Learning to Reach to Locations Encoded from Imaging Displays

We examined the use of hand gestures while people solved spatial reasoning problem in which they had to infer motion from static diagrams (mental animation problems). In Experiment 1, participants were asked to think aloud while solving mental animation problems. They gestured on more than 90% of problems, and most gestures expressed information about the component motions that was not stated in words. Two further experiments examined whether the gestures functioned in the mechanical inference process, or whether they merely served functions of expressing or communicating the results of this process. In these experiments, we examined the effects of instructions to think aloud, restricting participants' hand motions, and secondary tasks on mental animation performance. Although participants who were instructed to think aloud gestured more than control groups, some gestures occurred even in control conditions. A concurrent spatial tapping task impaired performance on mechanical reasoning, whereas a simple tapping task and restricting hand motions did not. These results indicate that gestures are a natural way of expressing the results of mental animation processes and suggest that spatial working memory and premotor representations are involved in mental animation. They provide no direct evidence that gestures are functional in the thought process itself, but do not rule out a role for overt gestures in this type of spatial thinking.     

Monitoring Object Orientation: Effects of Layout Complexity,Viewpoint Changes,and Object Function

Spatial short-term memory for single target positions is subject to distortions which depend on the spatial layout of visual landmarks. Here, participants had to reproduce the positions of briefly presented targets in the context of three-landmark configurations presented in various orientations. Symmetry properties of distortional patterns were determined by the intrinsic reference system of the landmark configuration as well as by the environment-or body-centered vertical axis. Symmetry was best about the cardinal axes of the landmark system irrespective of their orientation, but symmetry of non-cardinal axes was enhanced when these axes were aligned with the extrinsic vertical. Results are inconsistent with most current models of spatial memory distortions but in line with models explaining distortions in terms of attentional processes in topographical neuronal networks.     

Verb Semantics Affects the Interpretation of Spatial Prepositions

Abstract

Spatial prepositions, more specifically projective prepositions, such as in front of or behind can be interpreted in different ways. Their interpretation depends on the spatial perspective taken as the basis for determining the reference frame's orientation. In 3 series of placement experiments with German speakers, we examined whether the interpretation of projective prepositions in a motion context is affected by the verb used in a spatial instruction. Results suggest that verb semantics is a factor accounting for previously observed seemingly social-situational differences in the interpretation of projective prepositions. Specifically, the findings indicate that, relative to a car as reference object, the semantic aspect of motion interruption associated with some verbs leads to a higher proportion of deictic interpretations determined by the direction from which one is approaching the car. This verb effect on the interpretation of spatial prepositions can be explained by an activation of the temporal dimension through stop-implying verbs, which is integrated into the spatial situation model of the perceived dynamic scene making the deictic frame of reference more compatible. The experimental evidence also shows that verb semantics can account for previously unexplained cross-linguistic differences, and is related to patterns concerning the prepositional inventory of languages.     

Decentralized adaptive sliding mode control of a space robot actuated by control moment gyroscopes

An adaptive sliding mode control(ASMC) law is proposed in decentralized scheme for trajectory tracking control of a new concept space robot.Each joint of the system is a free ball joint capable of rotating with three degrees of freedom(DOF).A cluster of control moment gyroscopes(CMGs) is mounted on each link and the base to actuate the system.The modified Rodrigues parameters(MRPs) are employed to describe the angular displacements,and the equations of motion are derived using Kane's equations.The controller for each link or the base is designed separately in decentralized scheme.The unknown disturbances,inertia parameter uncertainties and nonlinear uncertainties are classified as a ‘‘lumped" matched uncertainty with unknown upper bound,and a continuous sliding mode control(SMC) law is proposed,in which the control gain is tuned by the improved adaptation laws for the upper bound on norm of the uncertainty.A general amplification function is designed and incorporated in the adaptation laws to reduce the control error without conspicuously increasing the magnitude of the control input.Uniformly ultimate boundedness of the closed loop system is proved by Lyapunov's method.Simulation results based on a three-link system verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller.     

Qualitative Spatial Reasoning for Topological Map Learning

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the application of qualitative spatial reasoning methods for learning the topological map of an unknown environment. We develop a topological mapping framework that achieves robustness against ambiguity in the available information by tracking all possible graph hypotheses simultaneously. We then exploit spatial reasoning to reduce the space of possible hypotheses. The considered constraints are qualitative direction information and the assumption that the map is planar. We investigate the effects of absolute and relative direction information using two different spatial calculi and combine the approach with a real mapping system based on Voronoi graphs.     

Why do speakers mix perspectives?

Although considerations of discourse coherence and cognitive processing suggest that communicators should adopt consistent perspectives when describing spatial scenes, in many cases they switch perspectives. Ongoing research examining cognitive costs indicates that these are small and exacted in establishing a mental model of a scene but not in retrieving information from a well-known scene. A perspective entails a point of view, a referent object, and terms of reference. These may change within a perspective, exacting cognitive costs, so that the costs of switching perspective may not be greater than the costs of maintaining the same perspective. Another project investigating perspective choice for self and other demonstrates effects of salience of referent object and ease of terms of reference. Perspective is mixed not just in verbal communications but also in pictorial ones, suggesting that at times, switching perspective is more effective than maintaining a consistent one.     

On Embedding a Qualitative Representation in a Two-Dimensional Plane

Abstract

This paper discusses embedding in a two-dimensional plane a symbolic representation for spatial data using the simple objects, points (P), lines (L), circuits (C), and areas (A). We have proposed PLCA as a new framework for a qualitative spatial reasoning. In a PLCA expression, the entire figure is represented in a form in which all the objects are related. We investigate the conditions for two-dimensional realizability of a PLCA expression, and derive the relation that the numbers of objects in a PLCA expression should have. In this process, we use the well-known Euler's formula. We also give an algorithm for drawing the figure of the PLCA expression that satisfies this condition in a two-dimensional plane and prove its correctness. The algorithm generates a quantitative expression from qualitative expression.     

ACARS原理分析

本文着重分析了 ACARS 工作原理,论证了调制体制的优越性,对微机控制下链信息发射的软件流程进行了模拟设计。     

主被动复合驱动自适应指爪机构的抓取模式分析

为了满足空间在轨服务任务的多样化需求,基于主被动复合驱动思想提出一种自适应末端操作器——二指连杆欠驱动指爪机构,并对其抓取模式进行定量分析。首先,在描述指爪机构运动学关系的基础上,根据虚功原理建立机构的静力平衡方程。在此基础上,对其进行静力学分析可知,机构平衡状态下与目标物的接触力不仅取决于机构的几何尺寸,还与接触点位置有关;而机构的抓取模式取决于约束空间内系统的受力情况,因此该指爪能够根据不同形状目标物与机构接触点位置的不同,自适应地选择抓取模式,包括平行抓取、包络抓取等。最后,通过实验样机对不同形状物体进行抓取实验,验证了指爪机构抓取目标的自适应性,为后续的机构设计和控制应用奠定理论和技术基础。