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Goal: In the context of robot-assisted laminectomy surgery, an analytical force model is introduced to guarantee procedural safety. The aim of the method is to intraoperatively monitor the cutting depth via modeling the milling status. Methods: The theoretical dynamic model for the surgical milling process is based on the flute geometry of the ball-end milling tool. A particle swarm optimization algorithm

In this paper, the traditional shortest path planning problem for vehicle is advanced to length-targeted path planning problem, i.e., to plan path with its length being as close to a specified value as possible. Lengthening and shortening of given initial paths are used to solve this problem. Based on an operation set consisting of three basic path homotopies, we build a comprehensive and systematic

Cyber-physical manufacturing systems (CPMS) can be defined by the integration of control, network communication, and computing with a physical manufacturing process. In this work, we present a hybrid model of CPMS combining sensor data, context information, and expert knowledge. We used the identification of global operational states and a multimodel framework to improve anomaly detection and diagnosis

Task allocation is a critical phase of project management. Tree-type structures are frequently used constraints to obtain a pertinent task allocation. They can illustrate where one task may require numerous agents and when an agent can be assigned to different tasks (roles). The process of task allocation is made more complex when administrators need to satisfy sequential and fixed branch relationships

The printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) tends to become a bottleneck in an assembly line of electronic products. For improvement, many assembly firms have introduced chip shooter machines. This, however, in turn, raises the issue of how to best utilize these machines. To deal with the PCBA problems, swarm intelligence (SI)-based metaheuristics have been increasingly popular due to the use of guided

With the rising complexity of deteriorating systems and availability of advanced sensors, the need for more robust and reliable methods for condition monitoring and dynamic maintenance decision-making has significantly increased. To generate more reliable results for reliability analysis of complex systems, we propose a new generative framework for failure prognosis utilizing a hybrid state-space model

In dynamic, open, and service-oriented computing environments, e.g., e-commerce and crowdsourcing, service consumers must choose one of the services or items to complete their tasks. Due to the scale and dynamic characteristics of these environments, service consumers may have little or no experience with the available services. To this end, reputation systems are proposed and have played a crucial

We study the multiagent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) routing problem where a set of UAVs needs to collect information via surveillance of an area of operation. Each UAV is autonomous and does not rely on a reliable communication medium to coordinate with other UAVs. We formulate the problem as a game where UAVs are players and their strategies are the different routes they can take. Our model also

This paper presents a novel high-level centralized control scheme for a smart network of greenhouses integrated microgrid (NGIM) forming a smart small power grid in the context of smart grids. The main purpose is to present an innovative control strategy-based coordinated model predictive control (MPC) that considers fluctuations of stochastic renewable sources as well as weather conditions. A comprehensive

Under the consideration of massive energy consumption of machine tools, many approaches have been proposed, and state control method of machine tools has proved its effectiveness. In order to satisfy the demand of real-time production control, a deep learning methodology for energy-efficient control of CNC machine tools is proposed in RFID-enabled ubiquitous environment. First, the energy-efficient

This paper presents a method based on frequency shift feedback for living cell manipulation and in situ nanoinjection with a cantilevered micropipette probe (CMP). This method can detect tip–cell interactive forces at the piconewton level by measuring the frequency shift of the rigid CMP oscillated in the first bending eigenmode (amplitude: ~10 nm). Different interaction states throughout the process

In a paired-point rigid registration, target registration error (TRE) is deemed to be the most important quality metric. TRE usually cannot be directly measured, and thus many TRE estimation algorithms have been proposed. However, target localization errors (TLEs) in two spaces are not considered in the definition of TRE. In this paper, we propose a new type of evaluation metric that is referred to

Cloud computing has nowadays become a dominant technology to reduce the computation cost by elastically providing resources to users on a pay-per-use basis. More and more scientific and business applications represented by workflows have been moved or are in active transition to cloud platforms. Therefore, efficient cloud workflow scheduling methods are in high demand. This paper investigates how to

This paper proposes a condition-based maintenance (CBM) policy for a deteriorating system whose state is monitored by a degraded sensor. In the literature of CBM, it is commonly assumed that inspection of system state is perfect or subject to measurement error. The health condition of the sensor, which is dedicated to inspect the system state, is completely ignored during system operation. However

Opportunistic signals (e.g., WiFi, magnetic fields, and ambient light) have been extensively studied for low-cost indoor localization, especially via fingerprinting. We present an automatic site survey approach to build the signal maps in space-constrained environments (e.g., modern office buildings). The survey can be completed by a single smartphone user during normal walking, say, with a little

This paper introduces a robust generalized point cloud (PC) registration method that utilizes not only the positional but also the orientation information associated with each point. The proposed method solves the rigid PC registration problem in a probabilistic manner, which casts the problem into a maximum likelihood (ML) framework. A hybrid mixture model (HMM) is utilized to represent one generalized

FlexRay offers high-speed reliable transmission in the vehicle domain. Thus, it is one of the most popular in-vehicle communication protocols for the applications that are safety-critical or applications with very low transmission time requirement. Due to the real-time constraint, the worst case end-to-end delay (EED) for such applications transmitting over a shared bus must be known. This paper addresses

Nonstationary variations widely exist in abnormal industrial processes, in which the mean values and variances of the fault nonstationary variables change with time. Thus, the stationary fault information may be buried by nonstationary fault variations resulting in high misclassification rate for fault diagnosis. Besides, the existing fault diagnosis methods do not consider underlying relations among

This paper studies the precedence-constrained task assignment problem for a team of heterogeneous vehicles to deliver packages to a set of dispersed customers subject to precedence constraints that specify which customers need to be visited before which other customers. A truck and a micro drone with complementary capabilities are employed where the truck is restricted to travel in a street network

This paper comprises a description of a data-driven approach to the real-time monitoring of a physical system. Specifically, a hierarchical anomaly detection algorithm that can identify both instantaneous pointwise anomalies and gradual trajectory anomalies is proposed. To detect anomalies, we first construct a multioutput Gaussian process regression (MOGPR) model that can predict, probabilistically

A machine's degradation status directly influences the operational performance of the production system, such as productivity and product quality. For example, machines associated with different health states may have different remaining life before failure, thus impacting the system throughput. Therefore, it is critical to analyze the coupling between the overall system performance and the machine

Being able to detect, identify, and diagnose a fault is a key feature of industrial supervision systems, which enables advance asset management, in particular, predictive maintenance, which greatly increases efficiency and productivity. In this paper, an Industrial Internet app for real-time fault detection and diagnosis is implemented and tested in a pilot scale industrial motor. Real-time fault detection

Many optimization problems for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control systems usually refer to multiple timescales. This paper studies a two-timescale decision problem for indoor temperature regulation by HVAC with the objective to improve user's comfort under limited energy consumption. A slow timescale is divided into several fast timescales, so the two timescales have inherent

The problem of simultaneous precision assembly of multiple objects is quite practical one to form compact physical structures and functionalities in mechatronics and advanced robotics. The core research aspects facing the problem are the contact status perception between each two object and the motion planning of each separate object. These two aspects mutually affect each other and cannot be discussed

Magnetically actuated microswimmers have attracted researchers to investigate their swimming characteristics and controlled actuation. Although plenty of studies on actuating helical microswimmers have been carried out, robust closed-loop controls should be still explored for practical applications. In this paper, we proposed a data-driven model-free method using Image-Based Visual Servoing (IBVS)

Aligning different views or representations of anatomy is an essential task in both medical imaging computing (MIC) and computer-assisted interventions' (CAIs') communities. Motivated by simultaneously registering multiple point sets (PSs) and further improving the algorithm's robustness to outliers and noise, in this paper, we propose a novel probabilistic approach to jointly register multiple generalized

We present stability and control analysis of a rider- bicycle system under human steering and body movements. The dynamic model of rider-bicycle interactions is first constructed to integrate the rider's body movement with the moving bicycle platform. We then present human balance control strategies based on human riding experiments. The closed-loop system stability is analyzed and discussed. Quantitative

The paper presents an approach to the control of black-box embedded systems by integrating automaton learning and supervisory control theory (SCT) of discrete-event systems (DES), where automaton models of both the system and requirements are unavailable or hard to obtain. First, the system is tested against the requirements. If all the requirements are satisfied, no supervisor is needed and the process

A cluster tool consists of several single-wafer processing chambers and a wafer-handling robot. Cluster tools are widely used for wafer fabrication in semiconductor manufacturing fabs. As the circuit width shrinks down to below 20 or even several nanometers, wafer waiting within a chamber after processing becomes more critical to wafer quality due to residual gases and heat. Conventional tool scheduling

Deadlock is a rather undesirable case in automated manufacturing systems (AMSs). The appearance of deadlock can cause the partial or total stagnation of a system. So far, a large number of deadlock control policies have been developed; nevertheless, the majority are dependent on the assumption that allocated resources cannot break down. In the real world, an AMS consists of a set of concurrent production

A docking bike-sharing system (BSS) is modeled as a network representing the underlying transportation network. Mobile agents (replenishment trucks) traverse the network making routing decisions and deciding how and when to replenish station inventories so as to prevent imbalances due to users' one-way rides as well as time-varying demand. This load balancing process entails selecting both optimal

Metrology, which plays an important role in ensuring production quality in modern manufacturing industries, incurs substantial costs both in terms of the infrastructure required and the time needed to perform measurements. In particular, in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, measuring fundamental quantities on different sites of a wafer surface is associated with increased production time. To

Robot search for multiple dynamic users within a multi-room environment is important for social robots to find and engage in various human-robot interaction scenarios with these users. In this paper, we present a novel autonomous person search technique for a robot finding a group of dynamic users before a deadline. The uniqueness of our approach is that unlike existing robot search methods, we consider

Microgrid usually associated with distributed renewable energy sources plays a key role in reducing the requirement of traditional power sources and the emission of CO2. Connecting multiple microgrids to the electric power grid can facilitate a more powerful and reliable operation. Microgrids need decentralized dispatch with the requirement of security and privacy, and at the same time, they need to

Machines need to be individually qualified to run lots of certain families in semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities (wafer fabs). A qualification time window that lasts a couple of days is associated with each family and each tool. The time window can be reinitialized with additional qualification effort as needed and can be extended by on-time processing of qualified families. A mixed-integer

In this paper, a multi-level simultaneous minimization (MLSM) scheme is proposed and investigated to remedy the joint-angle drift (JAD) and non-zero final joint-velocity (NZFJV) phenomena as well as to prevent the occurrence of high joint variables of redundant robot manipulators. The proposed scheme is novelly designed within multiple levels and finally resolved at the jerk level for a jerk-bounded

Microrobotic delivery possesses a promising perspective for precision medicine and has attracted much attention recently. However, its automation remains challenging, especially with complex environmental conditions, such as obstacles and obstructed optical feedback. In this article, we propose an automated control approach for a new type of magnetic microrobot, i.e., the multifunctional magnetic spore

This study aims to develop a robust monitoring system for advanced control and compensation of the overlay errors based on E-insensitive support vector regression (SVR), considering metrology delay. The proposed E-insensitive SVR control system has the ability to solve quadratic optimization problems in real settings. To investigate the consistency and reliability of the proposed algorithm, a simulation

Snap-fit assemblies are widely used in the manufacturing of several product types, allowing part joining, while the parts remain unprocessed. The locking mechanism of a snap-fit is usually done within the object structure, not allowing visual identification of the successful process completion. Humans consider the forces developed between the two parts or the snapping sound, as an indication of success

This article proposes a confidence-based approach for combining two visual tracking techniques to minimize the influence of unforeseen visual tracking failures to achieve uninterrupted vision-based control. Despite research efforts in vision-guided micromanipulation, existing systems are not designed to overcome visual tracking failures, such as inconsistent illumination condition, regional occlusion

This paper considers a cooperative vehicle routing problem for an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission in the presence of communication constraints between the vehicles. The proposed framework uses a ground vehicle and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that travel cooperatively and visit a set of targets while satisfying the communication constraints. The problem is formulated as a

Provides a listing of current committee members and society officers.

In the October 2017 issue of the IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering [1] , there are several errors, reported and corrected as follows.

Provides instructions and guidelines to prospective authors who wish to submit manuscripts.

In order to realize many of the potential benefits associated with robotically assisted minimally invasive surgery, the robot must be more than a remote controlled device. Currently, using a surgical robot can be challenging, fatiguing, and time consuming. Teaching the robot to actively assist surgical tasks, such as suturing, has the potential to vastly improve both patient outlook and the surgeon's

Untethered miniature robotics have recently shown promising results in several scenarios at the microscale, such as targeted drug delivery, microassembly, and biopsy procedures. However, the vast majority of these small-scale robots have very limited manipulation capabilities, and none of the steering systems currently available enable humans to intuitively and effectively control dexterous miniaturized

The ability to calculate rigid-body transformations between arbitrary coordinate systems (i.e., registration) is an invaluable tool in robotics. This effort builds upon previous work by investigating strategies for improving the registration accuracy between a robotic arm and an extrinsic coordinate system with relatively inexpensive parts and minimal labor. The framework previously presented is expanded

We introduce a novel optimization-based motion planner, Stochastic Extended LQR (SELQR), which computes a trajectory and associated linear control policy with the objective of minimizing the expected value of a user-defined cost function. SELQR applies to robotic systems that have stochastic non-linear dynamics with motion uncertainty modeled by Gaussian distributions that can be state- and control-dependent

This paper presents algorithms for selection of needle grasp and for selection of entry ports of robotic instruments, for autonomous robotic execution of the minimally invasive surgical suturing task. A critical issue for automatic execution of surgical tasks, such as suturing, is the choice of needle grasp for the robotic system. Inappropriate needle grasp increases operating time requiring multiple

This paper presents a 6-DOF Pose Estimation (PE) method for a Robotic Navigation Aid (RNA) for the visually impaired. The RNA uses a single 3D camera for PE and object detection. The proposed method processes the camera's intensity and range data to estimates the camera's egomotion that is then used by an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) as the motion model to track a set of visual features for PE. A RANSAC

In unstructured environments in people's homes and workspaces, robots executing a task may need to avoid obstacles while satisfying task motion constraints, e.g., keeping a plate of food level to avoid spills or properly orienting a finger to push a button. We introduce a sampling-based method for computing motion plans that are collision-free and minimize a cost metric that encodes task motion constraints

Contact mode Atomic Force Microscopy (CM-AFM) is popularly used by the biophysics community to study mechanical properties of cells cultured in petri dishes, or tissue sections fixed on microscope slides. While cells are fairly easy to locate, sampling in spatially heterogeneous tissue specimens is laborious and time-consuming at higher magnifications. Furthermore, tissue registration across multiple

A clear association has been demonstrated between gait stability and falls in the elderly. Integration of wearable computing and human dynamic stability measures into home automation systems may help differentiate fall-prone individuals in a residential environment. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the capability of a pair of electronic textile (e-textile) pants system to assess local

A novel system that has enabled the measurement of single-cell oxygen consumption rates is presented. The experimental apparatus includes a temperature controlled environmental chamber, an array of microwells etched in glass, and a lid actuator used to seal cells in the microwells. Each microwell contains an oxygen sensitive platinum phosphor sensor used to monitor the cellular metabolic rates. Custom