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At least 847 records · Page 47

Human-Robot Interaction Directed Research Project

Human-robot interaction (HRI) is about understanding and shaping the interactions between humans and robots (Goodrich & Schultz, 2007). It is important to evaluate how the design of interfaces and command modalities affect the human s ability to perform tasks accurately, efficiently, and effectively (Crandall, Goodrich, Olsen Jr., & Nielsen, 2005) It is also critical to evaluate the effects of human-robot interfaces and command modalities on operator mental workload (Sheridan, 1992) and situation awareness (Endsley, Bolt , & Jones, 2003). By understanding the effects of interface design on human performance, workload, and situation awareness, interfaces can be developed that support the human in performing tasks with minimal errors and with appropriate interaction time and effort. Thus, the results of research on human-robot interfaces have direct implications for design. Because the factors associated with interfaces and command modalities in HRI are too numerous to address in 3 years of research, the proposed research concentrates on three manageable areas applicable to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) robot systems. These topic areas emerged from the Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 work that included extensive literature reviews and observations of NASA systems. The three topic areas are: 1) video overlays, 2) camera views, and 3) command modalities. Each area is described in detail below, along with relevance to existing NASA human-robot systems. In addition to studies in these three topic areas, a workshop is proposed for FY12. The workshop will bring together experts in human-robot interaction and robotics to discuss the state of the practice as applicable to research in space robotics. Studies proposed in the area of video overlays consider two factors in the implementation of augmented reality (AR) for operator displays during teleoperation. The first of these factors is the type of navigational guidance provided by AR symbology. In the proposed studies, participants performance during teleoperation of a robot arm will be compared when they are provided with command-guidance symbology (that is, directing the operator what commands to make) or situation-guidance symbology (that is, providing natural cues so that the operator can infer what commands to make). The second factor for AR symbology is the effects of overlays that are either superimposed or integrated into the external view of the world. A study is proposed in which the effects of superimposed and integrated overlays on operator task performance during teleoperated driving tasks are compared

Rochlis, Jennifer↗

Undetected error probability and throughput analysis of a concatenated coding scheme

The performance of a proposed concatenated coding scheme for error control on a NASA telecommand system is analyzed. In this scheme, the inner code is a distance-4 Hamming code used for both error correction and error detection. The outer code is a shortened distance-4 Hamming code used only for error detection. Interleaving is assumed between the inner and outer codes. A retransmission is requested if either the inner or outer code detects the presence of errors. Both the undetected error probability and the throughput of the system are analyzed. Results indicate that high throughputs and extremely low undetected error probabilities are achievable using this scheme.

Costello, D. J.↗

Preliminary Work for Examining the Scalability of Reinforcement Learning

Researchers began studying automated agents that learn to perform multiple-step tasks early in the history of artificial intelligence (Samuel, 1963; Samuel, 1967; Waterman, 1970; Fikes, Hart & Nilsonn, 1972). Multiple-step tasks are tasks that can only be solved via a sequence of decisions, such as control problems, robotics problems, classic problem-solving, and game-playing. The objective of agents attempting to learn such tasks is to use the resources they have available in order to become more proficient at the tasks. In particular, each agent attempts to develop a good policy, a mapping from states to actions, that allows it to select actions that optimize a measure of its performance on the task; for example, reducing the number of steps necessary to complete the task successfully. Our study focuses on reinforcement learning, a set of learning techniques where the learner performs trial-and-error experiments in the task and adapts its policy based on the outcome of those experiments. Much of the work in reinforcement learning has focused on a particular, simple representation, where every problem state is represented explicitly in a table, and associated with each state are the actions that can be chosen in that state. A major advantage of this table lookup representation is that one can prove that certain reinforcement learning techniques will develop an optimal policy for the current task. The drawback is that the representation limits the application of reinforcement learning to multiple-step tasks with relatively small state-spaces. There has been a little theoretical work that proves that convergence to optimal solutions can be obtained when using generalization structures, but the structures are quite simple. The theory says little about complex structures, such as multi-layer, feedforward artificial neural networks (Rumelhart & McClelland, 1986), but empirical results indicate that the use of reinforcement learning with such structures is promising. These empirical results make no theoretical claims, nor compare the policies produced to optimal policies. A goal of our work is to be able to make the comparison between an optimal policy and one stored in an artificial neural network. A difficulty of performing such a study is finding a multiple-step task that is small enough that one can find an optimal policy using table lookup, yet large enough that, for practical purposes, an artificial neural network is really required. We have identified a limited form of the game OTHELLO as satisfying these requirements. The work we report here is in the very preliminary stages of research, but this paper provides background for the problem being studied and a description of our initial approach to examining the problem. In the remainder of this paper, we first describe reinforcement learning in more detail. Next, we present the game OTHELLO. Finally we argue that a restricted form of the game meets the requirements of our study, and describe our preliminary approach to finding an optimal solution to the problem.

Clouse, Jeff↗

JWST Noise Floor. I. Random Error Sources in JWST NIRCam Time Series

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) transmission and emission spectra will provide invaluable glimpses of transiting exoplanet atmospheres, including possible biosignatures. This promising science from JWST, however, will require exquisite precision and understanding of systematic errors that can impact the time series of planets crossing in front of and behind their host stars. Here, we provide estimates of the random noise sources affecting JWST Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) time-series data on the integration-to-integration level. We find that 1/f noise can limit the precision of grism time series for two groups (230–1000 ppm depending on the extraction method and extraction parameters), but will average down like the square root of N frames/reads. The current NIRCam grism time-series mode is especially affected by 1/f noise because its GRISMR dispersion direction is parallel to the detector fast-read direction, but could be alleviated in the GRISMC direction. Care should be taken to include as many frames as possible per visit to reduce this 1/f noise source: thus, we recommend the smallest detector subarray sizes one can tolerate, four output channels, and readout modes that minimize the number of skipped frames (RAPID or BRIGHT2). We also describe a covariance-weighting scheme that can significantly lower the contributions from 1/f noise as compared to sum extraction. We evaluate the noise introduced by pre-amplifier offsets, random telegraph noise, and high dark current resistor capacitor (RC) pixels and find that these are correctable below 10 ppm once background subtraction and pixel masking are performed. We explore systematic error sources in a companion paper.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

JWST Noise Floor. I. Random Error Sources in JWST NIRCam Time Series

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) transmission and emission spectra will provide invaluable glimpses of transiting exoplanet atmospheres, including possible biosignatures. This promising science from JWST, however, will require exquisite precision and understanding of systematic errors that can impact the time series of planets crossing in front of and behind their host stars. Here, we provide estimates of the random noise sources affecting JWST Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) time-series data on the integration-to-integration level. We find that 1/ f noise can limit the precision of grism time series for two groups (230–1000 ppm depending on the extraction method and extraction parameters) but will average down like the square root of N frames/reads. The current NIRCam grism time-series mode is especially affected by 1/ f noise because its GRISMR dispersion direction is parallel to the detector fast-read direction, but could be alleviated in the GRISMC direction. Care should be taken to include as many frames as possible per visit to reduce this 1/ f noise source: thus, we recommend the smallest detector subarray sizes one can tolerate, four output channels, and readout modes that minimize the number of skipped frames (RAPID or BRIGHT2). We also describe a covariance-weighting scheme that can significantly lower the contributions from 1/ f noise as compared to sum extraction. We evaluate the noise introduced by preamplifier offsets, random telegraph noise, and high dark current resistor capacitor (RC) pixels and find that these are correctable below 10 ppm once background subtraction and pixel masking are performed. We explore systematic error sources in a companion paper.

Exoplanet atmospheres↗

Determination of the temperature of gas mixtures by using laser Raman scattering

A theoretical model for the Raman rotational spectrum of air was formulated, yielding the spectral temperature dependence; and an error analysis of temperature measurement accuracies was performed. The theoretical spectra and the predicted temperature measurement error of + or - 20 K (7 percent) compared well with experimental data. These experimental data consisted of Raman spectra of air obtained for temperatures ranging from 243 to 313 K at a pressure of 1 atmosphere. The use of selected lines resulted in an experimental accuracy of + or - 13 K (-5 percent).

Coney, T. A.↗

JPL-ANTOPT antenna structure optimization program

New antenna path-length error and pointing-error structure optimization codes were recently added to the MSC/NASTRAN structural analysis computer program. Path-length and pointing errors are important measured of structure-related antenna performance. The path-length and pointing errors are treated as scalar displacements for statics loading cases. These scalar displacements can be subject to constraint during the optimization process. Path-length and pointing-error calculations supplement the other optimization and sensitivity capabilities of NASTRAN. The analysis and design functions were implemented as 'DMAP ALTERs' to the Design Optimization (SOL 200) Solution Sequence of MSC-NASTRAN, Version 67.5.

Strain, D. M.↗

Human-Robot Interaction

Human-robot interaction (HRI) is a discipline investigating the factors affecting the interactions between humans and robots. It is important to evaluate how the design of interfaces affect the human's ability to perform tasks effectively and efficiently when working with a robot. By understanding the effects of interface design on human performance, workload, and situation awareness, interfaces can be developed to appropriately support the human in performing tasks with minimal errors and with appropriate interaction time and effort. Thus, the results of research on human-robot interfaces have direct implications for the design of robotic systems. For efficient and effective remote navigation of a rover, a human operator needs to be aware of the robot's environment. However, during teleoperation, operators may get information about the environment only through a robot's front-mounted camera causing a keyhole effect. The keyhole effect reduces situation awareness which may manifest in navigation issues such as higher number of collisions, missing critical aspects of the environment, or reduced speed. One way to compensate for the keyhole effect and the ambiguities operators experience when they teleoperate a robot is adding multiple cameras and including the robot chassis in the camera view. Augmented reality, such as overlays, can also enhance the way a person sees objects in the environment or in camera views by making them more visible. Scenes can be augmented with integrated telemetry, procedures, or map information. Furthermore, the addition of an exocentric (i.e., third-person) field of view from a camera placed in the robot's environment may provide operators with the additional information needed to gain spatial awareness of the robot. Two research studies investigated possible mitigation approaches to address the keyhole effect: 1) combining the inclusion of the robot chassis in the camera view with augmented reality overlays, and 2) modifying the camera frame of reference. The first study investigated the effects of inclusion and exclusion of the robot chassis along with superimposing a simple arrow overlay onto the video feed of operator task performance during teleoperation of a mobile robot in a driving task. In this study, the front half of the robot chassis was made visible through the use of three cameras, two side-facing and one forward-facing. The purpose of the second study was to compare operator performance when teleoperating a robot from an egocentric-only and combined (egocentric plus exocentric camera) view. Camera view parameters that are found to be beneficial in these laboratory experiments can be implemented on NASA rovers and tested in a real-world driving and navigation scenario on-site at the Johnson Space Center.

Sandor, Aniko↗

Data Transfer Efficiency Over Satellite Circuits Using a Multi-Socket Extension to the File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

In several experiments using NASA's Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS), investigators have reported disappointing throughput using the transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) protocol suite over 1.536Mbit/sec (T1) satellite circuits. A detailed analysis of file transfer protocol (FTP) file transfers reveals that both the TCP window size and the TCP 'slow starter' algorithm contribute to the observed limits in throughput. In this paper we summarize the experimental and and theoretical analysis of the throughput limit imposed by TCP on the satellite circuit. We then discuss in detail the implementation of a multi-socket FTP, XFTP client and server. XFTP has been tested using the ACTS system. Finally, we discuss a preliminary set of tests on a link with non-zero bit error rates. XFTP shows promising performance under these conditions, suggesting the possibility that a multi-socket application may be less effected by bit errors than a single, large-window TCP connection.

Allman, Mark↗

Enhancing Air Traffic Control Planning with Automatic Speech Recognition

The decisions made during the Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control System Command Center's planning teleconferences hold significant sway over the National Airspace System. Held every two hours, these teleconferences convene air traffic managers and stakeholders from across the nation to discuss airspace conditions, weather, and constraints, leading to the formulation and adjustment of traffic management initiatives. Given the critical nature of these decisions, the need for accurate and efficient record-keeping is paramount. In recent years, the application of automatic speech recognition has gained popularity across diverse industries, including aviation. While traditional applications focus on transcribing air traffic control communication, this paper explores a unique application of automatic speech recognition by converting the audio from planning teleconferences into text transcriptions. This innovative approach addresses key challenges in the field, presenting potential benefits for quality assurance, real-time participation, and downstream natural language processing tasks. A notable breakthrough in the machine learning community, namely the transformer neural network architecture, forms the backbone of the proposed solution in this paper. The transformer architecture's role in this research represents a paradigm shift in the efficiency of automatic speech recognition models. By reducing the amount of in-domain training data required, this architecture allows for the fine-tuning of such models like Whisper, originally pretrained on vast English speech datasets. The adaptability of the transformer architecture proves invaluable in capturing the nuances of aviation terminology and specific language used in planning teleconferences. Leveraging the Whisper model as a baseline, our research details the fine-tuning and validation using a dataset comprising 20 hours of meticulously transcribed planning teleconferences. Notably, the baseline pretrained Whisper model exhibited a word error rate of 18.77%. Through the fine-tuning process, the model achieved a substantial improvement, demonstrating an impressive performance with a reduced word error rate of 6.82%. This substantial decrease in WER not only highlights the effectiveness of the transformer architecture but also emphasizes the practical advancements achieved through the application of automatic speech recognition in this specific domain. The utilization of automatic speech recognition in planning teleconferences in this work introduces several novelties. Firstly, the creation of text transcriptions offers a valuable tool for quality assurance and facilitates the efficient review of teleconferences. This is an important aspect of the proposed solution, given the time-sensitive and high-stakes nature of decisions made during these meetings. Furthermore, text-searchable transcriptions provide a streamlined approach for locating and validating critical information, potentially saving hours of manual effort in searching through audio recordings. Moreover, our research identifies a key use case for external facilities and stakeholders. In situations where attendance at the planning teleconference is not feasible, having access to text transcriptions in real-time or shortly after the teleconference ends, proves to be a time-saving and informative resource. This feature enhances collaboration and ensures that stakeholders can stay abreast of important discussions and decisions even in their absence. Despite the efficiency gains facilitated by the transformer architecture in automatic speech recognition technology, it is essential to acknowledge the human factors in data creation. Subject matter experts play a crucial role in accurately transcribing planning teleconferences due to the specificity and complexity of the information discussed. The research dataset, consisting of 20 hours of transcribed planning teleconferences, forms the foundation for fine-tuning and validating the Whisper model. The achieved word error rate of 6.82% demonstrates promising advancements, particularly in recognizing essential aviation terminology within the teleconferences. In conclusion, this paper presents a comprehensive exploration of the application of automatic speech recognition in Air Traffic Control System Command Center planning teleconferences, leveraging the transformer architecture for enhanced efficiency. The novel contributions lie in the improved accessibility of decision-making records, real-time participation opportunities for external stakeholders, and the potential for downstream natural language processing advancements. As the aviation industry continues to evolve, the integration of automatic speech recognition technologies holds the promise of revolutionizing decision-making processes and contributing to the overall safety and efficiency of air traffic management.

ATM↗

Image Data Compression Having Minimum Perceptual Error

A method is presented for performing color or grayscale image compression that eliminates redundant and invisible image components. The image compression uses a Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and each DCT coefficient yielded by the transform is quantized by an entry in a quantization matrix which determines the perceived image quality and the bit rate of the image being compressed. The quantization matrix comprises visual masking by luminance and contrast technique all resulting in a minimum perceptual error for any given bit rate, or minimum bit rate for a given perceptual error.

Watson, Andrew B.↗

Study of automatic flare and decrab guidance and control system for the space shuttle

The automatic landing of an unpowered space shuttle vehicle was studied along with the design of the guidance and flight controls, selection of the ground reference component of the landing system (signals in space), and evaluation of the performance of the overall system. The study was carried out by means of an all-digital simulation which incorporated wind shears, gusts and error models for the hardware components. The performance of the landing system operating in winds and turbulence and with hardware errors was determined by Monte Carlo techniques. It was found that the interactions of turbulence and vehicle characteristics were the limiting factors on system performance. The touchdown errors due to the measurement errors of the ground reference system were less significant. The guidance designed was predictive in the longitudinal direction and fixed path in the lateral direction.

Cockayne, W.↗

The Unintended Consequences of Focusing on Human Error (And How You Can Help)

The literature on human performance is rich with findings of cognitive failures and methods to identify, label, and measure them. In many real-world contexts, however, outcomes are driven far more by successful than failed cognition. Designers of systems intended for human use, in an effort to be “data driven,” rely upon findings from the cognitive performance literature to inform their system designs. When most available data are about human error, data-driven designs focus on the human primarily as a source of failure. Designs intended to support or replace humans often fail to acknowledge or understand the capabilities that humans routinely contribute to successful performance. Consequently, designs intended to “protect” the system from “error-prone” humans can design-out the capability for the human to effectively intervene or adapt. The development of paradigms to study successful human performance represents a significant and largely untapped opportunity for research in cognition.

Jon Holbrook↗

Computational screening of fly ash zeolite sorbents for boric acid removal

In the United States, many impoundments at coal-fired power plants contain elevated contaminants like arsenic, boron, barium, and selenium. Zeolites synthesized from fly ash show promise as sorbents for these contaminants. However, optimizing sorption capacity is challenging due to numerous possible topologies, silicon to aluminum (Si/Al) ratios, and cation types. In this study, molecular simulations are used to design cationic zeolites for boric acid adsorption. Force field models based on quantum mechanical calculations (PBE + D2) for Na-, Ca-, Mn-, and Fe-exchanged chabazite and LTA are presented. The new D2FF force fields reproduce DFT energies with about half the error of UFF. Zeolite performance depends on Si/Al ratio and cation type, with low Si/Al ratio chabazite (CHA) and phillipsite (PHI) zeolite frameworks exchanged with Ca 2+ or Na + /Ca 2+ mixtures showing the highest adsorption. In conclusion, these findings suggest tailored fly ash-derived zeolites could provide effective boron removal from leachate ponds.

CCR impoundment↗

Uncertainty quantification of a physics-informed model based on sparse identification of a Thermal Energy Distribution System

Integrated energy systems (IES)s are crucial for enhancing the economy and efficiency of power generation sources (e.g., nuclear energy) necessary to unleash American energy dominance. These systems can be integrated with thermal energy storage (TES) and intermittent renewable energies to optimize overall energy use, peak-load regulation, and demand-side responses. However, the stabilization of energy generation, transport, and utilization introduces operational complexities that exceed the challenges of managing each sub-component individually. Currently, though IESs rely on human operators for efficiency and stability, reducing human error risk and enhancing performance through automation is highly desirable. Recent advances at Idaho National Laboratory have demonstrated successful control of the Thermal Energy Distributed System (TEDS). However, the automatic control system depends on a deterministic Sparse Identification of Nonlinear Dynamics with Control (SINDyC) model, which are trained based on simulation data from physics-based simulations. Because of uncertainties in physics-based simulation, SINDyC model results in large discrepancies against experimental data and cannot be reliably used in automatic control. In this paper, we present an innovative approach to address these discrepancies by quantifying uncertainties and developing a more robust model. We first generated trajectories by using first-principles physics codes to encapsulate the experiment. Next, we trained thousands of models by randomly sampling these trajectories. We then collapsed all those models into one probabilistic SINDyC by fitting a multivariate Gaussian distribution onto the resulting coefficient’s distribution. Despite its simplicity, our approach successfully produced 95% confidence intervals that captured the experimental trajectories. It even did so with a higher probability and better U-pooling score across six of the seven relevant quantities of interest (QoIs), as compared to other classical approaches. In conclusion, ongoing research is focusing on generating new experimental trajectories to validate this approach, and on employing Bayesian calibration to refine parametric uncertainties and guide future model development efforts.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

High order interpolation of magnetic fields with vector potential reconstruction for particle simulations

We propose a method for interpolating divergence-free continuous magnetic fields via vector potential reconstruction using Hermite interpolation, which ensures high-order continuity for applications requiring adaptive, high-order ordinary differential equation (ODE) integrators, such as the Dormand-Prince method. The method provides C(m) continuity and achieves high-order accuracy, making it particularly suited for particle trajectory integration and Poincaré section analysis under optimal integration order and timestep adjustments. Through numerical experiments, we demonstrate that the Hermite interpolation method preserves volume and continuity, which are critical for conserving toroidal canonical momentum and magnetic moment in guiding center simulations, especially over long-term trajectory integration. Furthermore, we analyze the impact of insufficient derivative continuity on Runge-Kutta schemes and show how it degrades accuracy at low error tolerances, introducing discontinuity-induced truncation errors. Lastly, we demonstrate performant Poincaré section analysis in two relevant settings of field data collocated from finite element meshes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Super-resolution surface slope metrology of x-ray mirrors

We present experimental, analytical, and numerical methods developed for reconstruction (deconvolution) of one-dimensional (1D) surface slope profiles over the spatial frequency range where the raw data are significantly perturbed due to the limited resolution of the measurement instrument. We characterize the spatial resolution properties of a profiler with the instrument's transfer function (ITF). To precisely measure the ITF, we apply a recently developed method utilizing test surfaces with 1D linear chirped height profiles of constant slope amplitude. Based on the results of the ITF calibration, we determine parameters of an analytical model for the ITF that is used in the original reconstruction software. Here, we treat surface slope metrology data obtained with the Optical Surface Measuring System (OSMS), using as a sensor an electronic autocollimator (AC) ELCOMAT-3000. The spatial resolution of the OSMS is limited by the size of the AC light-beam-collimating aperture. For the purposes of this investigation, the OSMS is equipped with a circular aperture with a diameter of 2.5 mm. This is a typical arrangement of most AC-based slope profilers developed for surface slope metrology of state-of-the-art x-ray mirrors. Using the example of surface slope metrology of two state-of-the-art elliptically shaped x-ray focusing mirrors, we demonstrate that the developed data reconstruction procedure allows us to significantly improve the accuracy of surface slope metrology with the OSMS over the spatial wavelength range from ~1.6 mm to 7 mm. Thus, the amplitude of the quasi-periodic error characteristic of the deterministic polishing process used appears to be higher by a factor of~2 than is apparent from the rough metrology data. Underestimation of the surface slope errors in this spatial wavelength range can lead to serious errors in the expected performance of x-ray mirrors in synchrotron beamlines, especially at modern light sources utilizing coherent x rays, where the perturbations can lead to increased speckle-like intensity variation.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

An evaluation for geometries, formation enthalpies, and dissociation energies of diatomic and triatomic (C, H, N, O), NO 3 , and HNO 3 molecules from the PAW DFT method with PBE and optB88-vdW functionals

The structural geometries, formation enthalpies, and dissociation energies of all diatomic and triatomic molecules consisting of the four basic elements C, H, N, and/or O are calculated using the projector augmented wave density functional theory (DFT) method with the Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof and optB88-vdW exchange-correlation functionals. The calculations are also extended to two larger molecules NO 3 and HNO 3 , which consist of four and five atoms, respectively. In total, 82 molecules or isomers are considered in the calculations. The geometric parameters including 42 bond lengths and 15 bond angles of these molecules calculated using the planewave DFT method are highly satisfactory, relative to the available experimental data. The error analysis is also performed for 49 formation enthalpies and 138 dissociation energies (including 51 atomization energies as well as the corresponding bond dissociation energies). The results are also compared with the previous data from various atomic-orbital-based methods for molecules and from similar or different planewave DFT methods for various solids and other molecules. This provides an informative and instructive evaluation especially for calculating the large-size material systems containing these small molecules as well as for developing the DFT methods further.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗