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Making adjustments to a system during simulation phase is not only easier but also helps to avoid big expenses once the system has been fully implemented. Especially for new systems where there might not be any data to work with, simulation can produce initial data to better evaluate the process and perform reiterative adjustments. In this project, a fictitious e-commerce warehouse was used to evaluate one important property of systems: Queues. Systems will usually be composed of multiple interconnect components that react on the previous component, process the object or data, and pass it along to the next component. The flow of information/objects needs to be carefully orchestrated and balanced to avoid the system collapsing. If there is just one slow component, it can cause the system to overflow/explode. If the system is operating very fast, then it can result in underutilized components leading to unnecessary costs.
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Service robots are a relatively new field that has been trying to establish a market. ASIMO is a humanoid robot that was designed to operate in a human living space. The biped robot was created by Honda to drive innovation within the organization and to assist humans with their daily tasks. The focus of this paper is to highlight the internal and external elements that shaped the systems architecture of ASIMO in order to give it human resemblance as well as establish a path towards usefulness. These include engineering challenges as well as social, economic and political factors.
Read more: Honda ASIMO: Architecting a Humanoid Assistant Robot
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Robotic Exoskeletons are an example of the extent in which we have molded machines to human bodies. While most are still in prototype stages, they can mostly be classified as paralytic, commercial and military. They all have one thing in common: enhance human physical capability. Though they are small and have limited functionality, they pack a lot of computing power and strength; so they can rapidly evolve into a full-fledged system.
Read more: Issues and approach for integrating a human into Robotic Exoskeletons
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For many years, the International Space Station (ISS) has served as the gateway to multinational cooperation, research and development in space. Support for space missions, structural expansions and maintenance of the station in a hostile environment for humans necessitated the use of robotics to aid humans from the beginning. The Mobile Servicing System (MSS) is one of several robotic systems aboard the ISS that was developed by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) with the partnership of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The three components of the system serve as the arms & hands of the station and are used to move payload, assist astronauts in space, and even perform precision repairs. The system can be operated within the station or remotely and was designed to become part of a larger and expanding Systems-of-Systems (SoS). Made in Earth but operated in space, all components were subject to rigorous planning and testing not seen before in the area of robotics at the time of its inception. The purpose of this paper is to analyzes and discuss the architecture and SoS integration challenges of the MSS.