The occurrence of inappropriate co-contraction (synkinesis) of facially innervated muscles in humans is a common sequela of facial nerve injury and recovery. We have developed a system for studying facial nerve function and synkinesis in restrained rats using non-contact opto-electronic techniques that enable simultaneous bilateral monitoring of eyelid and whisker movements. Whisking is monitored in high spatio-temporal resolution using laser micrometers, and eyelid movements are detected using infrared diode and phototransistor pairs that respond to the increased reflection when the eyelids cover the cornea. To validate the system, 8 rats were tested with multiple 5-min sessions that included corneal air puffs to elicit blink and scented air flows to elicit robust whisking. Four rats then received unilateral facial nerve section and were tested at weeks 3-6. Whisking and eye blink behavior occurred both spontaneously and under stimulus control, with no detectable difference from published whisking data. Proximal facial nerve section caused an immediate ipsilateral loss of whisking and eye blink response, but some ocular closures emerged due to retractor bulbi muscle function. The independence observed between whisker and eyelid control indicates that this system may provide a powerful tool for identifying abnormal co-activation of facial zones resulting from aberrant axonal regeneration.
designing, building, and operating autonomous robots students learn key engineering subjects and develop systems-thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. Such events as the Trinity College Fire-Fighting Home Robot Contest (TCFFHRC) offer rich opportunities for students to apply their skills by requiring design, and implementation of autonomous robots that are tested during competition. Started in 2003, the TCFFHRC Robotics Olympiad offers junior-high and high school students, working alone or in teams, to demonstrate their knowledge by taking a challenging 50-minute written examination in four key areas related to robotics: mechanics, sensors, software, and electronics. The Olympiad comprises a second evaluation medium that supplements a regular contest survey, which has been in place since 1999. The contest survey solicits information about motivation and progress in subject areas from all contest participants--a large and diverse group that includes junior-high and high school students, working engineers, university students, and team supervisors/guides. As a further evaluation step, we have conducted supplementary case studies of courses and curricula at Trinity College and at the Technion. Assessment indicates that the TCFFHRC has achieved its primary goal: to foster and improve robotics education on an international scale.
This paper considers 'Introduction to Engineering Design-Mobile Robotics,' a first year course in the undergraduate engineering programme at Trinity College. A highlight of the course is a team-based semester-long project in which students design and build fire-fighting robots and participate in the international robot competition. Course contents, hands-on learning experiences, and assessment methods are described. Course assessment and evaluation showed that it exposed firstyear students to practical and philosophical dimensions of engineering design, successfully addressed many basic ABET outcomes, and elicited a positive student reaction.1 From the beginning of their studies students acquire a holistic 'mechatronic' view of electrical, mechanical and computer engineering, and shape personal inclinations in these professional areas. 2 Students acquire basic knowledge and experience that is important for their success in more advanced engineering courses. 3 From their first year of studies students become involved in self-directed learning, interdisciplinary design, teamwork, professional communication, technical invention, and research. 4 Students learn to investigate physical environments and human factors that determine engineering designs.
This paper describes the Trinity College Fire-Fighting HomeRobot Contest and contest-related curricular developments at the college level and the high school level. We discuss the learning processes related to team-based robot design projects and present findings obtained from the contest surveys, pertaining to learning subjects, activities and motivation of the participants. I. INTRODUCTIONIn the past two decades there has been intensive debate about expanding professional practice in engineering education by exposing students to design problems that pose uncertain, unique, and conflicted situations. Educators believe that by tackling such problems students acquire skills of "professional artistry" [15], which may be associated with the engineering Criterion 3 outcomes (a-k) published by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) [5].Pugh [14] presented a methodical analysis of engineering practice and developed a model of the product design process. This consists of the following stages: market specification, conceptual design, detailed design, manufacture, and sales. The design core is complemented by iterations within and between stages. The Pugh model presents design as a process that integrates knowledge from different science and engineering disciplines, different types of design activities, various aspects of the design process, and individual experiences into collective teamwork. The model and detailed specifications of the design process provide a suitable framework for the robot design projects described below.Robot contests present many fruitful ideas for design projects pursued by students in universities, colleges and schools. The contests, including those surveyed in [12,17], offer engineering assignments of different levels, from a high-school competition FIRST [8] [1,2,13] poses a challenging problem that has attracted university professors and students, school pupils, and hobbyists, i.e., to design robots that can navigate autonomously through a maze, find a lit candle, and extinguish the flame in minimum time. The TCF 2 HRC has increased in popularity around the world, and regional fire-fighting contests have been held in Philadelphia, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Seattle, Calgary, Shanghai, and Tel Aviv. The contest has also provided a theme for introducing under-represented female and minority high-school students to engineering [3], and it has stimulated curricular developments both at university and high-school levels.This paper presents the educational benefits of the TCF 2 HRC, focusing on how the contest assignment can be integrated in the college curriculum and how it can serve as a theme for high-school graduation projects. Given the increasing popularity of robotic competitions [17] and particularly the TCF 2 HRC in engineering education, we discuss how the contest has been integrated into the curriculum, and how we carried out an assessment of contestrelated learning outcomes. II. EDUCATION THROUGH INTERDISCIPLINARY DESIGNThis section presents our understand...
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