Automation, Communication and Cybernetics in Science and Engineering 2013/2014


Book Description

This book continues the tradition of its predecessors “Automation, Communication and Cybernetics in Science and Engineering 2009/2010 and 2011/2012” and includes a representative selection of scientific publications from researchers at the institute cluster IMA/ZLW & IfU. IMA - Institute of Information Management in Mechanical Engineering ZLW - Center for Learning and Knowledge Management IfU - Associated Institute for Management Cybernetics e.V. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University The book presents a range of innovative fields of application, including: cognitive systems, cyber-physical production systems, robotics, automation technology, machine learning, natural language processing, data mining, predictive data analytics, visual analytics, innovation and diversity management, demographic models, virtual and remote laboratories, virtual and augmented realities, multimedia learning environments, organizational development and management cybernetics. The contributions selected reflect the fundamental paradigm shift toward an increasingly interdisciplinary research world – which has always been both the basis and spirit of the institute cluster IMA/ZLW & IfU.




Automation, Communication and Cybernetics in Science and Engineering 2011/2012


Book Description

The book is the follow-up to its predecessor “Automation, Communication and Cybernetics in Science and Engineering 2009/2010” and includes a representative selection of all scientific publications published between 07/2011 and 06/2012 in various books, journals and conference proceedings by the researchers of the following institute cluster: IMA - Institute of Information Management in Mechanical Engineering ZLW - Center for Learning and Knowledge Management IfU - Associated Institute for Management Cybernetics Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University Innovative fields of application, such as cognitive systems, autonomous truck convoys, telemedicine, ontology engineering, knowledge and information management, learning models and technologies, organizational development and management cybernetics are presented.




Anti-computing


Book Description

We live in a moment of high anxiety around digital transformation. Computers are blamed for generating toxic forms of culture and ways of life. Once part of future imaginaries that were optimistic or even utopian, today there is a sense that things have turned out very differently. Anti-computing is widespread. This book seeks to understand its cultural and material logics, its forms, and its operations. Anti-Computing critically investigates forgotten histories of dissent – moments when the imposition of computational technologies, logics, techniques, imaginaries, utopias have been questioned, disputed, or refused. It asks why dissent is forgotten and how - under what circumstances - it revives. Constituting an engagement with media archaeology/medium theory and working through a series of case studies, this book is compelling reading for scholars in digital media, literary, cultural history, digital humanities and associated fields at all levels.




Automation, Communication and Cybernetics in Science and Engineering 2009/2010


Book Description

The book presents a representative selection of all publications published between 01/2009 and 06/2010 in various books, journals and conference proceedings by the researchers of the institute cluster: IMA - Institute of Information Management in Mechanical Engineering ZLW - Center for Learning and Knowledge Management IfU - Institute for Management Cybernetics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University The contributions address the cluster's five core research fields: suitable processes for knowledge- and technology-intensive organizations, next-generation teaching and learning concepts for universities and the economy, cognitive IT-supported processes for heterogeneous and cooperative systems, target group-adapted user models for innovation and technology development processes, semantic networks and ontologies for complex value chains and virtual environments Innovative fields of application such as cognitive systems, autonomous truck convoys, telemedicine, ontology engineering, knowledge and information management, learning models and technologies, organizational development and management cybernetics are presented. The contributions show the unique potential of the broad and interdisciplinary research approach of the ZLW/IMA and the IfU.




Cyber-Physical Laboratories in Engineering and Science Education


Book Description

This volume investigates a number of issues needed to develop a modular, effective, versatile, cost effective, pedagogically-embedded, user-friendly, and sustainable online laboratory system that can deliver its true potential in the national and global arenas. This allows individual researchers to develop their own modular systems with a level of creativity and innovation while at the same time ensuring continuing growth by separating the responsibility for creating online laboratories from the responsibility for overseeing the students who use them. The volume first introduces the reader to several system architectures that have proven successful in many online laboratory settings. The following chapters then describe real-life experiences in the area of online laboratories from both technological and educational points of view. The volume further collects experiences and evidence on the effective use of online labs in the context of a diversity of pedagogical issues. It also illustrates successful online laboratories to highlight best practices as case studies and describes the technological design strategies, implementation details, and classroom activities as well as learning from these developments. Finally the volume describes the creation and deployment of commercial products, tools and services for online laboratory development. It also provides an idea about the developments that are on the horizon to support this area.




Handbook of Power Electronics in Autonomous and Electric Vehicles


Book Description

Handbook of Power Electronics in Autonomous and Electric Vehicles provides advanced knowledge on autonomous systems, electric propulsion in electric vehicles, radars and sensors for autonomous systems, and relevant aspects of energy storage and battery charging. The work is designed to provide clear technical presentation with a focus on commercial viability. It supports any and all aspects of a project requiring specialist design, analysis, installation, commissioning and maintenance services. With this book in hand, engineers will be able to execute design, analysis and evaluation of assigned projects using sound engineering principles and commercial requirements, policies, and product and program requirements. - Presents core power systems and engineering applications relevant to autonomous and electric vehicles in characteristic depth and technical presentation - Offers practical support and guidance with detailed examples and applications for laboratory vehicular test plans and automotive field experimentation - Includes modern technical coverage of emergent fields, including sensors and radars, battery charging and monitoring, and vehicle cybersecurity







Science Dynamics and Research Production


Book Description

This book deals with methods to evaluate scientific productivity. In the book statistical methods, deterministic and stochastic models and numerous indexes are discussed that will help the reader to understand the nonlinear science dynamics and to be able to develop or construct systems for appropriate evaluation of research productivity and management of research groups and organizations. The dynamics of science structures and systems is complex, and the evaluation of research productivity requires a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods and measures. The book has three parts. The first part is devoted to mathematical models describing the importance of science for economic growth and systems for the evaluation of research organizations of different size. The second part contains descriptions and discussions of numerous indexes for the evaluation of the productivity of researchers and groups of researchers of different size (up to the comparison of research productivities of research communities of nations). Part three contains discussions of non-Gaussian laws connected to scientific productivity and presents various deterministic and stochastic models of science dynamics and research productivity. The book shows that many famous fat tail distributions as well as many deterministic and stochastic models and processes, which are well known from physics, theory of extreme events or population dynamics, occur also in the description of dynamics of scientific systems and in the description of the characteristics of research productivity. This is not a surprise as scientific systems are nonlinear, open and dissipative.




A Visual Servoing Approach to Human-Robot Interactive Object Transfer


Book Description

Taking human factors into account, a visual servoing approach aims to facilitate robots with real-time situational information to accomplish tasks in direct and proximate collaboration with people. A hybrid visual servoing algorithm, a combination of the classical position-based and image-based visual servoing, is applied to the whole task space. A model-based tracker monitors the human activities, via matching the human skeleton representation and the image of people in image. Grasping algorithms are implemented to compute grasp points based on the geometrical model of the robot gripper. Whilst major challenges of human-robot interactive object transfer are visual occlusions and making grasping plans, this work proposes a new method of visually guiding a robot with the presence of partial visual occlusion, and elaborate the solution to adaptive robotic grasping.