Not Just Noise: Investigating the Variance in Repeated Tasks,
Dr. Joseph Mahoney, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Monday, February 22, 2016
Imagine shooting a free-throw in basketball. You can throw it with a high-arcing lob or a more direct throw and both can land in the basket. In fact, for this task, there are an infinite number of combinations of the speed and angle with which you can release the ball and have it go through the hoop. Now imagine repeatedly shooting free throws: Are you going to shoot it exactly the same each time or are there going to be variations in your strategy? You may assume that the changes from one shot to the next are just unwanted noise in your performance. However, this variation in how you repeat the task may contain hidden information. Analyzing the sequence of trials illuminates the motor control system that corrects errors in performance trial to trial. The assessment of the motor control system may be used to assess the health of the individual (e.g. Parkinson’s disease or Huntington’s disease). In an industrial setting, workers with repeated manual work could be monitored for fatigue or injury while performing their task.
A Vision to Improve the Economical, Environmental and Social Sustainability of our Logistics System,
Russell D. Meller, Ph.D., Vice President, Research & Development
Fortna Inc., Wednesday, January 28, 2015
In the U.S. and Europe, truck trailers are only half full, which has enormous economic and environmental consequences. In addition, long-haul truck drivers, working in an industry with an annual turnover rate approaching 200%, are on the road for two weeks at a time, leading to significant social consequences. We ask: Is there a better way to design our logistics system to address the Global Logistics Sustainability Grand Challenge? Our answer: Yes, and our vision for a better logistics system design is called the Physical Internet (PI). The PI has been conceptualized as an open global logistics system founded on physical, digital and operational interconnectivity through encapsulation, interfaces and protocols. The aim of the PI is to enable an efficient and sustainable logistics web. The focus of the talk will be on research into the PI where we attempted to quantify the logistics system gain potential of the PI using real-world data.
Tour of PetSmart Distribution Center, >Bethel, PA, Wednesday, April 8, 2015.
PetSmart’s 870,000-square-foot distribution center at Berks Park (78 Industrial Park) in Bethel Township was opened on March 2014. The center services PetSmart’s over 1,240 stores.