10th ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM of ROBOTICS and MACHINE INTELLIGENCE

 

 Elizabethtown College Gibble Auditorium

April 19, 2011

9:30am-12:00pm

 

Session Chairs: Elizabeth Starkey and J. Wunderlich, Ph.D.

 

9:30am

RMI Talk #1: Wunderbot Parallel Programming and Coding Alternatives

by Elizabeth Starkey and Mark Yorgey

Wunderbot 6 is presently being retooled to implement new undergraduate research including possibly new parallel-processing hardware and software. Additionally, new computer programming languages and platforms are being explored. This research was completed as a semester project for EGR/CS230 “Microcomputer Architecture” 

 

9:45am

RMI Talk #2: Wunderbot Vision Upgrades

by Mike Conlow

LabVIEW 8.5 has been used In recent years to develop a vision system for Elizabethtown College Wunderbot’s. This software has presented systems integration problems; for example the vision system (along with other sensor information) needs to interface more elegantly with motor control and path-planning. Due to the volatility of the trial software used to capture images in LabVIEW, all LabVIEW software must be removed and reinstalled in the proper order; otherwise the system will require the full USB interfacing software to be purchased. When the Wunderbot is receiving the image in LabVIEW the amount of filtering and positioning of the camera needs to be adjusted to perform optimally. Also, since the Phoenix Contact company has recently donated an advanced Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) that uses the IEC-61131 standard, new Wunderbot computer hardware and software platform can be explored, and digital image processing capabilities of this PLC can be assessed. Using IEC-61131 should work well as long as the PLC can handle digital image processing with ease, and since IEC-61131 is capable of coding in a variety of standards (structured text, functional blocks, and instruction lists), the power of each of these can also be explored. Currently no other student knows the details of how the Wunderbot vision system has been developed, so one of the Robotics and Machine Intelligence Club members who will be here next year has assisted me so they can carry on the work after this semester. This research was completed for EGR491/492 “Engineering Senior Project.” A related POSTER has been made.

 

10:00am

RMI Talk #3: “Genetic Algorithms”

by Ashley Jordan 

Genetic Algorithms are implemented in computer programs such that random permutations, inheritance, and heuristic searches lead to the solution of complex problems. This research was completed as a semester project for EGR/CS230 “Microcomputer Architecture”

 

10:15am

RMI Talk #4: "Neural Network Theory and Applications”

by Coty Morrison

Neural networks have been part of the Robotics and Machine Intelligence initiatives at Elizabethtown College for many years. This talk reviews some recent analysis and implementation of Artificial Neural Networks. This research was completed as a one-credit EGR280 “Engineering Research” project. 

 

10:30am

RMI Talk #5: Remote-Controlled Multi-Shot T-Shirt Cannon”

by Sean Flanagan

A Tel-net client-equipped cell phone is used to send commands to a computer that uses a modified USB missile launcher to trigger various relays, which fire cannons via sprinkler valves which in turn trigger a more powerful piston valve. Cannons are powered by compressed air. This research was completed as a semester project for EGR/CS230 “Microcomputer Architecture.” 

 

10:45am BREAK

 

11:00am

RMI Talk #6: “How Full-authority Fly-by-wire Flight Control Systems Opened up a New Frontier in Transformational Aircraft; namely, the Tiltrotor"

by Clayton Belcher  

For as long as aviation has been around, control surfaces have traditionally been physically linked to the pilot's controls (i.e., pushrods, pulleys, cables, etc.), and the pilot has had full-authority over those control surfaces.  The single most profound challenge in developing the Tiltrotor was to solve the problem of transforming from helicopter, to airplane, and vice versa.  This meant developing and aircraft with BOTH helicopter and airplane control surfaces, that could be controlled by the same pilot.  The Tiltrotor could only be fully realized through the integration of a software controlled fly-by-wire system that could automatically "wash-out" degrees of deflection during conversion.  In essence, it's ultimately the flight control computers that have full-authority over the thrust and control surfaces based on their interpretation of the pilot's input and nacelle angle. This research was completed as a project for the BOEING Company and has been incorporated into the course content for EGR/CS333 “Digital Design and Interfacing.” A related POSTER has been made.

 

11:15am

RMI Talk #7: Phoenix-Contact IEC61131 Advanced Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC’s)”

by James Kelly

Elizabethtown College’s Engineering professors Dr. Wunderlich and Dr. Estrada have recently agreed to be the first faculty in the United States to be part of an international engineering educational initiative, the “EduNet,” which presently includes universities in Austria, Belgium, China, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Spain, and Turkey. This initiative involves integrating high-end Phoenix Contact IEC61131 advanced Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC's) into engineering courses. Dr. Wunderlich and Dr. Estrada will be to traveling annually to international locations to collaborate with many universities about teaching such technologies. The student giving this talk was present during the final meeting with Phoenix Contact executives to formalize this agreement, and this talk will provide an overview of the capabilities of these advanced PLC’s. This research was completed as a semester project for EGR/CS230 “Microcomputer Architecture.”

 

11:30am

RMI Talk #8: Automated Hydroponic Garden using a Phoenix-Contact NanoLC PLC”

by Dan Fenton and Jacqueline Westman 

A hydroponic garden is a fast and effective way of growing plants through soilless culture while conserving a valuable resource:  water.  However, routine maintenance of plants requires much time and attention.  This project automates watering, lighting, and a pH balancing system using a Phoenix Contact "NanoLC" Programmable Logic Controller (PLC).  By using this controller, the garden takes care of itself.   The garden pulls water from a reservoir via a pump to irrigate the plants, and when the plants’ growing medium can no longer hold any more water, it drips back into the reservoir.  The programmed timing of water, light exposure, and pH regulation could eliminate under-watering and insufficient plant growth.  Implementing this project on a large scale could provide food for an entire season.  The costs of these systems are relatively inexpensive, meaning implementation and experimentation is possible. This research was completed for EGR492 “Engineering Senior Project.” A related POSTER has been made.

 

11:45am

RMI Talk #9: "Robotics and Machine Intelligence Club Recent and Future Accomplishments”
by Dan Fenton (President), Elizabeth Starkey, Mark Yorgey, Zachary Johnson, James Kelly, and Chris Janssen 

Abstract: In January 2011 Wunderbot 6 was demonstrated to 160 of the top executives of the Phoenix Contact company; a 10,000-member, multi-billion dollar International Corporation; this included demonstrating new environmental sampling capabilities of the robot (a EGR491 “Engineering Senior Project” by Dan Fenton and Jacqueline Westman, plus a major semester project in EGR/CS332 “Computer Organization and Architecture” by Elizabeth Starkey, Mark Yorgey, Zachary Johnson, James Kelly, and Chris Janssen.   This talk will include next year’s plans for the Robotics and Machine Intelligence Club. A related POSTER has been made.

 

POSTERS:

“Wunderbot Vision Upgrades”

  by Mike Conlow

"Five Years of Boeing Engineering while pursuing a BS in Computer Engineering"

 by Clayton Belcher

Automated Hydroponic Garden using a Phoenix-Contact NanoLC PLC”

 by Jacqueline Westman and Dan Fenton

“The Robotics and Machine Intelligence (RMI) Club”

 by Dan Fenton (President), Elizabeth Starkey, Mark Yorgey, Zachary Johnson, James Kelly, and Chris Janssen

 

Faculty supervisor: J. WUNDERLICH Ph.D.

All RMI projects since 1999: RMI LAB ARCHIVE

All RMI Symposiums since 2000: PAST SYMPOSIUMS