Submitted by Sandro Camargo (sandro.camargo@unipampa.edu.br) on 2015-05-09T19:03:09Z No. of bitstreams: 1 107110001.pdf: 3453553 bytes, checksum: fb266cf11dce80833ef41b2adb20cd21 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-09T19:03:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 107110001.pdf: 3453553 bytes, checksum: fb266cf11dce80833ef41b2adb20cd21 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-10-19 / As distribuidoras de energia elétrica devem estar preparadas para restabelecer o fornecimento de forma ágil, sempre respeitando os critérios de segurança e os índices de continuidade e qualidade compatíveis com o estabelecido na legislação vigente. A possibilidade de localizar defeitos remotamente acelera o processo de restabelecimento. Apesar dos próprios relés e religadores microprocessados fornecerem uma indicação com base na impedância de curto-circuito, ela não é precisa para sistemas de distribuição, uma vez que as redes apresentam várias bifurcações (ramais) protegidas por elementos fusíveis e diferentes bitolas de condutores. Entretanto, atualmente há vários métodos como revelam as pesquisas, que tentam estabelecer maior precisão dos dados e resultados ali envolvidos, buscando criar uma inovação e satisfação às empresas do setor elétrico. Assim, a proposta deste projeto é desenvolver uma metodologia diferencial para localização de faltas em redes de distribuição a partir de estudos da rede combinados com a monitoração remota de dispositivos de proteção (relés e religadores microprocessados). Estas variáveis de entrada: corrente de carga (corrente pré-falta), corrente de curto-circuito, corrente pós-falta; serão obtidas em tempo real pelo SCADA no momento da ocorrência de uma falta na rede. As medidas obtidas serão comparadas e classificadas por Mapas Auto-Organizáveis ou SOM (Self-Organizing Map) de acordo com os padrões de dados simulados pelos estudos da rede. A partir do método proposto será possível estimar o local do defeito ocorrido na rede elétrica por meio do mapa que melhor se identifica com os dados medidos. Essa pesquisa foi aplicada no estudo de caso de uma concessionária da região central gaúcha, a qual alcançou resultados bastante satisfatórios, obtidos a partir de dados reais. / The power utilities must be prepared to restore the supply in an agile way constantly respecting the safety criteria and indexes of continuity and quality consistent with the current legislation. The ability to remotely locate defects accelerates this healing process. Despite own microprocessor relays and reclosers provide an indication based on the short circuit impedance, it is not applicable to distribution systems, since the networks present various bifurcations (branch lines) protected by fuse elements and different wire gauges. However, today there are several methods such as surveys show, trying to establish more precisely the data and results here involved, seeking to create an innovation and satisfaction to the electric companies. Thus, the aim of this project is to develop a methodology for distinct fault location in distribution feeders. It will combine network studies with remote monitoring of protective devices (microprocessor relays and reclosers). These input variables: load current (pre-fault current), short circuit current, post-fault current; will be obtained in real time by SCADA when a fault occurs in the network. These measures will be compared and ranked by Self- Organizing Maps (SOM) according to the patterns obtained by simulation studies of the network. With this method, it will be possible to assess the location of the defect occurring in the power grid, identifying the best map that resembles with the measured data. This research was applied in a power utility in the South of Brazil as case study, which achieved satisfactory results obtained from real data.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T18:16:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Maira Spanghero.pdf: 30654900 bytes, checksum: 24f212d982745f273251ba1f503fd901 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-05-12 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Remote Controlle(d, r) Body brings an original proposition to understanding the relationship between body and media, which is taken from studies in Communication, and developed from the theory in progress "Bodymedia". The hypothesis of this research says that bodies, while communicating, control and are remotely controlled while they manipulate any given media, (all kinds of media, including electronic and digital ones, like cell phone, computer, and television) technical tools, languages, ideas and other bodies. This is a relationship between organic and non-organic bodies, linked to nature s survival strategies. Bodymedia is the result of an interface between Philosophy of the Mind, Communication, Cognitive Sciences, Evolutionary Theories and Peirce's Semiotics. Its aim is to give support to understanding the body in the fields of Communication and Culture. Some of the points that form its interiority/structure, which are grounded in empirical facts are the relationship of co-determination between nature and culture, the relationship of co-determination between body and environment, the notion of the human within culture, the co-evolution and a singular understanding of the media. Emanating from these points of view, this project approaches metaphors relating to the pair body-technology, which are interlaced in cultural systems. Usually, studies relating to the body-machine point to a consolidation of the concept of the post-human. These studies lead to an updated mechanical and Cartesian point of view of the body. There is another line of investigation which leans to recent aspects of processes of subjectization related to new technologies and which frequently concentrate on the anthropomorphic direction of the discussion. Remote Controlle(d,r) Body indicates a different and not much explored viewpoint from those above-mentioned, when it proposes a new hypothesis on the interaction between body and media. It focuses the body movement as a thinking matrix and brings together two concepts: assimilation and anthropophagy (originally Brazilian). Both are proposed as useful tools for advancement in this area. Some of the objectives of this project are: to identify new conceptual strategies for the interaction between body and media, to present an original theoretical understanding of the body-machine, to introduce into the debate concepts of assimilation and anthropophagy and to collaborate in the construction of a theory that considers movement as a thinking matrix. / Corpo Re-moto Controlado(r) traz uma proposta inédita para a compreensão da relação entre corpo e mídia, a partir dos estudos da Comunicação desenvolvidos pela teoria em construção denominada Corpomídia. A hipótese da pesquisa é a de que os corpos, quando se comunicam, controlam e são controlados remotamente na medida em que manipulam mídias (celular, computador, televisão e todos os tipos de mídia, entre as quais as eletrônicas e digitais), ferramentas técnicas, outros corpos, linguagens e idéias. Trata-se de uma forma de descrever a relação entre corpos, vivos e não-vivos, apresentando-a como estratégia de sobrevivência. Corpomídia resulta das interfaces entre a Comunicação, a Filosofia da Mente, as Ciências Cognitivas, as Teorias Evolutivas e a Semiótica Peirceana e, tem por finalidade dar suporte aos entendimentos do corpo nas áreas da comunicação e da cultura. Dentre seus focos básicos estão a relação de co-determinância entre natureza e cultura, a relação também de co-determinância entre corpo e ambiente, a noção de humano dentro da cultura, a co-evolução, e uma proposta singular do que seja mídia. É com tal viés que esta pesquisa aborda algumas metáforas relacionadas ao par corpo-tecnologia que estão entrelaçadas nos sistemas culturais. Usualmente, os estudos vinculados ao corpo-máquina apontam para a consolidação do conceito do pós-humano. E a principal questão que essa terminologia carrega é exatamente a de uma compreensão de corpo que parece avançar, mas ainda se mantém como uma espécie de herdeira atualizada de uma visão cartesiana do corpo. Há uma outra vertente de investigação que privilegia os estudos dos processos de subjetivação diante das novas tecnologias, e que muito freqüentemente se concentram em um direcionamento antropomórfico da discussão. Corpo Re-moto Controlado(r) indica uma perspectiva distinta das acima mencionadas, e ainda pouco explorada, quando oferece uma nova hipótese de abordagem do corpo na interação com as mídias a partir de um entendimento de mídia distinto do de meio sendo atravessado pela informação. Focaliza o movimento do corpo como matriz de pensamento, e traz para guiar a reflexão na área do corpo-tecnologia dois conceitos: o da assimilação (Bauman) e o da antropofagia (esse, originalmente brasileiro, de Oswald de Andrade). Propõe ambos como ferramentas capazes de irrigar e realocar as discussões em curso. Entre os objetivos desta pesquisa estão: identificar novas estratégicas conceituais para o problema do corpo na interação com as mídias, apresentar um conjunto teórico inédito para propor um outro entendimento para a questão do corpo-máquina, contribuir com o debate indicando os conceitos da assimilação e da antropofagia e, cooperar com a construção de uma teoria baseada no movimento como matriz do pensamento. Palavras-chave: comunicação, corpo-máquina, corpomídia, relações motoras, controle remoto, hibridismo.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides unique advantages such as superior soft tissue contrast, true multiplanar imaging, variable contrast mechanisms, measurement of temperature changes, perfusion and diffusion, and no ionizing radiation. Despite considerable research efforts in the field of interventional MRI, numerous challenges remain including restricted access to the patient, high acoustic noise and a shortage of MRI-safe devices. Novel methods and devices are presented in this thesis with the primary objective of enabling effective MRI-guided interventions, particularly abdominal needle and common catheter-based endovascular interventions. Firstly, a set of MRI-safe devices (guidewires, micro guidewires, catheters and micro catheters) were developed with passive or inductively coupling resonant markers for MRI visualisation. Secondly, a method was implemented for wireless tracking and dynamic guidance of instruments. Thirdly, a framework of technologies was developed for in-room display, wireless MRI remote control and multi-user communication along with a dedicated user interface and imaging protocol. These implementations were assessed in regards to MRI-safety, performance and usability and evaluated for MRI-guided liver biopsies, balloon angioplasty procedures and also for mechanical thrombolysis. Flow phantoms, Thiel soft-embalmed human cadavers with partially re-established perfusion and a porcine model were used for in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo validation, respectively. The results demonstrate that these interventions are experimentally feasible and practical when using the presented developments: automated device tracking and equipment designed for MRI-guided interventions streamlined procedural workflow. Specifically, it was shown that fast and accurate needle placements along complex trajectories were feasible using a wireless interactive display and control device with a dedicated user interface for interventions. Moreover, safe and efficacious balloon angioplasties of the iliac artery were practical using the described framework of technologies along with a dedicated MRI protocol. Finally, it was demonstrated that these developments could be adapted and applied to MRI-guided endovascular mechanical thrombolysis of the middle cerebral artery. The technologies, described in this thesis have been shown to overcome many of the present limitations and should therefore be useful for enabling MRI-guided interventions while not further constraining the operating physician in an already complex environment. Nevertheless, it is acknowledged that many crucial issues remain to be solved in the field of iMRI and in the context of the presented research. In particular further device optimisations, improvements of the tracking implementation along with further in vivo evaluations are required before moving towards clinical evaluation. This thesis sets the groundwork for moving ahead with the eventual clinical realisation of optimised MRI-guided interventions.

Att utforma interaktiva TV-tjänster skiljer sig på flera sätt från att designa för webb eller för vanliga PC-tillämpningar. Faktorer som lägre bildupplösning, längre avstånd mellan användare och skärm, och inte minst användandet av fjärrkontroll istället för tangentbord och mus gör att villkoren ser annorlunda ut än för PC-tillämpningar. I detta arbete beskrivs hur en videobutik för en set-top-box för digital-TV utformas via iterativ hifi-prototypning och utvärdering. Lärdomarna är tillämpbara på andra interaktiva TV-tillämpningar. / Designing interactive TV applications is in many ways different than designing for the web for for PC applications. Lower screen resolution, longer distance between user and screen, and not least the use of a remote control as input device instead of keyboard and mouse make for different conditions than when designing PC applications. In this thesis the design of a video store for a digital TV set-top-box is being outlined. The design is made through interative hifi-prototyping and evaluation. The learnings from this work are applicable on other interactive TV-applications.

Marine search and rescue activities have been plagued with the problem of risking the lives of rescuers in rescue operations. With increasing developments in sensor technologies, it became a necessity in the marine search and rescue community to develop an autonomous marine craft to assist in rescue operations. Autonomy of marine craft requires a robust localization technique and process. To apply robust localization to marine craft, GPS technology was used to determine the position of the marine craft at any given point in time. Given that the operational environment of the marine was at open air, river, sea etc. GPS signal was always available to the marine craft as there are no obstructions to GPS signal. Adequate cognizance of the current position and states of an unmanned marine craft was a critical requirement for navigation of an unmanned surface vehicle (USV). The unmanned surface vehicle uses GPS in conjunction with state estimated solution provided by inertial sensors. In the absence of the GPS signal, navigation is resumed with a digital compass and inertial sensors to such a time when the GPS signal becomes accessible. GPS based navigation can be used for an unmanned marine craft with the mathematical modelling of the craft meeting the functional requirements of an unmanned marine craft. A low cost GPS unit was used in conjunction with a low cost inertial measurement unit (IMU) with sonar for obstacle detection. The use of sonar in navigation algorithm of marine craft was aimed at surveillance of the operational environment of the marine craft to detect obstacles on its path of motion. Inertial sensors were used to determine the attitude of the marine craft in motion. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

A widespread and persistent memory error that people commit on a daily basis is the post-completion error (PCE; i.e., forgetting to complete the final step of a procedural task). PCEs occur in the railroad industry when a locomotive conductor changes the direction of a rail switch but fails to report this change. This particular error could contribute to unsafe conditions as another train traveling on the same track could derail. Although training can help reduce some of the factors leading to unsafe conditions on the rail, research has demonstrated that PCEs are different from other errors of omission in that they cannot be eliminated through training, which makes them a difficult problem to address. Therefore, there is a need to explore new remedial actions designed to reduce PCEs. The current study investigated the effectiveness of a theoretically motivated intervention at reducing PCEs in trainyard operations, where making these errors could be life-threatening. Twenty-eight undergraduates completed trainyard tasks within a high-fidelity simulator. Each participant received the behavioral intervention in one block and no intervention in another. Specifically, participants were required to perform an additional task designed to remind participants of the post-completion (PC) step. The intervention significantly reduced PCE rates in the context of trainyard operations, on average, by 65%. We discuss implications of these results on reducing trainyard accidents, and how this outcome can contribute to the literature on the cause of PCEs.

In this thesis study, it is aimed to improve the performance of an Internet-based teleoperation system enabling the remote operation of a 6 DOF industrial robot. In order to improve the safety and efficiency of the teleoperation, stability and synchronization (hand-eye coordination) are considered. The selected communication medium between the human operator and remote robot is the Internet. The variable time delays and nondeterministic characteristics of the Internet may lead to instability of the teleoperation system. Considering the disturbing effects of the Internet onto the transmission, an event-based control approach is used in order to improve the stability of the teleoperation system. Besides, a visual feedback system is developed and a force-feedback mouse is designed in order to improve synchronization between the human operator and robot during the command generation according to the feedback obtained from the control system. A client-server software application is developed to interface the human operator with remote environment. It is observed that, using the event-based control approach in the operation makes the teleoperation stable and improves the synchronization ability. Implementation of visual feedback and force-feedback mouse to the teleoperation system improves the human operator&rsquo / s ability to perform remote operation.

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The fairly recent introduction of low-cost depth sensors such as Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect has encouraged a large amount of research on the use of depth sensors for many common Computer Vision problems. Depth images are advantageous over normal colour images because of how easily objects in a scene can be segregated in real-time. Microsoft used the depth images from the Kinect to successfully separate multiple users and track various larger body joints, but has difficulty tracking smaller joints such as those of the fingers. This is a result of the low resolution and noisy nature of the depth images produced by the Kinect. The objective of this project is to use the depth images produced by the Kinect to remotely track the user’s hands and to recognise the static hand poses in real-time. Such a system would make it possible to control an electronic device from a distance without the use of a remote control. It can be used to control computer systems during computer aided presentations, translate sign language and to provide more hygienic control devices in clean rooms such as operating theatres and electronic laboratories. The proposed system uses the open-source OpenNI framework to retrieve the depth images from the Kinect and to track the user’s hands. Random Decision Forests are trained using computer generated depth images of various hand poses and used to classify the hand regions from a depth image. The region images are processed using a Mean-Shift based joint estimator to find the 3D joint coordinates. These coordinates are finally used to classify the static hand pose using a Support Vector Machine trained using the libSVM library. The system achieves a final accuracy of 95.61% when tested against synthetic data and 81.35% when tested against real world data. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die onlangse bekendstelling van lae-koste diepte sensors soos Microsoft se Xbox Kinect het groot belangstelling opgewek in navorsing oor die gebruik van die diepte sensors vir algemene Rekenaarvisie probleme. Diepte beelde maak dit baie eenvoudig om intyds verskillende voorwerpe in ’n toneel van mekaar te skei. Microsoft het diepte beelde van die Kinect gebruik om verskeie persone en hul ledemate suksesvol te volg. Dit kan egter nie kleiner ledemate soos die vingers volg nie as gevolg van die lae resolusie en voorkoms van geraas in die beelde. Die doel van hierdie projek is om die diepte beelde (verkry vanaf die Kinect) te gebruik om intyds ’n gebruiker se hande te volg oor ’n afstand en die statiese handgebare te herken. So ’n stelsel sal dit moontlik maak om elektroniese toestelle oor ’n afstand te kan beheer sonder die gebruik van ’n afstandsbeheerder. Dit kan gebruik word om rekenaarstelsels te beheer gedurende rekenaargesteunde aanbiedings, vir die vertaling van vingertaal en kan ook gebruik word as higiëniese, tasvrye beheer toestelle in skoonkamers soos operasieteaters en elektroniese laboratoriums. Die voorgestelde stelsel maak gebruik van die oopbron OpenNI raamwerk om die diepte beelde vanaf die Kinect te lees en die gebruiker se hande te volg. Lukrake Besluitnemingswoude ("Random Decision Forests") is opgelei met behulp van rekenaar gegenereerde diepte beelde van verskeie handgebare en word gebruik om die verskeie handdele vanaf ’n diepte beeld te klassifiseer. Die 3D koördinate van die hand ledemate word dan verkry deur gebruik te maak van ’n Gemiddelde-Afset gebaseerde ledemaat herkenner. Hierdie koördinate word dan gebruik om die statiese handgebaar te klassifiseer met behulp van ’n Steun-Vektor Masjien ("Support Vector Machine"), opgelei met behulp van die libSVM biblioteek. Die stelsel behaal ’n finale akkuraatheid van 95.61% wanneer dit getoets word teen sintetiese data en 81.35% wanneer getoets word teen werklike data.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:22:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-01-31Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:26:47Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 estremote_ma_me_ilha.pdf: 1197186 bytes, checksum: a765f6c60b85ed25acef3625c598c522 (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Neste trabalho descreve-se um Software de comando para o acionamento de um braço mecânico do robô SCORBOT ER - III. O software desenvolvido tem a capacidade de controlar e monitorar o robô remotamente em tempo real através da Rede Mundial de Computadores (WWW), utilizando bibliotecas de JAVA como: métodos nativos (JNI - JAVA Native Interface), Invocação de Métodos Remotos (RMI - Remote Method Invocation), Conectividade com Banco de Dados JAVA (JDBC - JAVA Database Connecvity) e JMF (JAVA Media Frameworks) com o Protocolo de Tempo Real - RTP (Real Time Protocol). Para controle do robô, o circuito de controle originalmente desenvolvido pelo fabricante, foi reprojetado utilizando-se o ambiente Max+Plus II da Altera e a conexão entre Robô e o PC é feita através de um dispositivo lógico programável tipo FPGA, que recebe os comandos provenientes da Porta Paralela do PC, o monitoramento através de câmeras digitais do tipo WEBCAM conectadas em uma Porta do tipo USB. / This work describes the development of a Software for the control of a mechanical arm type SCORBOT ER - III. This software has the capacity to control and to monitor the robot remotely in real time through the World Wide Web (WWW), using libraries of JAVA as: native methods (JNI-JAVA Native Interface), Invocation of Remote Methods (RMI - Remote Method Invocation), Connecvity with database JAVA (JDBC - JAVA Database Connecvity) and JMF (JAVA Media Frameworks) with the Protocol of Real Time - RTP (Real Time Protocol). The robot control circuit was redesigned using the Altera Max+Plus II environment and the connection between the robot and personal computer was made by the Parallel Port and digital cameras of the type WEBCAM, connected USB port.

近年來多軸空拍機快速發展與普及，可預見其未來將成為新一代的輔助攝影工具。空拍機打破距離、角度的限制，讓時下流行的自拍（Selfie）照片相較於以往以手臂或自拍棒輔助的方式，拍出更具特色及多樣性的構圖。然而當前空拍機操作方式複雜，使用者需花費一定的練習時間才能熟練地控制空拍機至預定位置進行拍攝。 本研究針對空拍機的使用情境進行觀察，歸納傳統操作方式造成的問題，再依不同互動控制方法討論過往研究提出的解決方法之優勢與限制，並依據自拍行為之心智模型及過往研究經驗，設計兩階段互動流程：相機定位階段（Positioning）及鏡頭構圖階段（Framing），並在各階段中分別提出直接指向（Direct Pointing）、移動微調（Fine Tuning）及構圖調整（Framing）三種有別於傳統類比搖桿操控之互動模式。 本研究另設計一俱觸覺控制回饋、可單手操作之實體自拍遙控器，搭配前述互動設計實作兼具自動化移動及以使用者為中心進行操作之空拍機自拍互動控制系統原型Skyfie，並於戶外環境設計實驗場域進行使用者測試，測試使用者指揮空拍機至指定位置拍照之操作，評估互動流程中各操作方法之優劣。測試結果顯示Skyfie 互動控制系統相較於傳統的類比搖桿操控方式更易於學習及使用，且符合使用者對空間的認知，並依照回饋意見進行互動模式修正，以達成對空拍機初學者而言也簡單易學的互動操作方式。 / As personal drones become more popular, we can envision a future where flying selfie bots are always with us. Drones break the limits of distance and angle, providing more diversified composition than taking selfie with arms or a selfie stick. However, users have to be very skillful to pilot the drone and are not easy to take aerial selfies by state-of-the-art methods. Based on user observation and the mindset of selfie taking, we summarize the problems caused by the traditional control methods and generalize the interaction flow of selfie taking into two stages: Positioning and Framing stage. In each stage, we present new interaction techniques including a direct pointing technique, fine-tuning technique, and a touch manipulation for framing. We also present a selfie remote controller designed for single-hand operation to collocates with the interaction techniques, and implement a proof-of-concept Skyfie system for an outdoor user testing. The result shows users felt intuitive and expressed enthusiasm to take aerial selfies with our techniques. Finally, we discuss the insights from the evaluation and conclude with future directions.