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Many landing sites of scientific interest on Mars including most of the Southern Hemisphere at elevations above 2km Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter reference are inaccessible due to current limitations in precision entry guidance and payload deceleration. Precision guidance and large payload deceleration is challenging due to the thin Martian atmosphere, large changes in free stream conditions during entry, and aerothermal and aerodynamic instability concerns associated with control systems with direct external flow field interaction. Such risks have descoped past Mars missions to unguided entry with the exception of Mars Science Laboratory's (MSL) bank angle guidance. Consequently, prior to MSL landing ellipses were on the order of 100's of km. MSL has approached the upper limit of payload deceleration capability for rigid, blunt body sphere cone aeroshells used on all successful Mars entry missions. Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (HIADS) are in development for larger payload deceleration capability through inflated aeroshell diameters greater than rigid aeroshells constrained by the launch rocket diameter, but to date there has been limited dynamics, control, and guidance development for their use on future missions. This dissertation develops internal moving mass actuator (IMMA) control systems for improving Mars precision entry guidance of rigid capsules and demonstrating precision guidance capability for HIADs. IMMAs provide vehicle control moments without direct interaction with the external flow field and can increase payload mass delivered through reducing propellant mass for control and using portions of the payload for the IMMAs. Dynamics models for entry vehicles with rotation and translation IMMAs are developed. IMMA control systems using the models are developed for two NASA vehicle types: a 2.65 m, 602 kg Mars Phoenix-sized entry capsule and an 8.3 m, 5.9 metric ton HIAD approaching payload requirements for robotic precursor missions for future human missions. Linear Quadratic controllers with integral action for guidance command tracking are developed for translation and rotation IMMA configurations. Angle of attack and sideslip guidance laws are developed as an alternative to bank angle guidance for decoupling range and cross-range control for improved precision entry guidance. A new variant of the Apollo Earth return terminal guidance algorithm is implemented to provide the closed-loop angle of attack range control commands. Nonlinear simulations of the entire 8 degree of freedom closed-loop systems demonstrate precision guidance to nominal trajectories and final targets for off-nominal initial entry conditions for flight path angle, range, cross-range, speed and attitude. Mechanical power studies for IMMA motion show rotation IMMA require less total mechanical power than translation actuators, but both systems have low nominal mechanical power requirements (below 100 Watts). Precision guidance for both systems to terminal targets greater than 38 km down-range from an open-loop ballistic entry is shown for low mechanical power, low CM displacement, (< 4.5 in) and at low internal velocities (< 2 in/s) over significant dynamic pressure changes. The collective precision guidance results and low mechanical power requirements show IMMA based entry guidance control systems constitute a promising alternative to thruster based control systems for future Mars landers. / Ph. D.

The versatility of the fish to adapt to diverse swimming requirements has attracted the attention of researchers in studying bioinspired propulsion for developing efficient underwater robotics. The tail/caudal fin is a major source of thrust generation and is believed that the fish modulates its fin stiffness to optimize the propulsive performance. Inspired by the stiffness modulation of fish fins, the objective of this research is to predict and evaluate the effect of flexibility on propulsive performance of flapping fins. The stiffness of the fins vary along their length and optimization studies have been performed to predict the stiffness profiles that maximize performance. Experiments performed on the real fish caudal fins to measure the stiffness variation along their length validate the theoretical optimal stiffness profiles and provide an insight about the evolution of fish fins for optimal performance. Along with the fin stiffness, the stiffness of the joint (caudal peduncle) connecting the fish body to the tail plays a major role in the generation of thrust. The numerical and experimental investigation has shown that there exists an optimal combination of fin and joint stiffness for each operating condition, thus providing the motivation for active stiffness control during locomotion to optimize efficiency. Inspired by nature's ability to modulate stiffness and shape for different operating conditions, an investigation has been carried out on active control of flapping foils for thrust tailoring using Macro Fiber Composites (MFCs). It has been observed that the performance can be enhanced by controlling the deformation, and distributed actuation along fin produces maximum performance through proper selection of the phase difference between heaving and voltage. Flapping fins produce forces which are oscillatory in nature causing center of mass (COM) oscillations of the attached bodies posing problems of control and maneuverability. Optimization studies have revealed that flexibility of the fin plays a major role in reducing the COM oscillations along with the other operating parameters. Based on these studies, the design principles and guidelines that control the performance have been proposed which aid in the development of aerial and underwater robotic vehicles. Additionally, these studies provide some insight in to how fish might modulate its stiffness based on the requirements. / Ph. D.

The dynamics of rigid body motion are dependent on the inertial properties of the body - that is, the mass and moment of inertia. For complex systems, it may be necessary to derive these results empirically. Such is the case for manual wheelchairs, which can be modeled as a rigid body frame connected to four wheels. While 3D modeling software is capable of estimating inertial parameters, modeling inaccuracies and ill-defined material properties may introduce significant errors in this estimation technique and necessitate experimental measurements. To that end, this thesis discusses the design of a device called the iMachine that empirically determines the mass, location of the center of mass, and moment of inertia about the vertical (yaw) axis passing through the center of mass of the wheelchair. The iMachine is a spring-loaded rotating platform that freely oscillates about an axis passing through its center due to an initial angular velocity. The mass and location of the center of mass can be determined using a static analysis of a triangular configuration of load cells. An optical encoder records the dynamic angular displacement of the platform, and the natural frequency of free vibration is calculated using several techniques. Finally, the moment of inertia is determined from the natural frequency of the system. In this thesis, test results are presented for the calibration of the load cells and spring rate. In addition, objects with known mass properties were tested and comparisons are made between the analytical and empirical inertia results. In general, the mass measurement of the test object had greater than 99% accuracy. The average relative error for the x and y-coordinates of the center of mass was 0.891% and 1.99%, respectively. For the moment of inertia, a relationship was established between relative error and the ratio of the test object inertia to the inertia of the system. The results suggest that 95% accuracy can be achieved if the test object accounts for at least 25% of the total inertia of the system. Finally, the moment of inertia of a manual wheelchair is determined using the device (I = 1.213 kg-m²), and conclusions are made regarding the reliability and validity of results. The results of this project will feed into energy calculations for the Anatomical Model Propulsion System (AMPS), a wheelchair-propelling robot used to measure the mechanical efficiency of manual wheelchairs.

[pt] Com o aumento da popularidade e acessibilidade de sistemas de realidade virtual (RV) de alta qualidade, tem-se levantado preocupações com relação a tendência dos sistemas de realidade virtual em provocar perda de equilíbrio. O equilíbrio é essencial para o uso seguro da realidade virtual e a perda do mesmo pode causar lesões graves. O objetivo deste trabalho é criar um sistema para avaliar o impacto da realidade virtual no equilíbrio humano. Neste trabalho, propomos e conduzimos um experimento usando o Oculus Rift e o MS Kinect Sensor. Nesse experimento, foi possível observar, quantificar e comparar o efeito de diferentes cenas de RV no equilíbrio dos usuários, bem como o efeito de avisos visuais e sonoros sobre perda de equilíbrio. / [en] With the increasing popularity and accessibility of high-quality Virtual Reality (VR) systems, concerns have been raised about the propensity of VR to induce balance loss. Balance is essential for safe use of VR experience and its loss can result in severe injury. This project is set to create a system able to measure the impact of VR in the human balance system. In this work, we design and conduct an experiment making use of the Oculus Rift VR headset and MS Kinect Sensor. In this experiment, we are able to visualize, quantify, and compare the effect of different VR scenes on the balance of the experiment subjects as well as the effect of visual and auditory warnings of balance loss.

A common problem within positron emission tomography examinations of the brain is the motion of the patient. If the patients ́ head moves during an examination all the data acquired after the movement will not be suited for clinical use. This means that a lot of data recovered from PET is not used at all. Motion tracking during PET acquisitions of the brain is not a well explored issue within medical imaging in relation to the magnitude of the problem. Due to the radiation risks of the examination and the logistics at the hospital, a second acquisition is not preferred. Therefore a method to avoid a second acquisition would be welcome. PET data saved in list mode makes it possible to analyze the data during an examination. By calculating the center of mass of the object examined in list mode only using the raw data from PET and use it as a tracking point, it would be possible to track a motion during an acquisition. The center of mass could therefore possibly be used as a reference to connect two different time intervals on each side of the moment were the motion occurred. The raw PET data used for this project was acquired in the Nuclear Medicine Department in Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge and covered four turns of one minute acquisitions in different positions and with two different objects that were saved in list mode. The acquisitions were analyzed with the Siemens software e7-tools and sliced into time intervals. To calculate the center of mass within these time intervals, two methods were developed. One method only used the Siemens software e7-tools and histogrammed the time of flight bin position. The other method used each event position in its sinogram to calculate a center of mass sinusoidal equation. This equation lead to coordinates describing the center of mass in a specific slice. / Ett vanligt problem inom positronemissiontomografiundersökningar av hjärnan är rörelser från patienten. Om patienten rör sitt huvud under undersökningen kommer all förvärvad data inte vara kliniskt lämpad. Detta innebär att en stor del av datan från en PET-undersökning inte används över huvud taget. Rörelsespårning under PET undersökningar av hjärnan är ett relativt outforskat ämne inom medicinsk bildgivning i relation till amplituden av problemet. På grund av strålningsrisken av un- dersökningen och logistiken på sjukhusen, är en andra bildtagning inte att föredra. Därför skulle en metod för att undvika en andra bildtagning vara uppskattad. PET-rådata sparad i list mode möjliggör analys av data inom tidsspektrat av en undersökning. Genom att beräkna det undersökta objektets barocentrum genom att enbart använda rådata sparad i list mode och använda detta som en referenspunkt, så finns en möjlighet att följa en rörelse under en undersökning. Objektets barocentrum skulle kunna fungera som en referenspunkt för att binda ihop två olika tidsegment på varsin sida om tillfället då en rörelse har skett. Rådatan som användes i detta projekt var förvärvad vid nukleärmedicinska avdelningen på Karolinska Universetetssjukhuset i Huddinge och täckte fyra stycken undersökningar på en minut vardera i olika positioner och två olika objekt som sparades i list mode. Datainsamlingarna över- sattes med Siemens-mjukvaran e7-tools och delades sedan upp i tidsegment. För att räkna ut ett barocentrum i dessa tidssegment så utvecklades två metoder. En metod använde sig enbart av Siemens-mjukvaran e7-tools och använde dess funktion ”histogramming” för att dela upp alla events time of flight position. Den andra metoden använde varje events position i dess sinogram för att beräkna en barocentrisk sinusformad funktion. Denna funktion ledde till koordinater som beskrev masscentrum i en specifik skiva.

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in technique between sprinters and baseball players while running at maximal speeds. 20 male NCAA Division I athletes participated; ten members of the track and field team specializing in the 100 m or 200 m sprint or the 100 m hurdles and ten members of the baseball team. Each subject performed a maximal effort 80 m sprint while their sprint times were recorded every 10 m starting at the 20 m mark. Each subject was filmed at they ran through a set10 m marking that included where they reached their top speed allowing the camera to capture at least one complete stride. By using the Peak Motus System, each subject's minimum knee flexion, minimum hip angle, knee extension at toe off, contact time, stride length, center of mass at touchdown and shank angle were measured. ANOVA with repeated measures found that sprinters and baseball players display significant differences in their sprinting technique in all variables except shank angle with the sprinters displaying a shorter 10 m split time. It was concluded that proper sprint training during baseball practice could prove to be beneficial to baseball players, however, further research would need to be conducted to support this claim.

The deep learning technique Human Pose Estimation (or Human Keypoint Detection) is a promising field in tracking a person and identifying its posture. As posture and balance are two closely related concepts, the use of human pose estimation could be applied to fall prevention. By deriving the location of a persons Center of Mass and thereafter its Center of Pressure, one can evaluate the balance of a person without the use of force plates or sensors and solely using cameras. In this study, a human pose estimation model together with a predefined human weight distribution model were used to extract the location of a persons Center of Pressure in real time. The proposed method utilized two different methods of acquiring depth information from the frames - stereoscopy through two RGB-cameras and with the use of one RGB-depth camera. The estimated location of the Center of Pressure were compared to the location of the same parameter extracted while using the force plate Wii Balance Board. As the proposed method were to operate in real-time and without the use of computational processor enhancement, the choice of human pose estimation model were aimed to maximize software input/output speed. Thus, three models were used - one smaller and faster model called Lightweight Pose Network, one larger and accurate model called High-Resolution Network and one model placing itself somewhere in between the two other models, namely Pose Residual Network. The proposed method showed promising results for a real-time method of acquiring balance parameters. Although the largest source of error were the acquisition of depth information from the cameras. The results also showed that using a smaller and faster human pose estimation model proved to be sufficient in relation to the larger more accurate models in real-time usage and without the use of computational processor enhancement. / Djupinlärningstekniken Kroppshållningsestimation är ett lovande medel gällande att följa en person och identifiera dess kroppshållning. Eftersom kroppshållning och balans är två närliggande koncept, kan användning av kroppshållningsestimation appliceras till fallprevention. Genom att härleda läget för en persons tyngdpunkt och därefter läget för dess tryckcentrum, kan utvärdering en persons balans genomföras utan att använda kraftplattor eller sensorer och att enbart använda kameror. I denna studie har en kroppshållningsestimationmodell tillsammans med en fördefinierad kroppsviktfördelning använts för att extrahera läget för en persons tryckcentrum i realtid. Den föreslagna metoden använder två olika metoder för att utvinna djupseende av bilderna från kameror - stereoskopi genom användning av två RGB-kameror eller genom användning av en RGB-djupseende kamera. Det estimerade läget av tryckcentrat jämfördes med läget av samma parameter utvunnet genom användning av tryckplattan Wii Balance Board. Eftersom den föreslagna metoden var ämnad att fungera i realtid och utan hjälp av en GPU, blev valet av kroppshållningsestimationsmodellen inriktat på att maximera mjukvaruhastighet. Därför användes tre olika modeller - en mindre och snabbare modell vid namn Lightweight Pose Network, en större och mer träffsäker modell vid namn High-Resolution Network och en model som placerar sig någonstans mitt emellan de två andra modellerna gällande snabbhet och träffsäkerhet vid namn Pose Resolution Network. Den föreslagna metoden visade lovande resultat för utvinning av balansparametrar i realtid, fastän den största felfaktorn visade sig vara djupseendetekniken. Resultaten visade att användning av en mindre och snabbare kroppshållningsestimationsmodellen påvisar att hålla måttet i jämförelse med större och mer träffsäkra modeller vid användning i realtid och utan användning av externa dataprocessorer.

This bachelor thesis at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, aims to clarify how the minimum bandwidth of a stabilised mobile inverted pendulum is affected by the position of its center of mass and the frequency of measuring the state variables. The scope is to apply basic theories in automation control and electronic systems when designing the system. The mechatronical system in the experimental trials is constructed with the main components consisting of bipolar stepper motors, stepper motor drivers (DRV8825), potentiometer and Arduino UNO. The mobile pendulum in question consists of a cart on a rail with a potentiomoter and a rod mounted to it. In the experimental trials in this paper, three different radial positions of the center of mass are analysed with regards to the bandwidth of relevant measurements. A variety of PID parameters, for both the angle and position regulation, are the essential basis on which these stability trials are performed. The results are limited to the resolution of the potentiometer outputs, the length of the rail and the stiffness of the rod. The result is presented by comparisons between data of the greatest angles which are stabilised and the corresponding maximal latency of the angle corrections. These data concludes to that the minimum required bandwidth to sustain stability decreases for an increasing length between the center of mass and the point of rotation. / Denna kandidatexamensuppsats genomfördes på Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, i Stockholm, Sverige, och har som mål att klargöra hur den minsta bandbredden för en stabiliserad inverterad pendel påverkas av positionen av dess tyngdpunkt samt nätfrekvensen av tillståndsvariablerna. Projektet omfattar grundläggande teorier om reglerteknik och elektriska system.  Det mekatroniska systemet som används i experimenten är uppbyggt av följande nyckelkomponenter: bipolära stegmotorer, stegmotordrivare (DRV8825), potentionmeter och Arduino UNO. Den mobila pendeln består av en stång och en potentiometer som är monterad på en vagn löpandes på en räls. I de utförda experimenten i denna rapport analyseras tre radiella positioner på masscentrum med hänsyn till bandbredden och relevanta mätningar. En reglering med olika PID parametrar, för både vinkel- och positionsreglering, är den kritiska process som lade grunden för analyserna av stabiliteten. Resultaten är begränsade av upplösningen hos potentiometerns utsignal, längden av rälsen och stångens styvhet.  Resultaten presenteras genom jämförelser mellan data för de största vinklarna som stabiliseras och de motsvarande maximala fördröjningarna. Sammanfattningsvis minskar den minst nödvändiga bandbredden för att upprätthålla stabilitet för ökande längder mellan pendelns tyngdpunkt och rotationspunkten.

La chute est un problème de santé publique qui touche principalement les personnes âgées. Nos travaux portent sur la caractérisation des stratégies biomécaniques et cognitives impliquées dans le maintien et le rattrapage de l'équilibre et qui permettent à une personne âgée d'éviter de chuter. En particulier, nous nous sommes intéressé à une population âgée, encore autonome et en bonne santé, dans le but d'identifier les personnes à risque et de permettre une intervention le plus tôt possible. Nous avons pu mettre en évidence que, dans cette population, les tests cliniques classiques ne permettent pas de bien discriminer les « chuteurs » des « non-chuteurs » et que le problème de la chute ne réside pas que dans une déficience musculaire mais aussi cognitive et/ou sensorielle qui affecte les réponses biomécaniques de rattrapage. Les tests les plus discriminants sont identifiés et un outil d'évaluation du risque de chute, permettant d'identifier rapidement les déficiences, est proposé. Enfin, nous fournissons des informations sur les mécanismes impliqués dans les pas protectifs, une stratégie d'équilibration prévalente mais peu évaluée dans les tests cliniques / Falling is a common and concerning health problem for the elderly population. This research work focuses on the characterization of the biomechanical and cognitive strategies involved in the balance maintain and balance recovery that help elderly to avoid a fall. Particularly, we interested in a community-dwelling elderly population, in order to identify the persons who are at risk of fall and suggest a forward preventive intervention. We show, for this population, that usual clinical tests do not well discriminate between “fallers” and “non-fallers” and that the fall problem is more concerned by cognitive and/or sensorial troubles than by muscular troubles that affect biomechanical responses. The most discriminant tests are identified and a risk of fall assessment tool is suggested to give informations about the deficient mechanisms. Finally, we provide informations about the mechanisms involved in protective steps, a prevalent balance strategy which not used in balance clinical assessments