Design and kinematic analysis of new multi-mode mobile parallel mechanism with deployable platform

Purpose This study aims to make the mobile robot better adapt to the patrol and monitoring in industrial field substation area, a multi-mode mobile carrying mechanism which can carrying data collector, camera and other equipment is designed. Design/methodology/approach Based on the geometric axis analysis and interference analysis, the multi-mode mobile carrying mechanism is designed. The screw constraint topological theory and zero-moment point (ZMP) theory is used to kinematic analysis in mechanism mobile process. Findings The mobile carrying mechanism can realize the folding movement, hexagonal rolling and quadrilateral rolling movement. A series of simulation and prototype experiment results verify the feasibility and actual error of the design analysis. Originality/value The work of this paper provides a mobile carrying mechanism for carrying different data acquisition equipment and surveillance camera in industrial field substation zone. It has excellent folding performance and mobile capabilities. The mobile carrying mechanism reduces the workload of human being and injuries suffered by workers in industrial substation area.

AI-Based Quality Control of Wood Surfaces with Autonomous Material Handling

The theory and applications of Smart Factories and Industry 4.0 are increasing the entry into the industry. It is common in industry to start converting exclusive parts, of their production, into this new paradigm rather than converting whole production lines all at once. In Europe and Sweden, recent political decisions are taken to reach the target of greenhouse gas emission reduction. One possible solution is to replace concrete in buildings with Cross Laminated Timber. In the last years, equipment and software that have been custom made for a certain task, are now cheaper and can be adapted to fit more processes than earlier possible. This in combination, with lessons learned from the automotive industry, makes it possible to take the necessary steps and start redesigning and building tomorrows automated and flexible production systems in the wood industry. This paper presents a proof of concept of an automated inspection system, for wood surfaces, where concepts found in Industry 4.0, such as industrial Internet of things (IIoT), smart factory, flexible automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and cyber physical systems, are utilized. The inspection system encompasses, among other things, of the shelf software and hardware, open source software, and standardized, modular, and mobile process modules. The design of the system is conducted with future expansion in mind, where new parts and functions can be added as well as removed.

The Assessment of the suitability of reconfigurable design through simulation and decision trees

Positioning of the equipment of a manufacturing company is done foreseeing that it will remain fixed for a long time. This is because changes in the plant layout are thought to be costly, as they involve redesigning equipment support services, developing new foundations, using heavy machinery to move equipment, and causing non-productive time at the plant. However, the increased competition due to globalization, lead us to consider the alternative of making modifications to the layout more frequently to improve productivity. Changing the position of the equipment can be facilitated by specifying smaller mobile process equipment or by anticipating the availability of services at different points in the workshop and the existence of cranes or other means of transportation. These forecasts, logically, result in a greater investment in elements that, at least initially, do not generate any profit. This work shows the evaluation of the feasibility of modifying the positions of the equipment when there are variations in the probability distribution in production speeds. This evaluation is carried out using decision trees and process simulation. The case study addressed consists of a generic production line with serial workstations. Jobs arrive at the first computer and join their product on hold if space is available, otherwise the job is lost. In the same way, the product on hold of the other teams are limited in size, and when a product on hold is full, the team behind stops until there is space available. Due to the use, the speeds of the equipment are changing with respect to the ones they had when new: the process times are increasing and / or becoming more variable. To improve productivity under the new process speeds, the space between the equipment can be modified, however, during this change, production must be suspended. This work shows how, by simulating processes and decision trees, it is possible to determine the ranges of values ​​of the suspension time and the cost of transport for which it is convenient to make changes in the spacing of the equipment.

Context-Based Handling of Mobile Process Activities

Process technology constitutes a crucial component of information systems. In this context, high flexibility is required as business functions must be quickly adaptable to cope with dynamic business changes. As recent developments allow for the use of mobile devices in knowledge-intensive areas, it is often demanded to enhance process-aware information systems with mobile activity support. In general, the technical integration of this activity type with existing process management technology is challenging. For example, protocols governing the communication between mobile devices and process management systems must be adapted. If a mobile context shall be additionally considered, the integration gets even more complex. However, the use of a mobile context offers advantages. For example, the mobile activity execution time may be decreased if mobile activities are only assigned to those users whose location is beneficial. This chapter proposes an approach to enable the robust handling of single process activities on mobile devices based on a mobile process model.

Conflictive Touring

Problems to understand social phenomenon associates to our misconceptions, stereotypes and prejudices imposed during our early socialization. This happens not only with tourism which is valorized as a right of all citizens in modern societies, but also with terrorism, judged as the main threat of West. However, what would happen if both would be different sides of the same coin? This essay review explores the roots of tourism and terrorism during the process of unionization in US. What on one hand resulted in a hyper-mobile process that shore up tourism, on another was a desesperate attempt to struggle against terrorism. In this vein, it is safe to say that tourism is terrorism by other means.

Conflictive Touring

Problems to understand social phenomenon associates to our misconceptions, stereotypes and prejudices imposed during our early socialization. This happens not only with tourism which is valorized as a right of all citizens in modern societies, but also with terrorism, judged as the main threat of West. However, what would happen if both would be different sides of the same coin? This essay review explores the roots of tourism and terrorism during the process of unionization in US. What on one hand resulted in a hyper-mobile process that shore up tourism, on another was a desesperate attempt to struggle against terrorism. In this vein, it is safe to say that tourism is terrorism by other means.