Norlida Buniyamin

An Overview of Autonomous Mobile Robot Path Planning Algorithms

Determination of a collision free path for a robot between start and goal positions through obstacles cluttered in a workspace is central to the design of an autonomous robot path planning. This paper presents an overview of autonomous mobile robot path planning focusing on algorithms that produce an optimal path for a robot to navigate in an environment. To complete the navigation task, the algorithms will read the map of the environment or workspace and subsequently attempts to create free paths for the robot to traverse in the workspace without colliding with objects and obstacles. Appropriate or correct and suitable algorithms will fulfill its function fast enough, that is, to find an optimal path for the robot to traverse in, even if there are a large number of obstacles cluttered in a complex environment. To achieve this, various approaches in the design of algorithms used to develop an ideal path planning system for autonomous mobile robots have been proposed by many researchers. Simulation and experimental results from previous research shows that algorithms play an important role to produce an optimal path (short, smooth and robust) for autonomous robot navigation and simultaneously it prove that appropriate algorithms can run fast enough to be used practically without time-consuming problem. This paper presents an overview and discusses the strength and weakness of path planning algorithms developed and used by previous and current researchers.

Comparative study of Genetic Algorithm and Ant Colony Optimization algorithm performances for robot path planning in global static environments of different complexities

This paper presents the application of Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) Algorithm for robot path planning (RPP) in global static environment. Both algorithms were applied within global maps that consist of different number of free space nodes. These nodes generally represent the free space extracted from the robot map. Performances between both algorithms were compared and evaluated in terms of speed and number of iterations that each algorithm takes to find an optimal path within several selected environments. The effectiveness and efficiency of both algorithms were tested using a simulation approach. Comparison of the performances and parameter settings, advantages and limitations of both algorithms presented herewith can be used to further expand the optimization algorithm in RPP research area.

Development of Fire alarm system using Raspberry Pi and Arduino Uno

The proposed Fire alarm system is a real-time monitoring system that detects the presence of smoke in the air due to fire and captures images via a camera installed inside a room when a fire occurs. The embedded systems used to develop this fire alarm system are Raspberry Pi and Arduino Uno. The key feature of the system is the ability to remotely send an alert when a fire is detected. When the presence of smoke is detected, the system will display an image of the room state in a webpage. The system will need the user confirmation to report the event to the Firefighter using Short Message Service (SMS). The advantage of using this system is it will reduce the possibility of false alert reported to the Firefighter. The camera will only capture an image, so this system will consume a little storage and power.

A preliminary study on the effects of music on human brainwaves

Music is known to have positive effects on humans, enhances learning and aids the healing process. This paper presents the outcomes of a preliminary research that investigates a subjects reaction when exposed to live violin music. An electroencephalogram machine (EEG) and a computer was used to observe and record the subjects brainwaves activities in three phases; before, during, and after listening to violin music in order to compare the subjects brainwaves reaction during this three phases/conditions. Preliminary results from this investigation indicate that while listening to a live performance of violin music, the subjects brain induced both left and right brainwaves (theta, alpha and beta brainwaves) to be balanced. The study points to a possible relationship between frequency and power emitted by live music in affecting human brainwaves, suggesting further research in this domain.

The use of ultrasound As a fat measurement sensor for the food industry: A review

The involvement of ultrasound technology in the food industry started approximately 60 years ago when it was introduced as a non-invasive fat detection sensor for meat grading purposes. With the contribution of knowledge from previous researchers, ultrasound fat measurement techniques is now being prepared not only to be used in industries (controlled environment) but also commercially by the consumer in their homes (uncontrolled environment). In order to ensure this, an understanding about the relationship between ultrasound properties and composition of meat is needed. Ultrasound attenuates, reflect and refract during its propagation in a medium. These phenomena occur due to the losses within and in homogeneities of the medium. This paper presents the results of a literature review that analyses research in this area from 1990 to 2012. Based on this review, several parameters have been identified as factors that affect measurement; which are water content, measurement temperature, in homogeneity of sample due to the natural variation of sample and unwanted signal called speckle in the B - mode image. Minimizing this issue becomes the objective in order to realize the application of ultrasound fat measurement commercially by the consumer.

Enhancing learning using music to achieve a balanced brain

Past research has shown that a balanced brain induces healthier living. Balanced brainwaves helps to enhance critical learning (left brain) and creativity (right brain) therefore, it is assumed that productivity is maximized by those who use both sides of their brains. This paper presents the outcome of a preliminary research that explores the potential of using music to enhance learning by inducing human subjects to use both sides of their brains. An earlier preliminary research in comparing brainwave activity had shown that the left side of the brainwaves is more dominant in engineering students. This research aims to explore if music will help enhance the learning abilities of engineering students by balancing their left and right brainwaves. Live violin music was exposed to an engineering student. The students brainwave activities during exposure to the music were recorded using an Electroencephalogram (EEG) machine. Preliminary results indicated that the subjects left and right brain, especially in Alpha band, was balanced while listening to the music. Future studies will look in detail as to on how violin music, in terms of power and frequency of sound waves, can induce and enhance learning.

The role of Final Year Project and Capstone Project in undergraduate engineering education in Malaysia and Japan

Over the years, the concept of teaching engineering has changed from practical to more emphasis on theoretical studies. To reverse this trend, Final Year Project and Capstone Project courses were introduced in engineering programs in many Institutions of Higher Learning. Both Final year and Capstone projects are types of project work compulsory for final year engineering students to demonstrate their capabilities in applying the knowledge acquired during their academic program. Project work is an important subject as it enables the students to experience similar and/or real situation on how projects are carried out in the industry. This paper present an overview of the objective, implementation and assessment of project work in institutions in Malaysia and Japan. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia and Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Kanazawa Technical College ( KTC), Japan is used as the case study. In addition this paper put forward several proposals to improve the effectiveness of project work implementation and assessments for final year students of an Electrical Engineering Degree program.

IT outsourcing and knowledge transfer in Malaysia

Information technology outsourcing (ITO) has grown to become a multi-billion dollar business especially with the growth of the e-business paradigm. In education, IT and knowledge outsourcing have been widely used in the last decade. However, there are also risks involved in ITO. An important risk that must to be considered is the knowledge transfer during the ITO activities. The biggest value of knowledge can be achieved in an organization or university when it is shared, as it can help to increase job performance and facilitate new knowledge creation. The aims of this paper are to 1) provide an overview of ITO in institution of higher education, 2) identify factors influencing knowledge transfer in ITO and 3) present a knowledge transfer model for ITO in Malaysia. The findings of the research presented herewith showed that the quality content and accuracy of knowledge to be transferred, distribution capacity of knowledge provider (KP), knowledge receivers (KR) perceived benefit and knowledge infrastructures or enablers, ICT infrastructure, staff posting, trust and job satisfaction were perceived as important in determining the success of knowledge transfer during an ITO. Through the findings, a model of knowledge transfer in ITO was developed.

Mobile robot obstacle avoidance in various type of static environments using fuzzy logic approach

Autonomous mobile robot is a mobile robot that can move without human supervision. The use of autonomous mobile robots has increased in various fields such as in the industrial, agricultural, and military sectors. This paper presents the development of a mobile robot that uses Fuzzy Logic approach to control a robots movement in an area cluttered with static obstacles. In the experiment presented herewith, the controller was programmed with 256 Fuzzy Logic rules and the input to the system is from an E-puck robot that is equipped with infrared sensors. Webot Pro and Matlab are the software used in the development and simulation of the robot. The mobile robot was designed to move and avoid static obstacles. The performance of the mobile robot was evaluated from the way it avoids the obstacles, and the time taken when it move from a starting point to an end point. The results showed that the robot could avoid the obstacle successfully in various types of static environments. This research also indicated that WEBOT and Mathlab are suitable tools that could be use to develop and simulate mobile robot navigation system.

Development of a Malaysian Currency Note Recognizer for the Vision Impaired

In the past, Malaysian currency notes was not designed to cater for the visually impaired. Recently, Braille markings have been incorporated in the Malaysian ringgit notes. However, blind Malaysians who do not understand Braille, find difficulties in recognizing different Malaysian bank notes. There are devices available in the market but they do not cater for Malaysian currencies and are very expensive. The objective of this project is to develop an affordable low cost compact device to assist blind people to distinguish Malaysian bank notes. Currency Note Recognizer (CNR) detects different colors of the Malaysian bank notes and outputs various beeping sound patterns to indicate the respective Malaysian bank note value.