensure a safe and natural collaboration experience. In this work, we propose a novel, deep neural network-based method called CoGrasp that generates human-aware robot grasps by contextualizing human preference models of object grasping into the robot grasp selection process. We validate our approach against existing state-of-the-art robot grasping methods through simulated and real-robot experiments and user studies. In real robot experiments, our method achieves about 88% success rate in producing stable grasps that allow humans to interact and grasp objects simultaneously in a socially compliant manner. Furthermore, our user study with 10 independent participants indicated our approach enables a safe, natural, and socially aware humanrobot objects\u27 co-grasping experience compared to a standard robot grasping technique.To facilitate the grasping process, we also introduce a vision-language model that works as a pre-processing system before the grasping action takes place. In most settings, the robots are equipped with sensors that allow them to capture the scene, on which the vision model is used to do a detection task and objectify the visible contents in the environment. The language model is used to program the robot to make it possible for them to understand and execute the required sequence of tasks. Using the process of object detection, we build a set of object queries from the sensor image and allow the user to provide an input query for a task to be performed. We then perform a similarity score among these queries to localize the object that needs attention, and once identified, we can use a grasping process for the task at hand
Investigation of Jamming Phenomenon in a DRI Furnace Pellet Feed System Using the Discrete Element Method and Computational Fluid Dynamics
No full textAn iron ore pellet feed system for a direct reduction ironmaking furnace is jamming during winter operation. The pellets are jamming in a hopper at the top of the feed system above the furnace, and a hot gas, that seals off the furnace flue gas, flows counter to the pellets. A computational model of the feed system is built utilizing the discrete element method and computational fluid dynamics, using Siemen’s commercial multiphysics software Star-CCM+, to study the conditions that cause the jam to occur. The study is divided into six parts: pellet bulk flow calibration, computational cost reduction, modeling of the baseline operation, modeling the effect of moisture, development of a thermal model, and investigation of the minimal amount of icy and wet material to jam the system. The findings show that the location of jamming during operation matches the area in the simulation where it is most likely to occur, and that moisture alone is unlikely to result in jamming. Results indicate that the system will jam when charged with a minimum of 15% icy pellets, and when charged with 10% icy together with 5% wet pellets. Experimental work is recommended to validate the findings and to calibrate the simulations accordingly
Experimental Assessment of Trans Sonic Rossiter Cavity in Developing Acoustic Streaming and its Effects On Heat Transfer
No full textAcoustic streaming is a phenomenon which occurs when acoustic excitations interact with a fluid (stationary or non-stationary). Exploitation of this phenomenon has the potential to open doors to new methods of flow control through the enhancement or diminishment of the present flow instabilities. A particular use of acoustic streaming shown by previous numerical studies is the enhancement of heat transfer in violation of the Reynold’s Analogy within a small range of Mach numbers and frequencies of periodic excitation. The focus of this thesis is to experimentally assess the usage of a Rossiter cavity in generating periodic acoustic excitations and its effects on the shear stress and heat transfer.In the present research, two large models are tested using a blow-down facility. The models are made of aluminum and Teflon and were developed to ensure optical access for infrared thermography. The geometries are tested at Mach number ranging from 0.373 to 0. 866. The target Mach number-frequency pair where significant heat transfer enhancement is a free stream Mach number at the cavity, Mc, of 0.75 and the frequency, fc, of 7.5 kHz. The cavity is tuned using the Rossiter equation with Rossiter constants k = 0.66 and y = 0.25. The heat transfer and skin friction enhancement are measured immediately upstream and downstream of the cavity and compared to the previous numerical studies.When testing the Teflon model with an ambient back pressure and 11 lb/s mass flow, a frequency of 7.8 kHz was generated by the cavity. For the aluminum model tested at a high vacuum and 3 lb/s mass flow, frequencies near 7, 10, and 20 kHz were generated by the cavity with 10 and 20 kHz appearing most often. High speed schlieren imaging was used to confirm the flow structures being generated in the flow. There was good agreement with the Rossiter modes at lower Mach numbers and moderate agreement at transonic Mach numbers. A correlation is presented which defines a band of Mach number-Reynolds number pairs which present with a discontinuous frequency behavior during operation of the wind tunnel. Measurable effects on both skin friction and heat transfer between tests with comparable operating conditions to a reference were observed and are presented
Connected Vehicle-Centric Dashboards for TMC of the Future
Get PDFThe adoption of dashboards and tools into Traffic Management Centers (TMC) has been growing with advancements in connected vehicle (CV) data. These tools are now being utilized—not only for analyzing work zones, severe crashes, winter operations, and traffic signals—but also to provide measures for characterizing overall system mobility, resiliency, and after-action assessments. Previous studies have extended the concepts to include the enhanced trajectory-based CV data into dashboards that aid agencies in assessing and managing roadways. This study presents the extension of these tools that further improve the value and insights provided. It also highlights the evolution of CV data in Indiana. CV data in Indiana has grown to over 364 billion statewide records. Average overall penetration rate of CV data on interstates has increased to 6.32% in May 2022 with trucks accounting for 1.7%. Sections of this study also present the impact of rain intensity on interstate traffic and incorporation of such weather data into heatmap and other tools. Updates to existing dashboards and a summary of newly developed dashboards are synopsized in this report. Finally, this report presents a case study that highlights the use of these tools to assess and analyze the impact of tornadoes on interstate traffic in Indiana. As interest in these tools has grown, this project facilitated continued improvements and added features to meet the needs of INDOT and their partners
Congressional Oversight of U.S. Government Programs
No full textProvides detailed overview of how the U.S. Congress conducts oversight of federal agency programs. Contents include a letter from a member of Congress to an agency head concerning an environmental development in Indiana, information on the foundations of congressional oversight, details on how Congress may require agency reports on various subjects in public laws, an example of a congressionally mandated report by the Department of Defense, documentation of congressional funding of individual federal agencies, examples of congressional committee hearings, congressional committee issuance of oversight and investigative reports which may include dissenting opinions, Congressional Budget Office cost estimates on congressional committee reported legislation, congressional committee biennial activity reports, and useful websites for congressional oversight information including congressional support agencies like the Congressional Budget Office, Congressional Research Service, and Government Accountability Office
The Animal in the Wild in \u3cem\u3eHwang Sun-mi’s The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly\u3c/em\u3e
Get PDFHwang Sun-mi’s The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly has become a contemporary classic children’s story in Korea since its original publication in 2000. Since then, the story has been translated and redesigned with new illustrations in almost thirty different countries (Y. Kim). The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly centers on a hen that raises a duckling as her “baby,” with the story drawing upon a rich reservoir of cultural associations between humans and nature in East Asian traditions. In this story, the hen leaves the human-dominated barnyard, based on profit, exploitation, and competition, for a reconnection with moral virtues in the natural world. By leaving the human-organized society, the hen Sprout realizes her name’s potential for vitality and growth. This paper explores cultural connections between the animal and nature in Hwang’s story within a Korean context, inviting comparisons between Western and Eastern environmental perspectives
Ecopoetry as Method: Reading Gary Snyder as a Cultural Mediator between China and the World
Get PDFEcocriticism is a field that is inherently cross-cultural, and poetry is an art form that creates bonds across cultural communities. This paper focuses on Gary Snyder, a prominent poet in his own right, who is famous for his translation of the works by Chinese poet Han Shan. His attraction to Chinese classical poetry and Eastern civilization offers an alternative to the Western developmental paradigm, and the ecopoetry he espouses is pertinent to today’s environmental debates. His references to nature do not function merely as reminders that nature should be respected but as an impetus to reflect on the coexistence of multiple temporalities and agencies. This paper examines Chinese poetry’s inspirational effect on Snyder and analyzes his translations of Han Shan’s poetry. Snyder’s ecocritical insights have had a wide influence, particularly on the work of Hong Kong poet Xi Xi. This circulation of poetry offers a means of bridging Western and Eastern cultures. The mutual enrichment achieved by such cultural translations provides a means of transcending the simplistic dichotomies of the East and West
Metallurgical Length Prediction in Continuous Casting
No full textA thorough analysis of spraying situations was carried out in the pursuit of having an appropriate spread and mapping for the spraying system in the continuous casting process. For each spray and each section, CFD simulations were utilized to analyze all potential spraying conditions while moving over the continuous steel caster. It was necessary to thoroughly examine the distribution of heat transfer coefficient (HTC) along the caster, therefore variables such overlap, stand-off distance, water flow rate, spray angle, and casting speed were taken into consideration. A flat fan atomizer model was used to simulate this distribution and its impact, and different spraying scenarios were run. More research was done on the effects of each separate spray on HTC, paying particular attention to the overlap phenomena. By simply entering the HTC data for each spray simulation and its corresponding coordinates, as well as stitching those profiles into multiple profiles that fit into its further corresponding segment, an assembly for each of these scenarios unto each segment along the full caster was also accomplished using MATLAB. Further MATLAB code was built to bend the coordinates of the profiles in accordance with the bend or curve of the caster, which was also taken into consideration. The study\u27s primary focus when it came to the solidification model\u27s next component was rebuilding the caster geometry. To measure and examine the shell thickness, surface temperature, and many other phenomena along the casting, numerous straight segments were previously employed. The caster\u27s curvature was considered in the newly revised design, along with changes to the extracting technique used for many other phenomena in general and shell thickness in particular. This is done in order to create a more realistic design that mimics the caster\u27s actual shape and the physics that affect it. Also, a successful integration of the two projects stated above was accomplished, and parametric studies were also carried out, including a study of the impact of casting speed and nozzle clogging on metallurgical length. In order to model the actual process of casting, the steel’s temperature-dependent material properties were studied using the thermodynamic software JMatPro. For the research of the flat fan atomizer model, the ANSYS Fluent 2020R1 CFD tool was heavily utilized, and for the investigation of the solidification of steel, the STARCCM+ CFD program. The MATLAB R2018a software was used to map the curved Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) profiles, straighten such curved data, and visualize the shell expansion by extracting curved coordinates. The results of this study can be used to enhance continuous casting procedures and optimization
