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Action robust reinforcement learning for air mobility deconfliction against conflict induced spoofing
Get PDFIncreased dynamic drone usage has increased complexity in aerial navigation and often demands distributed local deconfliction. Due to the high velocities and few landmarks, robust deconfliction relies on precise positioning and synchronization. However, intentional spoofing attacks aimed at inducing navigation conflicts threaten the reliability of conventional techniques. Here, we address these concerns by establishing a baseline on the impact of novel conflict-inducing spoofing attacks on existing geometric navigation methods. Based on the impact of the attacks on the navigation, reinforcement learning (RL) strategy is used to counter the effects of spoofing attacks. In order to counter the effect of spoofing in randomized dynamic airspace conditions, a zero-sum action-robust (ZSAR) RL based on mixed Nash equilibrium objective is used. The proposed methodology yields an improved number of conflict-free paths while reducing average conflicts compared to existing state of the art RL strategies, thus making it suitable for deploying autonomous aircrafts.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)This work was supported in part by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Office of the Chief Science Adviser for National Security under the UK Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research under Grant ICRF2324-7-150; in part by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC); and in part by the U.K. Research and Innovation (UKRI), “TAS-S: Trustworthy Autonomous Systems: Security” under Grant EP/V026763/1.IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation System
The “angioletti” of Palermo: the health and development of mummified non-adults in late modern Palermo, Sicily (1787–1880 CE)
Get PDFThe Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo, Sicily, have been home to non-adult mummified remains since the seventeenth century CE. Despite the increasing numbers of scientific studies conducted at this site, very little research has focused specifically on the youngest members of late modern (1787–1880 CE) society. This research aims to redress the balance by examining 43 individuals to gain insight into the demographic profile of mummified non-adults, to characterize their health status and possible cause of death, and to better understand the funerary treatment offered to the youngest members of society. A portable X-ray unit was used to capture anteroposterior and lateral images of each mummy; this facilitated age estimation, the identification of pathological and/traumatic lesions, and evidence of conservation and the mummification process more generally. This study revealed that regardless of age and health status at the time of death, the mortuary rite performed was primarily influenced by the wealth and social standing of the deceased’s kin. No demographic trends were observed in the data and the lack of evidence of metabolic, neoplastic, and traumatic bone lesions suggest these non-adults died from short-term, acute illnesses. Even when individuals did display evidence of chronic health conditions that would have impacted their day-to-day lives (e.g., B035), they were not excluded from this mortuary tradition on the basis of their long-term health and care requirements in life. Artifacts were found with all individuals examined and were associated with the mummification process, conservation of mummies, and/or their display. This research has ultimately demonstrated that non-invasive imaging can be used to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the lives and deaths of non-adults inhabiting late modern Palermo.Arts and Humanities Research CouncilThis research was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AH/V014331/1).Frontiers in Medicin
Rapid and automated configuration of robot manufacturing cells
Get PDFThis study presents the Reconfigurable and Responsive Robot Manufacturing (R3M) architecture, a novel framework engineered to autonomously adapt to fluctuating product variants and demands within manufacturing environments. At the heart of R3M lies an integrated architecture that ensures a seamless data flow between critical modules, facilitated by an advanced communication platform. These modules are central to delivering a range of services crucial for operational efficiency. Key to the architecture is the incorporation of Automated Risk Assessment aligned with ISO-12100 standards, utilizing ROS2 Gazebo for the dynamic modification of robot skills in a plug-and-produce manner. The architecture's unique approach to requirements definition employs AutomationML (AML), enabling effective system integration and the consolidation of varied information sources. This is achieved through the innovative use of skill-based concepts and AML Class Libraries, enhancing the system's adaptability and integration within manufacturing settings. The narrative delves into the intricate descriptions of products, equipment, and processes within the AML framework, highlighting the strategic consideration of profitability in the product domain and distinguishing between atomic and composite skills in equipment characterization. The process domain serves as an invaluable knowledge repository, bridging the gap between high-level product demands and specific equipment capabilities via process patterns. The culmination of these elements within the R3M framework provides a versatile and scalable solution poised to revolutionize manufacturing processes. Empirical results underscore the architecture's robust perception abilities, with a particular focus on a real-world application in robotic lamination stacking, elucidating both the inherent challenges and the tangible outcomes of the R3M deployment.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research CouncilThis research is supported by EPSRC grant (EP/V051180/1) for the Reconfigurable Robotics for Responsive Manufacture - R3M.Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturin
A systematic approach towards the integration of initial airworthiness regulatory requirements in remotely piloted aircraft system conceptual design methodologies
Get PDFThe regulatory framework of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPASs) has recently experienced an extraordinary evolution. This article seeks to improve the integration of certification considerations in RPAS conceptual design approaches so as to enhance the safety, certifiability and competitiveness of their resulting designs. The first part of the research conducts a two-stage analysis of contemporary regulations related to an RPAS’s initial airworthiness. In the first stage, the broad international regulation paradigm is evaluated attending to a set of criteria that are tightly related to both airworthiness and design considerations. The second stage keeps the most promising documents from a design–integration standpoint, which are assessed according to their applicability considering both design and operational aspects. The results of this analysis provide insights regarding the main issues in airworthiness design criteria extraction and integration in design methodologies. To aid the designer in surmounting these challenges, a flexible procedure named DECEX is developed. Considering the documents and findings from the survey, and attending to the scope of the design methodology being developed, it aids in establishing a complete regulatory document corpus and in comparing and extracting the applicable airworthiness design criteria. Two case studies for different RPAS types are conducted to demonstrate its application.This research is the result of an international research stay of Álvaro Gómez-Rodríguez at Cranfield University. This international stay was funded by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and Santander Universidades through the UPM’s predoctoral research stay programme, grant reference: VMOVILIDAD23AGR, and concept: 2784885—V CRANFIELDAerospac
Operational and design factors in air staging and their effects on fouling from biomass combustion
Get PDFThe global transition towards a carbon-neutral economy highlights the potential of biomass as a renewable fuel source. However, the sustainability of biomass energy systems is challenged by its complex fouling behaviours during combustion. This study investigates the impact of air staging on mitigating fouling in biomass combustion. By optimising the secondary-to-total air flowrate ratio (Qs/Qt) and the positioning of secondary air, this research investigates the impact of operational and design parameters on fouling deposits in biomass combustion. A fixed-bed combustor was used for the experiments, with hardwood pellets as fuel. This study employed TGA and SEM to analyse the fouling deposit samples’ chemical composition and morphology. First, visible inspection established that the inclination of fouling matter to accumulate on cooled deposition pipes is indeed sensitive to Qs/Qt. The results show that lower Qs/Qt ratios (<0.50) lead to heavier, stickier fouling. Peak temperatures in the fuel bed increase with higher Qs/Qt, enhancing the combustion efficiency and affecting the fouling characteristics. SEM analysis further shows that higher Qs/Qt ratios produce finer, more dispersed fouling particles, whereas lower ratios result in larger, more cohesive particles. These findings provide actionable insights for enhancing the sustainability of biomass energy systems and minimising their environmental impact.Sustainabilit
Research challenges for eco-efficient and circular industrial systems
Get PDFThe field of industrial sustainability is rapidly expanding with new concepts and frameworks emerging almost daily. At the same time, mature ones are being used in new applications and combined with new technologies and methodologies. While these developments are promising, the ambitions, scale, and speed of the change required to meet sustainability goals urgently need to increase. To accelerate industrial sustainability research and its impact, experts were invited to discuss research challenges in a webinar series focused on ten priority areas for eco-efficient and circular industrial systems. This paper presents the research challenges discussed to share sustainability practices, stimulate collaborations, and inspire change for more impactful applied research and knowledge transfer to industry.43rd IFIP WG 5.7 International Conference, APMS 202
Numerical solution of LOx flow in a liquid rocket engine additively manufactured cooling channel
Get PDFThe present work has been conducted in the framework of the DemoP1 demonstrator for the design of a LOx/LNG aerospike engine carried out by Pangea Aerospace. The main objective of the demonstrator is to highlight the central features of the next generation booster-class engines such as reusability, the utilisation of cryogenic coolants and the benefits arising from the ever-growing field of Additive Manufacturing (AM) for high heat flux aerospace applications with increasing thermal load management demands. In the present study a numerical investigation of the cryogenic liquid oxygen coolant flow in an AM cooling channel of the DemoP1 engine is implemented. The simulations are performed on a three-dimensional curvilinear cooling channel of variable, rectangular cross-section of the aerospike engine. Different variations of the two-equation k − ω turbulence model are employed and assessed for the closure of the fluid flow governing equations and the identification of the efficient formulations for the accurate prediction of the spatial development of the primitive variables. The numerical solutions obtained for the characterisation of heat transfer and pressure drop in the AM cooling channel are compared against experimental data provided from Pangea Aerospace for the full-scale single-injector element hot-fire test campaign of the DemoP1 aerospike engine demonstrator.The present research work was financially supported by the Centre for Propulsion and Thermal Power Engineering and the Cranfield Air and Space Propulsion Institute (CASPI) at Cranfield University, UK in collaboration with Pangea Aerospace, Spain.34th Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Science
Development of Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence for intelligent sanitation systems: a literature review
Get PDFAdequate sanitation is crucial for human health and well-being, yet billions worldwide lack access to basic facilities. This comprehensive review examines the emerging field of intelligent sanitation systems, which leverage Internet of Things (IoT) and advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to address global sanitation challenges. The existing intelligent sanitation systems and applications is still in their early stages, marked by inconsistencies and gaps. The paper consolidates fragmented research from both academic and industrial perspectives based on PRISMA protocol, exploring the historical development, current state, and future potential of intelligent sanitation solutions. The assessment of existing intelligent sanitation systems focuses on system detection, health monitoring, and AI enhancement. The paper examines how IoT-enabled data collection and AI-driven analytics can optimize sanitation facility performance, predict system failures, detect health risks, and inform decision-making for sanitation improvements. By synthesizing existing research, identifying knowledge gaps, and discussing opportunities and challenges, this review provides valuable insights for practitioners, academics, engineers, policymakers, and other stakeholders. It offers a foundation for understanding how advanced IoT and AI techniques can enhance the efficiency, sustainability, and safety of the sanitation industry.This publication is based on research funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation [Grant Number INV-053587]. Please note, the findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Developmen
Research developments and applications of ice slurry
Get PDFIce slurry is a phase-changing material composed of liquid water, ice crystals, and a freezing point depressant. It is finer and more uniform compared to ice cubes or flake ices and is used in many industries, such as food preservation, comfortable cooling, medical protective cooling, sport cooling, instrument cooling, firefighting, and artificial snowmaking, due to its high energy storage density. Ice slurry with high concentration can be used for cleaning equipment as its friction is several times greater than that of water at the same flow rate. This paper describes in detail the developments of ice slurry, including production methods, concentration measurement approaches, flow and heat transfer characteristics, as well as its applications in various industries. Problems to be solved or improved are also discussed, providing suggestions for better developments and applications in industrial environments.Energie
From Food Industry 4.0 to Food Industry 5.0: Identifying technological enablers and potential future applications in the food sector
No full textAlthough several food‐related fields have yet to fully grasp the speed and breadth of the fourth industrial revolution (also known as Industry 4.0), growing literature from other sectors shows that Industry 5.0 (referring to the fifth industrial revolution) is already underway. Food Industry 4.0 has been characterized by the fusion of physical, digital, and biological advances in food science and technology, whereas future Food Industry 5.0 could be seen as a more holistic, multidisciplinary, and multidimensional approach. This review will focus on identifying potential enabling technologies of Industry 5.0 that could be harnessed to shape the future of food in the coming years. We will review the state‐of‐the‐art studies on the use of innovative technologies in various food and agriculture applications over the last 5 years. In addition, opportunities and challenges will be highlighted, and future directions and conclusions will be drawn. Preliminary evidence suggests that Industry 5.0 is the outcome of an evolutionary process and not of a revolution, as is often claimed. Our results show that regenerative and/or conversational artificial intelligence, the Internet of Everything, miniaturized and nanosensors, 4D printing and beyond, cobots and advanced drones, edge computing, redactable blockchain, metaverse and immersive techniques, cyber‐physical systems, digital twins, and sixth‐generation wireless and beyond are likely to be among the main driving technologies of Food Industry 5.0. Although the framework, vision, and value of Industry 5.0 are becoming popular research topics in various academic and industrial fields, the agri‐food sector has just started to embrace some aspects and dimensions of Industry 5.0.European CommissionComprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safet