1,721,187 research outputs found
Polytechnic culture: Ideas, values and opportunities
No full textComplexity is the central theme of our contemporary age, and what technical culture needs today is to know how to manage it. Knowing how to deal with situations that are anything but straightforward – situations that require flexible thinking, the ability to establish a dialogue between fields of knowledge, and the intermingling of points of view that are, by their very nature, heterogeneous. If this is the direction that needs to be taken in order to tackle the major challenges of the future – from energy to the environment, healthcare to data management, and so on – then it naturally follows that the old monodisciplinary paradigm that we have grown accustomed to as a result of tradition, divided up and compartmentalised, is now outdated.
In order to face the great trials of our time, of which architecture is an interpreter, we need a broader vision. Indeed, the growing speed of technological evolution, its pervasiveness and the impact that this is capable of having on the community and our future increasingly point towards the validity of a multifaceted approach that reflects and anticipates the dynamics of social development
School of the future
No full textTechnological innovation is transforming crucial aspects of our society bringing along also complex challenges. A new humanism is needed to place the enhancement of human potential at its core through intellectual growth, creativity, constructive criticism, and a wide deployment of technologies. Such perspective encourages surpassing predefined limits, embracing innovation, and shaping the future with awareness and responsibility. Under these circumstances, the invitation is to create a world that reflects the best of our aspirations and possibilities, simultaneously valuing the opportunities brought by technological progress
Decentralized control of vibration with active smart dampers
No full textActive vibration suppression can be profitably implemented on large structures to enhance their performance (eg. comfort, fatigue life, etc.). Application on large structures, however, often require a complex setup that makes these solutions too complex to be effectively used. That is because of the high number of sensors and actuators, suitably cabled, in addition to all the devices necessary to condition and amplify the signals of measurement and control and to execute in real time the control algorithms synthesized. One of the most effective technique to reach this goal is to increase the equivalent damping of the system and then the dissipation of the kinetic energy (the so called skyhook damping technique). This work is aimed to simplify this setup by using stand-alone smart dampers developed to carry out operations of vibration control in an autonomous way, thus containing an actuator, the sensors needed to evaluate the vibratory state of the structure, and a micro-controller embedding different control algorithm. The paper shows that the use of more devices, each working independently to perform a decentralized control, can be profitably used to better suppress vibration of the structure
Bio-inspired design of an underwater robot exploiting fin undulation propulsion
Full text linkInterest in autonomous underwater vehicles is constantly increasing following the emerging needs of underwater exploration and military purposes. Thus, several new propulsion mechanisms are studied and developed. Fish swimming is a promising source of inspiration because they outper-form conventional propellers in terms of energy efficiency and maneuvrability. Their advantages are not only due to the streamlined shape and their low-drag skin but also, above all, due to the particular fin motion, which makes thrust generation possible with small energy dissipation. This paper analyses the motion of batoid fishes that are considered highly efficient by biologists. Their motion is reproduced by different linkage mechanisms optimized to fit underwater robots. A bioinspired robot mimicking cownose ray locomotion is, then, designed and built. Numerical analysis of its dynamics allows us to measure the size of actuators and to estimate the robot behavior. Finally, the control algorithm that maintains the mechanism synchronization according to different strategies is described and some experimental results are presented
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