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The possibility of achieving experimentally controlled, non-vocal acoustic production in non-human primates is a key step to enable the testing of a number of hypotheses on primate behavior and cognition. However, no device or solution is currently available, with the use of sensors in non-human animals being almost exclusively devoted to applications in food industry and animal surveillance. Specifically, no device exists which simultaneously allows: (i) spontaneous production of sound or music by non-human animals via object manipulation, (ii) systematical recording of data sensed from these movements, (iii) the possibility to alter the acoustic feedback properties of the object using remote control. We present two prototypes we developed for application with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) which, while fulfilling the aforementioned requirements, allow to arbitrarily associate sounds to physical object movements. The prototypes differ in sensing technology, costs, intended use and construction requirements. One prototype uses four piezoelectric elements embedded between layers of Plexiglas and foam. Strain data is sent to a computer running Python through an Arduino board. A second prototype consists in a modified Wii Remote contained in a gum toy. Acceleration data is sent via Bluetooth to a computer running Max/MSP. We successfully pilot tested the first device with a group of chimpanzees. We foresee using these devices for a range of cognitive experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding why a robot's behaviour was triggered is a growing concern to get human‐acceptable social robots. Every action, expected and unexpected, should be able to be explained and audited. The formal model proposed here deals with different information levels, from low‐level data, such as sensors' data logging; to high‐level data that provide an explanation of the robot's behaviour. This study examines the impact on the robot system of a custom log engine based on a custom ROS logging node and investigates pros and cons when used together with a NoSQL database locally and in a cloud environment. Results allow to characterize these alternatives and explore the best strategy for offering a fully log‐based accountability engine that maximizes the mapping between robot behaviour and robot logs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assembly and maintenance of electrified railway systems is of vital importance for its correct operation. Contact wires are critical elements since the correct collection of energy from trains through pantographs depends on them. Periodical inspection of the state of these installations is essential. This task traditionally implies a heavy manual workload subject to errors. A new system that allows one to check the state (height and stagger) of contact and messenger wires is presented on this article blueA new method based on seven steps for identifying the contact wires and measuring their height and stagger from point clouds recorded by means of a LiDAR system is presented. This system can be used both in assembly and maintenance phases, as well as afterwards, allowing the analysis of point clouds previously recorded. The new method was evaluated in both test bench and real environments against the commonly used measurement method. Results with the comparison between this new system and the commonly used measurement method in both test bench and real railway environments are presented. Results of this comparison show differences of less than a centimetre on average and the amount of time spent for the measuring phase is significantly decreased and not prone to human errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-Forest aims at developing Digital Service Infrastructures (DSIs) focused on : (i) obtaining predictions that allow to estimate the evolution and wood quality of forests at a national scale, and (ii) assessing and controlling forest fires using information related to forest fuels and propagation models. These objectives will be based on the forest datasets (geographic and alfanumeric) from Portugal and Spain. High-Performance Computing (HPC) resources will be used, due to the complexity of the models to be employed and to the need of performing multiple simulations under different configurations. With that goal, Cross-Forest is developing a cross-border ontology for forest data in collaboration with the Portuguese and Spanish Public Administrations, and will provide a public repository (Endpoint) based on the recommendations from INSPIRE and Linked Open Data (LOD), where forest data will be published, in accordance with the ontology. The data model and publication of LOD a basis for forest proofessionals and general citezenship, who will have easy and free access to the forest datasets produced by Portugal and Spain. Likewise, the assessment of forst fires evolution and propagation will be very useful for forest managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socially assistive robots have been used in the care of elderly or dependent people, particularly with patients suffering from neurological diseases, like autism and dementia. There are some proposals, but there are no standardized mechanisms for assessing a particular robot's suitability for specific therapy. This paper reports the evaluation of an acceptance test for assistive robots applied to people with dementia. The proposed test focuses on evaluating the suitability of a robot during therapy sessions. The test measures the rejection of the robot by the patient based on observational data. This test would recommend what kind of robot and what functionalities can be used in therapy. The novelty of this approach is the formalization of a specific validation process that only considers the reaction of the person to whom the robot is applied, and may be used more effectively than existing tests, which may not be adequate for evaluating assistance robots. The test's feasibility was tested by applying it to a set of dementia patients in a specialized care facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]