Telerobotics: problems and research needs

With major emphasis on simulation, a university laboratory telerobotics facility permits problems to be approached by groups of graduate students. Helmet-mounded displays provide realism; the slaving of the display to the human operator's viewpoint gives a sense of `telepresence' that may be useful for prolonged tasks. Using top-down 3-D model control of distant images allows distant images to be reduced to a few parameters to update the model used for display to the human operator in a preview model to circumvent, in part, the communication delay. Also, the model can be used as a format for supervisory control and permit short-term local autonomous operations. Image processing algorithms can be made simpler and faster without trying to construct sensible images from the bottom. Control studies of telerobots lead to preferential manual control modes and, in this university environment, to basic paradigms for human motion and thence, perhaps, to redesign of robotic control, trajectory path planning, and rehabilitation prosthetics. Speculation as to future industrial drives for this telerobotic field suggests efficient roles for government agencies such as NASA     

Multisensor tracking of a maneuvering target in clutter

An algorithm is presented for tracking a highly maneuvering target using two different sensors, a radar and an infrared sensor, assumed to operate in a cluttered environment. The nonparametric probabilist data association filter (PDAF) has been adapted for the multisensor (MS) case, yielding the MSPDAF. To accommodate the fact that the target can be highly maneuvering, the interacting multiple model (IMM) approach is used. The results of single-model-based filters and of the IMM/MSPDAF algorithm with two and three models are presented and compared. The IMM has been shown to be able to adapt itself to the type of motion exhibited by the target in the presence of heavy clutter. It yielded high accuracy in the absence of acceleration and kept the target in track during the high acceleration periods     

The evolution of moderately close and moderately wide binaries

We discuss evolutionary processes in binaries where the primary becomes a red giant with a deep convective envelope before it fills its Roche lobe. Such binaries (late Case B or late Case C, if they evolve conservatively) ought to suffer drastic mass transfer, on a hydrodynamic timescale. In some circumstances this may lead to a common envelope, spiral-in, and finally either a very short-period binary or coalescence. But there appear to be other circumstances in which the outcome is an ordinary Algol, or a wide binary with a white dwarf companion as in Barium stars and some symbiotics. We try to demonstrate that stellar-wind mass loss, enhanced one or two orders of magnitude by tidal interaction with a companion, can vitally affect the approach to RLOF, and indeed may prevent RLOF in binaries with periods over 1000 d. Such mass loss is probably accompanied by angular momentum loss, by magnetic braking combined with tidal friction. The result is that it will not be easy to predict definitively the outcome of evolution in a given zero-age binary.     

Three R's of radar: recollections, remonstrances, and ruminations

The author describes his experiences in the early days in radar, working on a radar landing system called ground control approach (GCA). He discusses for the disparity between the short time from conception to worldwide deployment of that system and today's 10- to 15-year cycle, as well as GCA's high (100%) availability, and identifies the factors responsible. The author goes on to argue that the radar community has a history of overselling what radar can do. He forecasts future trends and concludes with a few things he has learned over the years     

Some problems of very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy

The latest achievements in very high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray astronomy are discussed. Types of candidate objects for the sources of very high-energy gamma-quanta are considered, and pulsars, as the most probable ones, are anticipated. The objectives of VHE gamma-ray astronomy are presented, outlining the pressing need for complex observations of individual objects.     

A solar type U burst in the decimetric range

This paper analyzes a Type U burst at 1.0 – 2.8 GHz which occurred between 12:36:26 – 12:36:32 UT on 1992 August 22, observed by Ond ejov Observatory, Czech Republic. This may be the first example of Type U bursts in the decimetric range, as far as we know. From analysis we came to the following conclusion: (1) The frequency drift rates of the ascending and descending branches are 1.25 and 0.225 GHz/s, respectively, and the velocities of the electron beam are 0.38 c and 0.26 c, respectively; (2) The burst decay of the ascending branch is larger than that of the descending branch; (3) The variations of the maximum frequencies of instantaneous spectra with time appear as from the highest (1.92 GHz) to the lowest (1.0 GHz), then toward higher frequency (1.53 GHz) (this is consistent with that predicted by plasma emission theory); (4) The bandwidths of the ascending branch are about twice that of the descending branch (this may be caused by the larger drift rates of the ascending branch); (5) The temperature of the coronal loop apex is 6.3 × 10⁶ K; (6) The magnetic field at the top of the loop is greater than 9.2 G; (7) This U burst emission is plasma radiation at the second harmonic.     

Covert Penetration Systems

This paper discusses past, present, and future strategic aircraft requirements for ingress and egress, then focuses on the technologies of the CO2 Laser Radar and the Automatic Target Recognizer. Present systems currently consist of a mix of various sensors which are not correlated until each is presented to the operator. Additionally, active sensors are highly detectable by threat warning systems, while passive sensors do not provide critical range information. CO2 Laser and ATR technologies will significantly contribute to the resolution of these issues.     

The first nine months of SN 1987A: What have we learnt?

In the nine months since the explosion of SN 1987A, observations have been made throughout virtually the whole of the electromagnetic spectrum. This review attempts to summarize the observational results in the context of theoretical models, and presents what has been learnt about the physics of Type II supernova events from this extraordinary event.     

Strapdown inertial measurement units for motion compensation forsynthetic aperture radars

It is shown that synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) motion can be compensated by using an antenna-mounted strapdown inertial measurement unit (IMU) as the motion sensing system, but sensor and system errors affect SAR image quality. A strapdown IMU consists of three accelerator channels and three gyro channels. Strapdown IMU errors include gyro-scale and accelerometer-scale factor and bias errors, velocity error, platform tilt, and errors induced by limited inertial sensor bandwidth. The effects of these errors on the SAR image quality are presented in terms of the SAR impulse response. IMU errors that cause low-frequency phase errors (less than one cycle per array time) are categorized in terms of quadratic and cubic phase errors. IMU errors that cause high-frequency phase errors (greater than one cycle per array time) are categorized in terms of the integrated sidelobe ratio and peak sidelobe ratio. A motion compensation system conceptualization is described wherein a strapdown IMU is attached to an antenna and transfer-aligns to the aircraft's master navigator