The world contains objects with various properties - rigid, granular, liquid, elastic or plastic. As humans, while interacting with the objects, we plan our manipulation by considering their properties. For instance, while holding a rigid object such as a brick, we adapt our grasp based on its centre of mass not to drop it. On the other hand while manipulating a deformable object, we may consider additional properties to the centre of mass such elasticity, brittleness etc. for grasp stability. Therefore, knowing object properties is an integral part of skilled manipulation of objects.  For manipulating objects skillfully, robots should be able to predict the object properties as humans do. To predict the properties, interactions with objects are essential. These interactions give rise distinct sensory signals that contains information about the object properties. The signals coming from a single sensory modality may give ambiguous information or noisy measurements. Hence, by integrating multi-sensory modalities (vision, touch, audio or proprioceptive), a manipulated object can be observed from different aspects and this can decrease the uncertainty in the observed properties. By analyzing the perceived sensory signals, a robot reasons about the object properties and adjusts its manipulation based on this information. During this adjustment, the robot can make use of a simulation model to predict the object behavior to plan the next action. For instance, if an object is assumed to be rigid before interaction and exhibit deformable behavior after interaction, an internal simulation model can be used to predict the load force exerted on the object, so that appropriate manipulation can be planned in the next action. Thus, learning about object properties can be defined as an active procedure. The robot explores the object properties actively and purposefully by interacting with the object, and adjusting its manipulation based on the sensory information and predicted object behavior through an internal simulation model. This thesis investigates the necessary mechanisms that we mentioned above to learn object properties: (i) multi-sensory information, (ii) simulation and (iii) active exploration. In particular, we investigate these three mechanisms that represent different and complementary ways of extracting a certain object property, the deformability of objects. Firstly, we investigate the feasibility of using visual and/or tactile data to classify the content of a container based on the deformation observed when a robotic hand squeezes and deforms the container. According to our result, both visual and tactile sensory data individually give high accuracy rates while classifying the content type based on the deformation. Next, we investigate the usage of a simulation model to estimate the object deformability that is revealed through a manipulation. The proposed method identify accurately the deformability of the test objects in synthetic and real-world data. Finally, we investigate the integration of the deformation simulation in a robotic active perception framework to extract the heterogenous deformability properties of an environment through physical interactions. In the experiments that we apply on real-world objects, we illustrate that the active perception framework can map the heterogeneous deformability properties of a surface. / <p>QC 20170517</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:18:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseNACFR.pdf: 2711571 bytes, checksum: 92270e5216edbb80d0322257785dcd41 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-03-10 / Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos / Many studies have shown that object properties can lead to adjustments in reaching, but few have investigated the specific influence of object size and rigidity on reaching movements in young infants, especially by using kinematic analysis. Objective: Investigate the effect of object size and rigidity in the qualitative and quantitative variables of reaching in 4-to-6- month-old infants, and verify how such variables change over age. Methods: Nine healthy infants were placed in a baby chair reclined at 50º from the horizontal The infants were shown four objects of different size and rigidity large rigid (RG), small rigid (RP), large soft (MG), and small soft (MP) for a period of 1 minute each. Reaching movements were recorded by three digital cameras and the images were analyzed by using the 3D movement reconstruction. A total of 378 reaches were analyzed in relation to the following variables: qualitative proximal and distal adjustments, hand preference, and grasping of objects ; and quantitative straightness index, mean velocity, movement units, and adjustment time index. Results: There were many different changes in reaching over age. The answers to stimulation and the grasping of objects increased. Proximal adjustments were shown to be variable. Hand preference changed from the left to the right. The hand was predominantly half-opened in both the beginning and the end of the reaches; however, hand opening angle increased in the end of the reaches from the fifth to the sixth month. In all the ages, hand orientation was predominantly oblique when touching the object, and vertical when grasping it. As regards the quantitative variables, the straightness index and the mean velocity increased, and the movement units decreased. No significant changes were observed in the adjustment time index. Infants performed bimanual movements for the large rigid object, and unimanual movements for the small ones. The adjustments were similar in relation to the large soft object. Right-hand preference was higher for the small objects. In the beginning of the reaches, the hand was predominantly half-opened for all the objects; while in the end of the reaches, the hand was predominantly opened for the object large rigid. Hand orientation was predominantly oblique when touching the object, and vertical when grasping it, especially for the object large rigid. The soft objects were more frequently grasped than the rigid ones. The straightness index was higher for the large soft object, while the adjustment time index and the number of movement units were lower for this same object. The number of movement units increased for the small objects. No significant changes were verified in the mean velocity. Conclusion: It is possible to suggest that reaching movements are improved over age, thus indicating an increase in the infants performance during the studied period of life. Once the infants perceive the object properties, they adjust the essential variables of their movements by using their available motor abilities, thus suggesting the existence of a complex perceptionaction coupling. / Vários estudos têm identificado que as propriedades dos objetos induzem ajustes no alcance; no entanto, poucos investigaram a influência específica do tamanho e rigidez dos objetos em lactentes jovens, principalmente empregando a análise cinemática. Objetivo: Verificar o efeito das propriedades de tamanho e rigidez dos objetos nas variáveis qualitativas e quantitativas do alcance de lactentes de 4 a 6 meses de idade, observando como essas variáveis mudam ao longo do tempo. Métodos: Nove lactentes saudáveis foram posicionados em uma cadeira infantil reclinada a 50o. Quatro objetos foram apresentados, um rígido grande (RG), um rígido pequeno (RP), um maleável grande (MG) e um maleável pequeno (MP), por um período de 1 minuto cada. Os movimentos de alcance foram filmados por três câmeras digitais e as imagens reconstruídas tridimensionalmente. Em um total de 378 alcances, foram analisadas as variáveis qualitativas ajustes proximais e distais, preferência manual e apreensão dos objetos e as variáveis quantitativas índice de retidão, velocidade média, unidades de movimento e índice de tempo de ajuste. Resultados: Constatou-se que, ao longo dos meses, houve aumento da resposta aos estímulos, apreensão dos objetos, variabilidade nos ajustes proximais e mudança na preferência manual da esquerda para a direita. A abertura da mão foi predominantemente a semi-aberta tanto no início quanto no final do alcance. Do quinto para o sexto mês, no entanto, observou-se aumento da mão aberta no final do movimento. A orientação oblíqua da mão no toque foi predominante em todos os meses e, na apreensão, a predominância foi a orientação vertical. Quanto às variáveis quantitativas, houve aumento no índice de retidão e na velocidade média, bem como diminuição das unidades de movimentos. Não foram observadas mudanças significativas no índice de ajustes do movimento. Constatouse ajuste bimanual para o objeto RG e unimanual para os objetos pequenos. Para o objeto MG, os ajustes foram semelhantes. A preferência manual à direita foi maior ao alcançar os objetos pequenos. No início do alcance, a mão semi-aberta foi predominante para todos os objetos e, no final do alcance, a mão aberta foi mais utilizada para o objeto RG. Constatou-se que a orientação da mão foi predominantemente oblíqua no toque dos objetos e, na apreensão, a predominância foi a vertical, principalmente para o objeto RG. Os objetos maleáveis foram mais apreendidos do que os rígidos. O índice de retidão foi maior para o objeto MG, enquanto o índice de tempo de ajuste e o número de unidades de movimentos foram menores. O número de unidades de movimento foi maior para os objetos pequenos. A velocidade média não foi modificada significativamente. Conclusão: Sugere-se que, ao longo dos meses, os movimentos de alcance são aprimorados, indicando ganho de performance no período de vida estudado. Os lactentes, ao perceberem as propriedades dos objetos, ajustam as variáveis essenciais do movimento a partir da capacidade motora que eles têm disponível nesse período de vida, sugerindo, assim, a existência de uma complexa interação percepção-ação.

The goal of this disertation was to develop a maturity model for source code of object-oriented applications and to use this model to verify the quality of the source code of student's applications. The starting point of the thesis was devoted to the analysis of existing standards, norms, methodologies and summaries of best practice for assessing the quality of software products and analysis of the factors that affect the quality of the source code of object applications. To validate the results of the analysis of these factors, the analysis was complemented with a field research conducted among specialist with programming experience. The model to determine the maturity of source code of object-oriented applications was designed according to the analysis and the questionnaire. The statistical method of cluster analysis was used in the design of the model. The model was designed and the procedure of its use in the evaluation of source code was described. This model was pilot tested in education program at the University of Economics in Prague.