Mobile robots operating in real and populated environments usually execute tasks that require accurate knowledge on their position. Monte Carlo Localization (MCL) algorithms have been successfully applied for laser range finders. However, vision-based approaches present several problemswith occlusions, realtime operation, and environment modifications. In this article, an omnivision-based MCL a...

The paper deals with the dynamic modeling of bio-inspired robots with soft appendages as flying insect-like or swimming fish-like robots. In order to model such soft systems, we here propose to exploit the Mobile Multibody System framework introduced in [1], [2], [3]. In such a framework, the robot is considered as a tree-like structure of rigid bodies whose the joint evolution is governed by s...

Objects moving in fluids experience patterns of stress on their surfaces determined by their motion and the geometry of nearby boundaries. Fish and underwater robots can use these patterns for navigation. This paper extends this stress-based navigation to microscopic robots in tiny vessels, where robots can exploit the physics of fluids at low Reynolds number. This applies, for instance, in ves...

Robotic Sensor Networks (RSNs) find increasing use in environmental monitoring as RSNs can collect data from obscure, hard-to-reach places over long periods of time. This work reports progress in building a network of small, light-weight robotic rafts which will be used to monitor common carp tagged with radio transmitters across Minnesota lakes. We describe the design and architecture of the r...

The concept of swarm intelligence is based on the collective social behaviour of decentralized body, either natural or artificial like ant, fish, bird, bee etc. Swarm intelligence has gained very high priority among the researchers from different field like commerce, science and engineering. Multiple editions of swarm intelligence’s techniques made it suitable for optimization problems. In this...

Zebrafish are gaining momentum as a laboratory animal species for the study of anxiety-related disorders in translational research, whereby they serve a fundamental complement to laboratory rodents. Several anxiety-related behavioral paradigms, which rest upon the presentation of live predatorial stimuli, may yield inconsistent results due to fatigue, habituation, or idiosyncratic responses exh...

This study compared technical efficiency of mandarin fish and clown fish production in Cross River State, Nigeria. Data were obtained from 240 respondents including 120 mandarin fish farmers and 120 clown fish farmers, which were randomly selected from villages in the study area by means of structured and semi-structured questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics a...