As the field of autonomous robots continue to advance, there is still a tremendous benefit to research human-supervised robot systems for fielding them in practical applications. The DRC inspired by the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster has been a major research and development program for the past three years, to advance the field of human supervised control of robots for responding to natural and man-made disasters. The overall goal of the research presented in this thesis is to realise a new approach for semi-autonomous control of the Atlas humanoid robot under discrete commands from the human operator. A combination of autonomous and semi-autonomous perception and manipulation techniques to accomplish the task of detecting, opening and walking through a door are presented. The methods are validated in various different scenarios relevant to DRC door task.

This essay is around C.S Lewis’s classic children’s novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and it focuses on the metaphorical meaning of the door and what insights it provides each time it is opened. It argues that the journey into Narnia is also a psychological journey, representing spiritual awakening. It draws conclusion that through this psychological journey in Narnia, the protagonists has undergone spiritual rebirth and their psyche has been raised to new heights.

This study focused on measuring courteous behavior on the University of Texas at Austin (UT) students on campus. This behavior was measured through analyzing various factors involved when a person opened the door for another. The goal was to determine which factors would significantly affect the probability that a person would hold a door for another. Three UT buildings with no automatic doors were selected (RLM, FAC and GRE), and 200 pairs of students at each location were observed to see whether they would open doors for others. These subjects were not disturbed during the data collection process. For each observation, the door holding conditions, genders, position (whether it was the one who opened the door or the recipient of this courteous gesture, abbreviated as recipient), distance between the person opening the door and the recipient, and the number of recipients were recorded. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. The results showed that the probability of people opening the doors for others was significantly affected by gender, position, distance between the person opening the door and the recipient, the number of recipients, and the interaction term between gender and position. The study revealed that men had a slightly higher propensity of opening the doors for the recipients. The odds for men were a multiplicative factor of 1.09 of that for women on average, holding all other factors constant. However, women had much higher probability of having doors held open for them. The odds for men were a multiplicative factor of 0.55 of that for women on average, holding all other factors constant. In terms of the distance between the person opening the door and the recipient, for each meter increase in distance, the odds that the door would be held open would decrease by a multiplicative factor of 0.40 on average. Additionally, for each increase in number of recipients, the odds that the door would be held open would increase by a multiplicative factor of 1.32 on average. / text

The advent of electronics and digital technologies in the last century has brought some significant changes in how we use and behave around doors. In this development, progress seems to imply a use of automation or shying away from physical interaction, and consequently a subtle yet potentially rich channel of information. Open Sesame aims to explore and reason around an opportunity and complementary perspective of leveraging digital technology to enrich the use of our haptic sense in future doors. The project poses an example situated in an office environment and builds on methods of hardware sketching to design a set of haptic door behaviours that reflect the state of a space. The resulting perspective attempts to make digital information about a room accessible for the user at a glance whilst reimagining the role of the door as a more active representative of the rooms it connects.

Abstract  The door is a critical element when aiming to construct a boundary that separates space and can make us view the world as divided.  The door has the ability to connect and divide spaces. When we open a door we fold one room into another.  I have investigated the door, as an object, a boarder and idea.  What defines something as closed or open? How long does it take to walk through a door? What happens to the door when I remove the walls around it?  In Fractions of an entrance I have used movement and the memory of movement to investigate the door. I investigate the door by  moving through, filming both me and the door, sketching and building the sequence into frozen frames. Through my investigation, the door has become a passage of doors that unfold movement and time.  The door works as an director, choreographing human movement, deciding how, if and when we enter a space. I have used movement as a  method because I believe that it is through movement that we perceive space, we constantly move and experience space from multiple  perspectives. I find it strange that the most common way to represent architecture is from a perspective that humans almost never see.  Fraction of an entrance is a representation of my perception of the opening of a door, it is not a new door or a door with a new function. It is a representation based on reflections and investigations of the door. The result is in itself a spacial design, with new spacial qualities.  That enhances invisible separations in space, create different patterns of movement an usage of space, creates smaller nooks to pause and gives you a possibility to remain in the moment between two rooms. A space in the threshold.  One can say that it is a physical stop motion, frozen frames where the order and pace of the opening is determined by the one who moves through it. In this installation time is frozen, you can see both present, past and future at the same time.  In Fractions of an entrance - the door’s memory has been made to a physical construction.

Ingeniero Civil / En la presente memoria se hace un estudio de comparación de una casa oficina ubicada en el primer piso de una casa versus el caso con aislación continua en la envolvente térmica y mejoras constructivas. Para las pruebas se utiliza el Blower Door, el cual consiste de un ventilador que se coloca en la puerta principal y produce un cambio de presiones entre el interior y el exterior y sirve para medir el grado de estanqueidad de la casa. Se analizarán los puentes térmicos que se puedan encontrar en la envolvente, como también el nivel de infiltración de la casa. Se compararán luego estos resultados con lo obtenido mediante un software llamado THERM para el caso de puentes térmicos y con la infiltración máxima para una oficina. Luego se calcularán los gastos energéticos que se obtengan debido a las características antes mencionadas para compararlas y verificar que se cumpla con el requisito máximo. Se logra concluir que los resultados esperados eran los correctos, es decir, que el diseño base de la edificación tiene pérdidas superiores al caso propuesto con aislación térmica exterior de 50 mm, cambio a ventanas eficientes, y el intercambio de hora de 5 veces. La diferencia entre ambos casos es de 56% kilowatts por hora en un año. Al analizar únicamente la envolvente exterior de la edificación se obtiene una diferencia de 26% watts, dentro de estas pérdidas se consideran las pérdidas debido a los puentes térmicos los cuales influyen en un 15% en el resultado final. Se recomienda el uso del aislante EIFS en las edificaciones para poder así disminuir los gastos y que las construcciones sean más eficientes.

This thesis performed on master level covers an assignment given by the cab division at Volvo Construction Equipment (Eskilstuna, Sweden). The thesis has been carried out by Josefin Hult during the period 2014-01-23 to 2014-05-30 at Mälardalen University. Volvo Construction Equipment manufactures products including wheel loaders, backhoe loaders and articulated haulers. The assignment involves developing the standard door for larger wheel loaders. The current door has a welded frame surrounding the glass that is considered outdated and not cost effective. Volvo Construction Equipment wishes that the door was made in glass in a greater extent. The aim of the assignment has been to generate concepts regarding a glass door that fulfills given requirements. Three research questions have been stated and answered during the process. The product development process has consisted of three phases: information gathering, concept development process and development of detailed concept. For example, field studies and benchmarking have been performed to gather information about competitors’ products and the manufacturing and assembling of the current door. Concepts for handrails, sealant and overall door design have been generated in an iterative process. All components of the door have been developed into a detailed concept during the last phase of the process. The process has resulted in a frameless glass door. The concept suggestion consists of; a tempered sheet of glass, a clip list (sealant) that covers the edges of the glass, two different handrails, inner and outer handles, a gas spring, components to attach handrails against the glass, a cover and a lock mechanism. The major conclusion that is drawn is that it is fully possible to develop a door made in glass in a greater extent than the current door. Many competitors have machines where the door is made in glass in a large extent. This makes it believable that the glass door also will be perceived as timely and more modern and clear. Recommendations have been developed if there is interest in further development. The recommendations include, among others, development of handrail and test of prototype to ensure that all requirements are fulfilled. Figures are produced by the author if not stated otherwise.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychology / Laura A. Brannon / Binge drinking is a serious health problem among American college students (Wechsler, Lee, Kuo, & Lee, 2000a). One technique that may reduce binge drinking is compliance. Cialdini (2001) defined compliance as taking an action because it has been requested and described sequential request tactics, including the commitment/consistency-based foot-in-the-door (FITD) tactic, and the reciprocity-based door-in-the-face (DITF) tactic. Cialdini claimed that these tactics yield automatic compliance. The present research investigated Cialdini’s automaticity assumption within the context of reducing binge drinking, by including a neutral or weak message along with the compliance request (consistent with Brannon & Brock, 2001). The main hypothesis was that compliance is not automatic, as demonstrated by differential compliance consistent with message strength. Parallel experiments investigated compliance with requests to reduce one’s drinking behavior (Experiment 1, N=129) or communicate about responsible drinking (Experiment 2, N=122). Participants were randomly assigned to one of six conditions in each experiment. Consistent with the purpose of each experiment, participants indicated whether they would comply with initial requests consistent with FITD and DITF methodology, or were not asked to comply with an initial request (control); read either a neutral or weak message about the importance of moderate alcohol consumption; then responded to the target request (dependent variable) by reporting the likelihood that they would not drink excessively for one week (Experiment 1) or would discuss responsible drinking with someone (Experiment 2). Participants in both experiments completed demographic and alcohol consumption information and a social desirability measure (Strahan & Gerbasi, 1972). Data were submitted to 2(Strength) × 3(Appeal) × 2(Gender) ANCOVAs (drinks per occasion and social desirability were covariates). Experiment 1 revealed a significant Strength × Appeal interaction, with the DITF and FITD appeals eliciting lower compliance rates than the control appeal when accompanied by a weak persuasive message, thereby refuting Cialdini’s automaticity assumption. A significant main effect for appeal in Experiment 2 (DITF yielded lower compliance than FITD or control appeal) did not support Cialdini’s (2001) claim. Correlates of drinking behavior among college students are discussed, as are implications of the present research for compliance theory and reducing binge drinking on American college campuses.

M.Com. / The per capita consumption of fresh milk, a product of one of the primary production sectors in the developing economy of South Africa, namely agriculture, has declined from 61,1 kg in October 1962 to 32,0 kg in September 1983. During the period July 1973 to June 1984, the total volume of fresh milksold has declined by approximately 4 percent. A major contributing factor in this regard is the 26 percent decrease in the share of the door-to-door delivery operation during the same period. In addition, cost spirals, inflation and price regulation had a significant impact on the profit margin of the door-to-door delivery operation. These factors necessitate a review of alternatives which will improve the economy of the delivery operation whilst maintaining an acceptable level of customer service. In order to optimise the interrelationship between cost and customer service, important managerial and operational aspects of the existing door-to-door delivery . operation have been identified. Suggestions in this regard are based on the most widely acceptable theories in physical distribution, as well as consumer preferences which have been obtained by means of a questjonnaire distributed to a representative sample of the East Rand population. It was found that irrespective of the method which may be considered to economise the door-to-door delivery operation, the application of the physical distribution concept, in terms of organisational structure and cost accounting, will enhance the effectiveness and influence the success of implementation. It was found that physical distribution functions, and specifically order placing and processing, storage, despatch, returns, transport and production forecasting should be allocated to the distribution department. Due to the interrelationships that exist within and between the above functions which form part of the physical distribution system, the application of the total cost approach is necessary. The present method and procedure of traditional cost accounting and cost allocation are insufficient when evaluating the possible effect of implementing measures which may result in improved economy on the door-to-door delivery operation. In studying available literature, it was determined that alternatives which may economise the delivery operation, can be categorised as follows: -Methods to increase volumes, and -methods to reduce costs. Volumes can be increased by increasing the number of households to which fresh milk is delivered from door to door. However, consumers consider security of money and delivered product (24,1 percent), reliability of the delivery service (21,5 percent) and inconvenient times of delivery (22,9 percent) as the three most important reasons for not making use of the service. Convenience (41,7 percent) and price aspects (24,7 percent) have been found the two most important factors why consumers obtain fresh milk by means of the door-to-door delivery operation. Of the total number of consumers who normally buy their fresh milk requirements from cafes and supermarkets, approximately 52 percent indicated that they will make use of the delivery service provided reliability and more convenient times of delivery are ensured. It was found that by introducing a wider product range, packaging sizes will not have a significant impact on the volumes per point of sale as fresh orange (50,9 percent) and guava juice (27,8 percent) is preferred in one litre glass bottles. The above products are at present obtainable from the door-to-door delivery service. With regard to methods that may reduce physical distribution costs, 70,7 percent of the consumers indicated they will discontinue the delivery service if products were to be delivered at central points only. It was found that delivery vehicles are utilised for 6,7 hours (36 percent) per day and significant savings in fixed vehicle costs (35 percent) can be achieved by introducing two vehicle shifts (re-scheduling). Of the total number of consumers who normally obtain fresh milk by means of the door-to-door delivery operation, 91,8 percent indicated they will continue with the service even if delivery is only effected in the late afternoon.

The aim of this work was to create an original and unique design of a door handles, which naturally fits into contemporary architectural space. Another goal was to create a project which could be realized in practice and would be successful in compares with mass produced handles.