Sharif Digital Repository

This study aims at examining the effect of Robot Assisted language learning (RALL) on the anxiety level and attitude in the English language learning classroom. Forty-six female students who were beginners at the age of 12 participated in this study and were randomly assigned into two groups of RALL (30 students) and non-RALL (16 students). The treatment was given by a teacher accompanied by a humanoid robot assistant for the RALL group. Two questionnaires of anxiety [15] and attitude [19] were utilized to measure the students' anxiety and attitude. The results of descriptive and t-tests indicated that there was lower anxiety and positive attitude towards English learning in the RALL group... 

The operational range of microcantilever beams under electrostatic force can be extended beyond pull-in in the presence of an intermediate dielectric layer. In this paper, a systematic method for deriving dynamic equation of microcantilevers under electrostatic force is presented. This model covers the behavior of the microcantilevers before and after the pull-in including the effects of van der Waals force, squeeze-film damping, and contact bounce. First, a polynomial approximate shape function with a time-dependent variable for each configuration is defined. Using Hamilton's principle, dynamic equations of microcantilever in all configurations have been derived. Comparison between modeling... 

In this paper, a comprehensive model is used to describe dynamic behavior of SDA and its components during stepwise motion. In this model, Hamilton’s principle and Newton's method are used to extract dynamic equations of the SDA plate and dynamic equation for the linear motion of SDA. Comparison between the modeling results and available experimental data shows that this model is very effective in predicting some design objectives such as step size and output force for this type of actuators  

In this study, we deal with passive dynamic object manipulation. During passive dynamic object manipulation, a passive object is manipulated using passive manipulators. Like other passive robotic systems, there are no actuators in these systems. The object follows a path and travels along it under the effect of its own weight, as well as, the interaction force applied by each manipulator on it. The objects are not necessarily rigid, but we manipulate passive multibody objects as well as rigid ones. Thus, for a passive walking system, we assume that the passive walker is a multibody object and is manipulated by the ground (zero degree-of-freedom manipulator). As an example, we show that a... 

This Letter is devoted to the investigation of the tip, substrate and particle flexibility effects on the elastic deformation, the maximum repulsive force and the topography images in tapping mode (amplitude modulation) atomic force microscopy (TM-AFM). Several quantitative comparisons among the different models are presented and the effects of the elastic deformations on TM-AFM measurement are investigated  

This paper focuses on the influences of the tip mass ratio (the ratio of the tip mass to the cantilever mass), on the excitation of higher oscillation eigenmodes and also on the tip-sample interaction forces in tapping mode atomic force microscopy (TM-AFM). A precise model for the cantilever dynamics capable of accurate simulations is essential for the investigation of the tip mass effects on the interaction forces. In the present work, the finite element method (FEM) is used for modeling the AFM cantilever to consider the oscillations of higher eigenmodes oscillations. In addition, molecular dynamics (MD) is used to calculate precise data for the tip-sample force as a function of tip... 

The finite element method and molecular dynamics simulations are used for modeling the AFM microcantilever dynamics and the tip-sample interaction forces, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to calculate the tip-sample force data as a function of tip height at different lateral positions of the tip with respect to the sample. The results demonstrate that in the presence of nonlinear interaction forces, higher eigenmodes of the microcantilever are excited and play a significant role in the tip and sample elastic deformations. Using comparisons between the results of FEM and lumped models, how some aspects of the system behavior can be hidden when the point-mass model is... 

There has been much research in developing scratch drive actuators (SDAs), but because of their dynamic complexity, these microelectromechanical system-based actuators have not been dynamically analyzed up to now. In this paper, a comprehensive model is presented to describe the dynamic behavior of SDA and its components during stepwise motion. In this model, Hamilton's principle and Newton's method are used to extract dynamic equations of the SDA plate and dynamic equation for the linear motion of SDA. This model presents a good insight into the operating principles of SDA by predicting the variation of different variables, such as bushing angle, contact length, horizontal position, and... 

This study aimed to examine the effect of robot assisted language learning (RALL) on the anxiety level and attitude in English vocabulary acquisition amongst Iranian EFL junior high school students. Forty-six female students, who were beginners at the age of 12, participated in this study and were randomly assigned into two groups of RALL (30 students) and non-RALL (16 students). The textbook, the materials, as well as the teacher were the same in the two groups. However in the RALL group, the treatment was given by a teacher accompanied by a humanoid robot assistant. Two questionnaires of anxiety and attitude were utilized to measure the students’ anxiety and attitude (Horwitz et al. 1986;... 

In this paper, we study passivity in dynamic manipulation of active objects. Active object is a concept covering a variety of objects, which are not rigid and need to be controlled during manipulation process. In this work, we use multi-link mechanisms with sufficient actuators to be controlled as object and a series of simple 1-DoF passive manipulators to perform such a process. Control of the object, dynamic and motion planning of the system, and stability in presence of impact are significant issues in this study  

In this work, we introduce a category of dynamic manipulation processes, namely passive dynamic object manipulation, according to which an object is manipulated passively. Specifically, we study passive dynamic manipulation here. We define the main concept, discuss the challenges, and talk about the future directions. Like other passive robotic systems, there are no actuators in these systems. The object follows a path and travels along it under the effect of its own weight, as well as the interaction force applied by each manipulator on it. We select some simple examples to show the concept. For each example, dynamic equations of motion are derived and the stability of the process is taken... 

In this work, we study a kind of manipulation process during which we deal with active objects. An active object is a concept covering a variety of objects that are not rigid and need to be controlled during the manipulation process. Here, we use a multi-link mechanism with active motors (actuator) as the object and a series of simple planar manipulators to perform the manipulation process. Dynamic, control, motion planning, and stability at the presence of impact are the most important challenges in this work  

In this paper a linear continuous theory for bending analysis of beams with an edge crack perpendicular to the neutral plane subject to bending has been developed. The model assumes that the displacement field is a superposition of the classical EulerBernoulli beam's displacement and of a displacement due to the crack. It is assumed that in bending the additional displacement due to crack decreases exponentially with distance from the crack tip. The strain and stress fields have been calculated using this displacement field and the bending equation has been obtained using equilibrium equations. Using a fracture mechanics approach the exponential decay rate has been calculated. There is a... 

This paper is devoted to the characterization of the surface defects using a recently developed AFM technique named as frequency and force modulation AFM (FFM-AFM). The simulated system includes a recently developed gold coated AFM probe which interacts with a sample including single-atom vacancy and impurities. In order to examine the behavior of the above system including different transition metals, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation with Sutton-Chen (SC) interatomic potential is used. Along this line, an imaging simulation of the probe and sample is performed, and the effects of the horizontal scan speed, the effective frequency set-point, the cantilever stiffness, the tip-sample rest... 

Using molecular dynamics, the behavior of nanoparticles during manipulation process is investigated in this paper. The system consists of a tip, cluster and substrate. The focus of the present research is on ultra-fine metallic nanoclusters. The system of concern is made of different transition metals. Two criteria have been proposed for evaluation of success in a pushing process. Such criteria describe the intactness of nanoparticle/substrate pair. The effects of cluster material and manipulation speed on the success of the process are investigated by atomistic simulations. Such qualitative simulation studies can evaluate the level of success of manipulation regarding different working... 

In this paper, the hysteresis in the tipsample interaction force in noncontact force microscopy (NC-AFM) is measured with the aid of atomistic dynamics simulations. The observed hysteresis in the interaction force and displacement of the system atoms leads to the loss of energy during imaging of the sample surface. Using molecular dynamics simulations it is shown that the mechanism of the energy dissipation occurs due to bistabilities caused by atomic jumps of the surface and tip atoms in the contact region. The conducted simulations demonstrate that when a gold coated nano-probe is brought close to the Au(0 0 1) surface, the tip apex atom jumps to the surface, and instantaneously, four... 

In this paper, a continuous model for flexural vibration of beams with an edge crack perpendicular to the neutral plane has been developed. The model assumes that the displacement field is a superposition of the classical Euler-Bernoulli beam's displacement and of a displacement due to the crack. The additional displacement is assumed to be a product between a function of time and an exponential function of space. The unknown functions and parameters are determined based on the zero stress conditions at the crack faces and the concept of J-integral from fracture mechanics. The governing equation of motion for the beam has been obtained using the Hamilton principle and solved using a modified... 

This paper is devoted to the characterization of the surface defects using a recently developed AFM technique called frequency and force modulation AFM (FFM-AFM). The simulated system includes a recently developed gold coated AFM probe which interacts with a sample including single-atom vacancy and impurities. In order to examine the behavior of the above system on different transition metals, the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation with Sutton-Chen (SC) inter-atomic potential is used. In this study, an online imaging simulation of the probe and sample is performed, and the effects of the horizontal scan speed, the effective frequency set-point, the cantilever stiffness, the tip-sample rest... 

Design of robotic fish based on hydrodynamics is presented and Lighthill's Large Amplitude Elongated Body Theory (LAEBT) is used for modeling of the robotic fish in linear path. A PID controller for control of speed in linear path is designed and simulations are presented which shows its effectiveness for speed control of the robotic fish. It has been shown that in perspective of used approximate LAEBT model, the used control law maintains kinematic parameters and therefore, the associated efficiency will be maintained  

In the present work, characterization of the surface trenches and vacancies with Amplitude Modulation AFM (AM-AFM) using Molecular Dynamics (MD) is simulated and the effects of the tip shape on the resulting images are investigated. The simulated system includes a recently developed gold coated AFM probe which interacts with a sample including a surface trench or a single-atom vacancy. In order to examine the behavior of the above system, including different transition metals, a Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation with Sutton-Chen (SC) interatomic potential is used. Special attention is dedicated to the study of tip geometry effects such as the tip apex radius, the tip cone angle, the probe...