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Industrial robots have made it possible for robotics to become a worldwide discipline both in economy and in science. However, their capabilities are limited, especially regarding contact tasks where it is required to regulate or at least limit contact forces. At one point, it was noticed that elasticity in the joint transmission, which was treated as a drawback previously, is actually helpful in this regard. This observation led to the introduction of elastic joint robots that are well-suited to contact tasks and cooperative behavior in particular, so they become more and more widespread nowadays. Many researchers try to implement such devices not with trivial series elastic actuators (SEA) but with more sophisticated variable stiffness actuators (VSA) that can regulate their own mechanical stiffness. All elastic actuators demonstrate shock robustness and safe interaction with external objects to some extent, but when stiffness may be varied, it provides additional benefits, e. g., in terms of energy efficiency and task adaptability. Here, we present a novel variable stiffness actuator with a magnetic coupler as an elastic element. Magnetic transmission is contactless and thus advantageous in terms of robustness to misalignment. In addition, the friction model of the transmission becomes less complex. It also has milder stiffness characteristic than typical mechanical nonlinear springs, moreover, the stiffness curve has a maximum after which it descends. Therefore, when this maximum torque is achieved, the coupler slips, and a new pair of poles defines the equilibrium position. As a result, the risk of damage is smaller for this design solution. The design of the joint is thoroughly described, along with its mathematical model. Finally, the control system is also proposed, and simulation tests confirm the design ideas.

This article considers the task of multiclass classification of coniferous trees with varying degrees of damage by insect pests on images obtained using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). We propose the use of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for the classification of fir trees Abies sibirica and Siberian pine trees Pinus sibirica in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) imagery. In our approach, we develop three CNN models based on the classical U-Net architecture, designed for pixel-wise classification of images (semantic segmentation). The first model, Mo-U-Net, incorporates several changes to the classical U-Net model. The second and third models, MSC-U-Net and MSC-Res-U-Net, respectively, form ensembles of three Mo-U-Net models, each varying in depth and input image sizes. Additionally, the MSC-Res-U-Net model includes the integration of residual blocks. To validate our approach, we have created two datasets of UAV images depicting trees affected by pests, specifically Abies sibirica and Pinus sibirica, and trained the proposed three CNN models utilizing mIoULoss and Focal Loss as loss functions. Subsequent evaluation focused on the effectiveness of each trained model in classifying damaged trees. The results obtained indicate that when mIoULoss served as the loss function, the proposed models fell short of practical applicability in the forestry industry, failing to achieve classification accuracy above the threshold value of 0.5 for individual classes of both tree species according to the IoU metric. However, under Focal Loss, the MSC-Res-U-Net and Mo-U-Net models, in contrast to the third proposed model MSC-U-Net, exhibited high classification accuracy (surpassing the threshold value of 0.5) for all classes of Abies sibirica and Pinus sibirica trees. Thus, these results underscore the practical significance of the MSC-Res-U-Net and Mo-U-Net models for forestry professionals, enabling accurate classification and early detection of pest outbreaks in coniferous trees.

A new method for calculating the initiation and development of narrow local damage zones in specimens and structural elements subjected to various modes cyclic loadings is proposed based on multi regime two criteria model of fatigue fracture. Such narrow zones of damage can be considered as quasi-cracks of two different types, corresponding to the mechanism of normal crack opening and shear.

Numerical simulations that are aimed to reproduce the left and right branches of the full fatigue curves for specimens made from titanium and aluminum alloy and to verify the model. These branches were constructed based on tests results obtained under various modes and cyclic loading schemes. Examples of modeling the development of quasi-cracks for two types (normal opening and shear) under different cyclic loading modes for a plate with a hole as a stress concentrator are given. Under a complex stress state in the proposed multi regime model, a natural implementation of any considered mechanisms for the quasi-cracks development is possible. Quasi-cracks of different types can develop in different parts of the specimen, including simultaneously.

Hemostatic system serves the organism for urgent repairs of damaged blood vessel walls. Its main components – platelets, the smallest blood cells, – are constantly contained in blood and quickly adhere to the site of injury. Platelet migration across blood flow and their hit with the wall are governed by blood flow conditions and, in particular, by the physical presence of other blood cells – erythrocytes. In this review we consider the main regularities of this influence, available mathematical models of platelet migration across blood flow and adhesion based on "convection-diffusion" PDEs, and discuss recent advances in this field. Understanding of the mechanisms of these processes is necessary for building of adequate mathematical models of hemostatic system functioning in blood flow in normal and pathological conditions.