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Salamone F, Belussi L, Danza L, Ghellere M, Meroni I. An Open Source "Smart Lamp" for the Optimization of Plant Systems and Thermal Comfort of Offices. Sensors (Basel) 2016; 16:E338. [PMID: 26959035 DOI: 10.3390/s16030338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The article describes the design phase, development and practical application of a smart object integrated in a desk lamp and called “Smart Lamp”, useful to optimize the indoor thermal comfort and energy savings that are two important workplace issues where the comfort of the workers and the consumption of the building strongly affect the economic balance of a company. The Smart Lamp was built using a microcontroller, an integrated temperature and relative humidity sensor, some other modules and a 3D printer. This smart device is similar to the desk lamps that are usually found in offices but it allows one to adjust the indoor thermal comfort, by interacting directly with the air conditioner. After the construction phase, the Smart Lamp was installed in an office normally occupied by four workers to evaluate the indoor thermal comfort and the cooling consumption in summer. The results showed how the application of the Smart Lamp effectively reduced the energy consumption, optimizing the thermal comfort. The use of DIY approach combined with read-write functionality of websites, blog and social platforms, also allowed to customize, improve, share, reproduce and interconnect technologies so that anybody could use them in any occupied environment.
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202
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Ponce CR, Genecin MP, Perez-Melara G, Livingstone MS. Automated chair-training of rhesus macaques. J Neurosci Methods 2016; 263:75-80. [PMID: 26854396 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2016.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2015] [Revised: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroscience research on non-human primates usually requires the animals to sit in a chair. To do this, typically monkeys are fitted with collars and trained to enter the chairs using either a pole, leash and jump cage. Animals may initially show resistance and risk injury. We have developed an automated chair-training method that minimizes restraints to ease the animals into their chairs. NEW METHOD We developed a method to automatically train animals to enter a primate chair and stick out their heads for neckplate placement. To do this, we fitted the chairs with Arduino microcontrollers coupled to a water-reward system and touch- and proximity sensors. RESULTS AND COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS We found that the animals responded well to the chair, partially entering the chair within hours, sitting inside the chair within days and allowing us to manually introduce a door and neck plate, all within 14-21 sessions. Although each session could last many hours, automation meant that actual training person-hours could be as little as half an hour per day. The biggest advantage was that animals showed little resistance to entering the chair, compared to monkeys trained by leash pulling. CONCLUSIONS This automated chair-training method can take longer than the standard collar-and-leash approach, but multiple macaques can be trained in parallel with fewer person-hours. It is also a promising method for animal-use refinement and in our case, it was the only effective training approach for an animal suffering from a behavioral pathology.
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203
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Salamone F, Belussi L, Danza L, Ghellere M, Meroni I. An Open Source Low-Cost Wireless Control System for a Forced Circulation Solar Plant. Sensors (Basel) 2015; 15:27990-8004. [PMID: 26556356 DOI: 10.3390/s151127990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Revised: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The article describes the design phase, development and practical application of a low-cost control system for a forced circulation solar plant in an outdoor test cell located near Milan. Such a system provides for the use of an electric pump for the circulation of heat transfer fluid connecting the solar thermal panel to the storage tank. The running plant temperatures are the fundamental parameter to evaluate the system performance such as proper operation, and the control and management system has to consider these parameters. A solar energy-powered wireless-based smart object was developed, able to monitor the running temperatures of a solar thermal system and aimed at moving beyond standard monitoring approaches to achieve a low-cost and customizable device, even in terms of installation in different environmental conditions. To this end, two types of communications were used: the first is a low-cost communication based on the ZigBee protocol used for control purposes, so that it can be customized according to specific needs, while the second is based on a Bluetooth protocol used for data display.
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204
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Chao CT, Wang CW, Chiou JS, Wang CJ. An Arduino-Based Resonant Cradle Design with Infant Cries Recognition. Sensors (Basel) 2015; 15:18934-49. [PMID: 26247947 PMCID: PMC4570353 DOI: 10.3390/s150818934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2015] [Revised: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 06/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This paper proposes a resonant electric cradle design with infant cries recognition, employing an Arduino UNO as the core processor. For most commercially available electric cradles, the drive motor is closely combined with the bearing on the top, resulting in a lot of energy consumption. In this proposal, a ball bearing design was adopted and the driving force is under the cradle to increase the distance from the object to fulcrum and torque. The sensors are designed to detect the oscillation state, and then the force is driven at the critical time to achieve the maximum output response while saving energy according to the principle of resonance. As for the driving forces, the winding power and motors are carefully placed under the cradle. The sensors, including the three-axis accelerometer and infrared sensor, are tested and applied under swinging amplitude control. In addition, infant cry recognition technology was incorporated in the design to further develop its functionality, which is a rare feature in this kind of hardware. The proposed nonlinear operator of fundamental frequency (f0) analysis is able to identify different types of infant cries. In conclusion, this paper proposes an energy-saving electric cradle with infant cries recognition and the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Tang Chao
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, 1, Nan-Tai St., Yongkang District, Tainan City 71005, Taiwan.
| | - Chia-Wei Wang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, 1, Nan-Tai St., Yongkang District, Tainan City 71005, Taiwan.
| | - Juing-Shian Chiou
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, 1, Nan-Tai St., Yongkang District, Tainan City 71005, Taiwan.
| | - Chi-Jo Wang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, 1, Nan-Tai St., Yongkang District, Tainan City 71005, Taiwan.
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205
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Dasios A, Gavalas D, Pantziou G, Konstantopoulos C. Hands-On Experiences in Deploying Cost-Effective Ambient-Assisted Living Systems. Sensors (Basel) 2015; 15:14487-512. [PMID: 26094631 DOI: 10.3390/s150614487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2015] [Revised: 06/13/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Older adults’ preferences to remain independent in their own homes along with the high costs of nursing home care have motivated the development of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) technologies which aim at improving the safety, health conditions and wellness of the elderly. This paper reports hands-on experiences in designing, implementing and operating UbiCare, an AAL based prototype system for elderly home care monitoring. The monitoring is based on the recording of environmental parameters like temperature and light intensity as well as micro-level incidents which allows one to infer daily activities like moving, sitting, sleeping, usage of electrical appliances and plumbing components. The prototype is built upon inexpensive, off-the-shelf hardware (e.g., various sensors, Arduino microcontrollers, ZigBee-compatible wireless communication modules) and license-free software, thereby ensuring low system deployment costs. The network comprises nodes placed in a house’s main rooms or mounted on furniture, one wearable node, one actuator node and a centralized processing element (coordinator). Upon detecting significant deviations from the ordinary activity patterns of individuals and/or sudden falls, the system issues automated alarms which may be forwarded to authorized caregivers via a variety of communication channels. Furthermore, measured environmental parameters and activity incidents may be monitored through standard web interfaces.
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206
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Salamone F, Belussi L, Danza L, Ghellere M, Meroni I. Design and development of nEMoS, an all-in-one, low-cost, web-connected and 3D-printed device for environmental analysis. Sensors (Basel) 2015; 15:13012-27. [PMID: 26053749 DOI: 10.3390/s150613012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Revised: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 05/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) refers to the quality of the environment in relation to the health and well-being of the occupants. It is a holistic concept, which considers several categories, each related to a specific environmental parameter. This article describes a low-cost and open-source hardware architecture able to detect the indoor variables necessary for the IEQ calculation as an alternative to the traditional hardware used for this purpose. The system consists of some sensors and an Arduino board. One of the key strengths of Arduino is the possibility it affords of loading the script into the board’s memory and letting it run without interfacing with computers, thus granting complete independence, portability and accuracy. Recent works have demonstrated that the cost of scientific equipment can be reduced by applying open-source principles to their design using a combination of the Arduino platform and a 3D printer. The evolution of the 3D printer has provided a new means of open design capable of accelerating self-directed development. The proposed nano Environmental Monitoring System (nEMoS) instrument is shown to have good reliability and it provides the foundation for a more critical approach to the use of professional sensors as well as for conceiving new scenarios and potential applications.
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207
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Escobar R, Pérez-Herrera CA. Low-cost USB interface for operant research using Arduino and Visual Basic. J Exp Anal Behav 2015; 103:427-35. [PMID: 25649099 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2014] [Accepted: 12/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
This note describes the design of a low-cost interface using Arduino microcontroller boards and Visual Basic programming for operant conditioning research. The board executes one program in Arduino programming language that polls the state of the inputs and generates outputs in an operant chamber. This program communicates through a USB port with another program written in Visual Basic 2010 Express Edition running on a laptop, desktop, netbook computer, or even a tablet equipped with Windows operating system. The Visual Basic program controls schedules of reinforcement and records real-time data. A single Arduino board can be used to control a total of 52 inputs/output lines, and multiple Arduino boards can be used to control multiple operant chambers. An external power supply and a series of micro relays are required to control 28-V DC devices commonly used in operant chambers. Instructions for downloading and using the programs to generate simple and concurrent schedules of reinforcement are provided. Testing suggests that the interface is reliable, accurate, and could serve as an inexpensive alternative to commercial equipment.
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208
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Sheinin A, Lavi A, Michaelevski I. StimDuino: an Arduino-based electrophysiological stimulus isolator. J Neurosci Methods 2015; 243:8-17. [PMID: 25619449 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2015.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2014] [Revised: 01/08/2015] [Accepted: 01/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Electrical stimulus isolator is a widely used device in electrophysiology. The timing of the stimulus application is usually automated and controlled by the external device or acquisition software; however, the intensity of the stimulus is adjusted manually. Inaccuracy, lack of reproducibility and no automation of the experimental protocol are disadvantages of the manual adjustment. To overcome these shortcomings, we developed StimDuino, an inexpensive Arduino-controlled stimulus isolator allowing highly accurate, reproducible automated setting of the stimulation current. NEW METHOD The intensity of the stimulation current delivered by StimDuino is controlled by Arduino, an open-source microcontroller development platform. The automatic stimulation patterns are software-controlled and the parameters are set from Matlab-coded simple, intuitive and user-friendly graphical user interface. The software also allows remote control of the device over the network. RESULTS Electrical current measurements showed that StimDuino produces the requested current output with high accuracy. In both hippocampal slice and in vivo recordings, the fEPSP measurements obtained with StimDuino and the commercial stimulus isolators showed high correlation. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Commercial stimulus isolators are manually managed, while StimDuino generates automatic stimulation patterns with increasing current intensity. The pattern is utilized for the input-output relationship analysis, necessary for assessment of excitability. In contrast to StimuDuino, not all commercial devices are capable for remote control of the parameters and stimulation process. CONCLUSIONS StimDuino-generated automation of the input-output relationship assessment eliminates need for the current intensity manually adjusting, improves stimulation reproducibility, accuracy and allows on-site and remote control of the stimulation parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Sheinin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Ayal Lavi
- Department of Neurobiology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Izhak Michaelevski
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel.
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209
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Ruytenberg T, Webb AG, Beenakker JWM. A multi-purpose open-source triggering platform for magnetic resonance. J Magn Reson 2014; 247:15-21. [PMID: 25222861 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2014.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2014] [Revised: 08/19/2014] [Accepted: 08/21/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Many MR scans need to be synchronised with external events such as the cardiac or respiratory cycles. For common physiological functions commercial trigger equipment exists, but for more experimental inputs these are not available. This paper describes the design of a multi-purpose open-source trigger platform for MR systems. The heart of the system is an open-source Arduino Due microcontroller. This microcontroller samples an analogue input and digitally processes these data to determine the trigger. The output of the microcontroller is programmed to mimic a physiological signal which is fed into the electrocardiogram (ECG) or pulse oximeter port of MR scanner. The microcontroller is connected to a Bluetooth dongle that allows wireless monitoring and control outside the scanner room. This device can be programmed to generate a trigger based on various types of input. As one example, this paper describes how it can be used as an acoustic cardiac triggering unit. For this, a plastic stethoscope is connected to a microphone which is used as an input for the system. This test setup was used to acquire retrospectively-triggered cardiac scans in ten volunteers. Analysis showed that this platform produces a reliable trigger (>99% triggers are correct) with a small average 8 ms variation between the exact trigger points.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Ruytenberg
- C.J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - A G Webb
- C.J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - J W M Beenakker
- C.J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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210
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Chiu SH, Urban PL. Robotics-assisted mass spectrometry assay platform enabled by open-source electronics. Biosens Bioelectron 2014; 64:260-8. [PMID: 25232666 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2014.08.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2014] [Revised: 08/13/2014] [Accepted: 08/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Mass spectrometry (MS) is an important analytical technique with numerous applications in clinical analysis, biochemistry, environmental analysis, geology and physics. Its success builds on the ability of MS to determine molecular weights of analytes, and elucidate their structures. However, sample handling prior to MS requires a lot of attention and labor. In this work we were aiming to automate processing samples for MS so that analyses could be conducted without much supervision of experienced analysts. The goal of this study was to develop a robotics and information technology-oriented platform that could control the whole analysis process including sample delivery, reaction-based assay, data acquisition, and interaction with the analyst. The proposed platform incorporates a robotic arm for handling sample vials delivered to the laboratory, and several auxiliary devices which facilitate and secure the analysis process. They include: multi-relay board, infrared sensors, photo-interrupters, gyroscopes, force sensors, fingerprint scanner, barcode scanner, touch screen panel, and internet interface. The control of all the building blocks is achieved through implementation of open-source electronics (Arduino), and enabled by custom-written programs in C language. The advantages of the proposed system include: low cost, simplicity, small size, as well as facile automation of sample delivery and processing without the intervention of the analyst. It is envisaged that this simple robotic system may be the forerunner of automated laboratories dedicated to mass spectrometric analysis of biological samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Hao Chiu
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Pawel L Urban
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan; Institute of Molecular Science, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan.
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211
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Abstract
Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 400-700 nm) is one of the primary controls of forest carbon and water relations. In complex terrain, PAR has high spatial variability. Given the high cost of commercial datalogging equipment, spatially distributed measurements of PAR have been typically modeled using geographic coordinates and terrain indices. Here, we present a design for a low-cost, field-deployable device for measuring and recording PAR built around an Arduino microcontroller-named PARduino. PARduino provides for widely distributed sensor arrays and tests the feasibility of using open-source, hobbyist-grade electronics for collecting scientific data. PARduino components include a quantum sensor, an EME Systems signal converter/amplifier and an Arduino Pro Mini microcontroller. Additional components include a real-time clock, a microSD Flash memory card and a custom printed circuit board. The components were selected for ease of assembly. We found strong agreement between the PARduino datalogger system and National Institute of Standards and Technology traceable sensors logged by an industry standard datalogger (slope = 0.99, SE < 0.01, P < 0.01; intercept = - 14.84, SE = 0.78, P < 0.01). The average difference between the two systems was 22.0 µmol m(-2) s(-1) with PARduino typically underestimating PAR. The average percentage difference between systems was 3.49%. On average, PARduino performed within the factory absolute calibration of the PAR sensor; however, larger errors occurred at low PAR levels. Using open-source technologies such as this can make it possible to develop a spatially distributed sensor network within the constraints of a typical research budget.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly R Barnard
- Department of Geography, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado at Boulder, Campus Box 450, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Matthew C Findley
- Department of Geography, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado at Boulder, Campus Box 450, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Janae Csavina
- National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc., 1685 38th St., Ste. 100, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
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212
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Abstract
The increasing transformation of biodiversity into a data-intensive science has seen numerous independent systems linked and aggregated into the current landscape of biodiversity informatics. This paper outlines how we can move forward with this programme, incorporating real time environmental monitoring into our methodology using low-power and low-cost computing platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ed Baker
- The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
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