Traditional methods for assessing upper-limb functional outcomes in stroke patients often fail to estimate the number of trials required to achieve performance stability of a chosen kinematic metric. Limited non-model-based studies have attempted to tackle this issue. To bridge this gap, this study utilized an iterative learning algorithm (ILA) in MATLAB, employing linear models to represent the muscle dynamics and forearm extension of impaired patients. The reference task space trajectory was set as a straight-line point-point trajectory within a range of 0 - 0.2828m. By using the root mean square error (RMSE) as a metric for evaluating kinematic accuracy, a maximum kinematic deviation error of 0.01m was imposed with respect to the trajectory by the (ILA). Results indicate that over 16 trials, performance stability was obtained with improvement in deviation error from 0.0168m in the first trial to 0.0060 at sixteen trials. The result obtained is in line with similar non-model studies and our findings inform the potential of ILAs with linear models for estimation of trial numbers required to attain performance stability of a selected kinematic metric (i.e., kinematic accuracy).
In end effector rehabilitation robots, user effort is usually measured using highly accurate, but expensive, multi-axis force/torque (F/T) sensors. These sensors are not easily available in developing countries. An alternative force sensing method, making use of low-cost load cells mounted on the active links, is presented. In this study, a model of a robot using the proposed sensing technique was developed, with the placement of the load cells justified using kinematic and dynamic analyses. The relationship between the force applied at the end effector, and force experienced by the load cells was determined. Preliminary experimental validation of the ability to estimate end effector force from the link-integrated load cells was carried out using finite element analysis in SolidWorks. Initial evaluation of tracking accuracy resulted in an average root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 0.566. The application of compensators generated from polynomial regressors resulted in over 300% improvement in performance, resulting in an average RMSE of 0.053. The results show that proposed technique can be used to accurately estimate forces at the end effector at relatively low costs.
A proportional iterative learning control (P-ILC) for linear models of an existing hybrid stroke rehabilitation scheme is implemented for elbow extension/flexion during a rehabilitative task. Owing to transient error growth problem of P-ILC, a learning derivative constraint controller was included to ensure that the controlled system does not exceed a predefined velocity limit at every trial. To achieve this, linear transfer function models of the robot end-effector interaction with a stroke subject (plant) and muscle response to stimulation controllers were developed. A straight-line point-point trajectory of 0 - 0.3 m range served as the reference task space trajectory for the plant, feedforward, and feedback stimulation controllers. At each trial, a SAT-based bounded error derivative ILC algorithm served as the learning constraint controller. Three control configurations were developed and simulated. The system performance was evaluated using the root means square error (RMSE) and normalized RMSE. At different ILC gains over 16 iterations, a displacement error of 0.0060 m was obtained when control configurations were combined.
This paper presents a solution to the problem of determining the moisture content of bulk grains stored in silos. A distributed sensor network was designed to achieve this. The network consists of sensor nodes and a sink node connected to a Personal Computer (PC) through a USB port. The sensor nodes were calibrated using standard saturated salt solutions.
Data collection, analysis and logging were achieved with Graphical User Interface (GUI) developed using LABVIEW graphical programming software. The distributed system was then evaluated with reference to the standard test values established against the oven-drying method. This study concluded that its approach provides improved flexibility and control in measurement of moisture content of grains over the existing stand alone meters.
This paper presents a solution for multi-objective economic dispatch problem with transmission losses semidefinite programming (SDP) formulation. The vector objective is reduced to an equivalent scalar objective through the weighted sum method. The resulting optimization problem is formulated as a convex optimization via SDP relaxation. The convex optimization problem was solved to obtain Pareto-optimal solutions. The diversity of the solution set was improved by a nonlinear selection of the weight factor. Simulations were performed on IEEE 30-bus, 57-bus, and 118-bus test systems to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Solutions were compared to those from one of the well-known evolutionary methods. Results show that SDP has an inherently good convergence property and a lower but comparable diversity property.
In this study, we took advantage of the emergence of accurate biomechanical human hand models to develop a system in which the interaction between a human arm and a rehabilitation robot while performing a planar trajectory tracking task can be simulated. Seven biomechanical arm models were based on the 11-degree-of-freedom Dynamic Arm Simulation model and implemented in OpenSim. The model of the robot was developed in MatlabSimulink and interaction between the arm and robot models was achieved using the OpenSim API. The models were tested by simulating the performance of each model while moving the end effector of a simulated planar robot model through an elliptical trajectory with an eccentricity of 0.94. Without assistance from the robot, the average root-mean-square error (RMSE) for all subjects was 3.98 mm. With the simulated robot providing assistive torque, the average RMSE error reduced to 2.88 mm. The test was repeated after modifying the length of the robot links, and an average RMSE of 2.91 mm recorded. A single-factor ANOVA test revealed that there was no significant difference in the RMSE for the two different robot geometries (p-value = 0.479), revealing that the simulator was not sensitive to robot geometry.
People with visual impairment have problems detecting obstacles when walking. New technologies have been used to improve their mobility. This paper presents an obstacle detection system that is compact, flexible and wearable. It utilizes ultrasonic s