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In hazardous/emergency situations, public safety is of the utmost concern. In areas where human access is not possible or is restricted due to hazardous situations, a system or robot that can be distantly controlled is mandatory. There are many applications in which force cannot be applied directly while using physical sensors. Therefore, in this research, a robust controller for pursuing trajectory and force estimations while deprived of any signals or sensors for bilateral tele-operation of a hydraulic manipulator is suggested to handle these hazardous, emergency circumstances. A terminal sliding control with a sliding perturbation observer (TSMCSPO) is considered as the robust controller for a coupled leader and hydraulic follower system. The ultimate use of this controller is as a sliding perturbation observer (SPO) that can estimate the reaction force without any physical force sensors. Robust and perfect position tracking is attained with terminal sliding mode control (TSMC) in addition to control of the hydraulic follower manipulator. The force estimation and pursuing trajectory for the leader–follower system is built upon a bilateral tele-operation control approach. The difference between the reaction forces (caused by the remote environment) and the operating forces (applied by the human operator) required the involvement of an impedance model. The impedance model is implemented in the leader manipulator to provide human operators with an actual sense of the reaction force while the manipulator connects with the remote environment. A camera is used to ensure the safety of the workplace through visual feedback. The experimental results showed that the controller was robust at pursuing trajectory and force estimations for the bilateral tele-operation control of a hydraulic manipulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Third-generation geostationary meteorological satellites (GEOs), such as Himawari-8/9 Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI), Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES)-R Series Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), and Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) Flexible Combined Imager (FCI), provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of the Earth's weather, oceans, and terrestrial environments at high-frequency intervals. Third-generation GEOs also significantly improve capabilities by increasing the number of observation bands suitable for environmental change detection. This review focuses on the significantly enhanced contribution of third-generation GEOs for disaster monitoring and risk mitigation, focusing on atmospheric and terrestrial environment monitoring. In addition, to demonstrate the collaboration between GEOs and Low Earth orbit satellites (LEOs) as supporting information for fine-spatial-resolution observations required in the event of a disaster, the landfall of Typhoon No. 19 Hagibis in 2019, which caused tremendous damage to Japan, is used as a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We proposed a cloud discrimination method applicable in Japan using MODIS nighttime data, monitored the singularity of the spatiotemporal correlation of surface temperature anomalies and investigated the possibility of detecting and monitoring lava activity in Shinmoedake. With the aim to detect lava eruption activity in 2011, nine years of data from 2003 to 2011 were analyzed. As a result, the first anomalous singularity in brightness temperature was detected on 26 January 2011. Moreover, the maximum value was detected on 30 January 2011. The values showed larger ones until early February 2011. When an anomalous singularity appeared, it was the only period with the magma-related volcanic activity for Shinmoedake over the analyzed period of nine years. The above facts indicate the effectiveness of the proposed singularity method to monitor the lava activity for Shinmoedake. Therefore, it is concluded that if cloud discrimination is realized with high accuracy, no spurious changes will come to arise, and no false detection of hotspots will be given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid-eighties, the space-time fluctuations of TIR radiation measured by satellite record have been considered as a possible earthquakes precursor (see Tramutoli et al., 2015). As proposed by several authors (Qiang et al., 1991; Tramutoli et al., 2001, 2013) the appearance of anomalously high TIR records near the place and the time of earthquake occurrence could be related to the increase of green-house gases (such as CO2, CH4, etc.) emission rates.Following the original idea of N. Bryant, Bleier et al. (2009) analyzing TIR (Thermal InfraRed) radiances measured by GOES-W satellite, report an apparent "nocturnal heating" in the area where Alum Rock earthquake occurred 13 days later (30 October 2007; M5.4). A similar effect was reported by Piroddi and Ranieri (2012) - using LST (Land Surface Temperature) products retrieved from MSG-SEVIRI radiances – few days before L'Aquila earthquake (6 April 2009; Mw 6.3).In this work, the multi-purpose change detection method named RST (Robust Satellite Technique; Tramutoli, 1998, 2005, 2007) has been used for studying "nocturnal heating" effect possibly associated to Amatrice earthquake (Mw 6.0) occurred 24 August 2016. To this purpose, TIR records collected by MSG/SEVIRI during nighttime (since 22:00 LT up to 04:50 LT) in the months of July and August from 2004 to 2016 over Italian peninsula have been used. Preliminary results shown TIR anomalies, identified by using the new RETIRSA (Robust Estimator of TIR-Slope Anomalies) index, starting from 2 days up to few hours before the main shock (24 August 2016; Mw 6.0). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]