Patrick D. Krolak

Supporting real-time analysis of multimedia communication sessions

We have developed a set of interactive tools for collecting, annotating, and analyzing group communication sessions. These tools have been used to model group meetings which we have enacted on our computer-based video conferencing system as well as single location meetings. The purpose of this work is to support the analysis of group meetings over computer-based video conferencing systems. The resulting analysis can be used for various purposes including creating meeting summaries, identifying communication patterns, facilitating group communication, and suggesting agendas for follow-on meetings. The current system is used for off-line annotation and analysis of communication sessions which involve various parallel media tracks including the video and audio component for each participant, the text transcription of the meeting, and various documents and media forms referenced during the session. In this paper we review these tools and describe an architecture for employing these techniques for real-time feedback to a communication session. Real-time feedback could include suggestions for materials and individuals to include in the current meeting, change of topic, and suggesting problem solving strategies.

How agile manufacturing can improve your manufacturing productivity and quality

The concepts of agile manufacturing and/or the virtual corporation have been under discussion for some time and various authors have cited examples in the shipping, needle trades, and entertainment industries. The aerospace industries have begun to show the benefits of concurrent engineering and strategic planning for manufacturing. The authors have created a laboratory scale manufacturing environment to explore the benefits utilizing an advanced set of interactive multimedia tools in conjunction with video conferencing to discover the issues and benefits of applying these tools to the general manufacturing company. Preliminary results are encouraging but indicate that new tools and changes in management will be needed before agile manufacturing becomes common place. This presentation covers a variety of case studies and prototypical environments for recording and managing multi-point video conferences. Ubiquitous tasks such as: engineering change orders involving multiple vendors or staffs, creating and recording of the minutes of a multi-site meeting, and ordering a late night pizza are undertaken with these new tools and captured on video to illustrate the talk.<<ETX>>

Modeling Fine Grain Computation via the Fusion of Two Extended Petri Nets

We describe an. automated modeling system which uses extended Petri nets to model dataflow programs executing on a dataflow architecture. We independently model both a dataflow algorithm and a dataflow architecture, and describe how these two models are fused. The fused model allows the parallel programmer to maintain a logical connectivity between the dataflow graph and its execution on the machine. The fused net is executed by our software to generate statistics which enable parallel programmers to efficiently map algorithms onto parallel architectures.

Dispatching Mobile Robots in Flexible Manufacturing Systems: The Issues and Problems

The problem of dispatching automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) has, so far, not been addressed in depth. This research is an attempt to explore and present the complexities of issues involved in dispatching these vehicles, the techniques for modeling them and their behavior, and some heuristic solutions for some of the associated problems.

CARA — The Next Generation

Computer Assisted Workcells need to interact with both CAD information and occasional human intervention. These automated workcell controllers will reduce the amount of reprogramming required in the factory of the future. An interdisciplinary group of students have been given the task of producing such a Computer Assisted Robotics Assembly (CARA) System. An early prototype served the “Blocks World” environment. Current work is being performed with Lincoln Log houses and simple, surface-mounted electronics.

Object Oriented Imaging For Visual Workstation Environments

Advances in workstation technology have researchers spending less time building and computing their data sets, and more time experimenting with them. Conventional computer workstations allow researchers to interactively modify images and other data, while the results of these changes are graphically rendered. Software developers are finding it necessary to redesign their applications to be more modular and interactive, taking advantage of the changes in workstation performance and architecture. In an effort to provide some of the tools necessary to assist this software effort, the University of Lowells Center for Productivity Enhancement has developed an object oriented image processing environment. The Imaging Kernel System (IKS) is a comprehensive environment for image processing and analysis. It is viewed here as one module in an object oriented visualization environment designed to utilize the capabilities of todays visual workstation.

Lincoln log factory of the future (LIFOF) (abstract only)

The Center for Productivity Enhancement (CPE) has undertaken the development of a bench top factory to design and build Lincoln Log houses. The goal of this project is to investigate issues related to our holistic approach for manufacturing and to develop a paradigm education and training model of the Factory of the Future. The LLFOF includes a unique CAD/CAE system that allows for input of design specifications and can use natural language input or be menu driven. The output provides structure analysis, specification checking, cost and material estimates, and constructs the manufacturing databases for assembly. A 3-D wire frame or realistic solid view model of the design is also provided. Issues of manufacturing efficiency are also investigated including off line robotic simulation. The factory applies Just In Time (J.I.T.) principles developed by the Japanese to increase quality and decrease cost. It also schedules and constructs orders in a multi-robot work cell that is vision controlled. The natural language assembly instructions developed in the CAD step are dynamically decoded and assigned to various robots in the work cell according to a rule based system. The work cell, on the fly, schedules and dynamically modifies robotic work plans and uses machine vision to guide, assemble, and inspect. Because set up time and labor are driven to near zero, individualistic, batch-size-one manufacturing becomes realistic. A complete expert system controlled factory with materials handling and autonomous robotic vehicles is included in the ultimate design. The bench top factory has been chosen to be included in the Boston Museum of Sciences Age of Intelligent Machines exhibit which will go on national tour in 1987. The system design and software will be distributed in conjunction with this event to foster research and training in manufacturing productivity.