A Prosthetic Arm Bangs the Drums

A Prosthetic Arm Bangs the Drums A Prosthetic Arm Bangs the Drums A Prosthetic Arm Bangs the DrumsJason Barnes had dreamed of being a professional drummer since he was a teenager. But when he lost part of his right obere extremitt in a workplace accident at the age of 22, that goal was put in jeopardy.Barnes didnt give up. After the accident, he built himself a homemade prosthetic drumstick unfortunately that tool didnt give him the control he needed to play at a professional level. Then he teamed up with Gil raabstick, a professor in Georgia Techs School of Music and the founding director of the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology.We got a call from somebody who said one of his students lost his hand and is looking for a myoelectric robotic arm that would allow him to control and play music, almost like a wrist that he didnt have any more, says Weinberg, who is also a musician himself and an inventor of experimental musical instruments.For You Sensors Allow Robots to Feel Sensa tionGil Weinberg (left) developed a prosthetic that enabled Jason Barnes (right) to play drums again. Image Georgia TechTogether they made prosthetics that enable Barnes to continue making music. Not only can he drum, but he can also play the piano and the guitar. For more than a decade, Weinberg had been developing robotic musicians that performed as separate entitiesthat is, not attached to the body.The idea was to have artificial creativity algorithms driving these robots, says Weinberg. They listen like human, understand rhythm and beat, but when they improvise they use genetic algorithms to create music. One of his most popular robots has been Shimon, a marimba-playing robot that uses artificial intelligence and creativity algorithms to listen to, understand, and collaborate with human musicians.The doomsayers talk about robots taking away your jobs, and here is one example where the human wont have a job without robotics.Prof. Gil Weinberg, Georgia TechThe goal for Barnes was different. Although it is possible to drum with only one armnotably, drummer Rick Allen continued performing for the rock group Def Leppard after a 1984 car accident took his left armBarnes wanted a prosthetic that would allow him to play drums very quickly and with great accuracy.Since he wanted the capability to flex and relax his muscle so that he can control the type of stick thats being held, we put electomyographic sensors on the muscle, to make it tighter or looser, Weinberg says. The hardware in the arm, according to Weinberg, uses two motors to boost dexterity and speed. The software includes a genetic algorithm, nerven betreffend network, and deep learning to convert the signals from Barness muscles into movement of the drumsticks.The success Barnes had with his prosthetic prompted Weinbergs team to build an auxiliary arm that attaches to the shoulder and is controlled via brain signals. They have also used similar AI techniques to develop a prosthetics hand dexterous enou gh to enable Barnes to play the piano.This technology can be used for anything that requires finger-to-finger dexterous control, says Weinberg, who hopes to commercialize it. The human-robot collaboration has been life-changing for Barnes, who is now a traveling musician. He has performed on stage, including at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and internationally.The doomsayers talk about robots taking away your jobs, Weinberg says, and here is one example where the human wont have a job without robotics.Hear More Listen to the first episode of ASME TechCast Building the Case for a Diversified Workforce For Further Discussion

How to Convince Your Boss to Let You Work From Home

How to Convince Your Boss to Let You Work From HomeHow to Convince Your Boss to Let You Work From Home Whether it was when you were stuck in traffic, waiting for a delayed train, or rounding out your 11 th hour at the office, the thought has probably popped up what if I worked from home?These days, trends like telecommuting, flextime , and fully remote work are becoming increasingly prevalent. So how do we get our anfhreres to hop on board? To find out mora, Glassdoor reached out to Kerry Hannon , career expert and author of Love Your Job The New Rules for Career Happiness. Hannon says that the research for Love Your Job , as well as interviews with hundreds of workers, has shown a simple truth that more flexibility in scheduling day-to-day activities leads to greater happiness on the job. With Hannons insights, weve drawn up a 7-step plan to convince your babo that its time for them to join the trend and let you, too, work from home . Have employees from you r company worked from home in the past? Did they work partially or fully remotely? What kind of jobs are the most suitable for remote work? These things are crucial to find out before you start mapping out your strategy. If no one from your company has ever worked remotely, you might have a more difficult sell to your boss than if its a common occurrence. In addition, your colleagues are an invaluable resource in your preliminary research. Hannon suggestsasking people how you work with who have the option to work from home about how theyre faring with it. What are the challenges? The rewards? How did they ask the boss if they could work from home either full-time or part-time? Hannon suggests asking. Now that you have some information under your belt, its time to plan your strategy. How can you present this information in the most compelling way possible? Thats why step two, planning the conversation, is arguably the most important step in the whole process. The better you can plan, the more sympathetic your boss is likely to be. According to Hannon, failure to plan ahead is one of the biggest mistakes that employees looking to ask their boss for remote work make. From my experience, people dont take the time to do the soul-searching and strategizing they ought to before the big meeting with the boss, Hannon says. Hannon advises developing a well-defined proposal beforehand that gets into every nitty-gritty detail of how youll telecommute, including the number of hours youll work from time, when youll be in the office to work or attend meetings, and how youll factor in unexpected overtime. You must be able to articulate how having the flexibility to work from home will make you more efficient. It will eliminate a long commute, for instance. Increased productivity is a top reason employers are willing to let employees work remotely, says Hannon. Its hard to know in advance when your boss will be having a good or bad day (and therefore be more or less recept ive to your ask). But there are definitive clues to when its a good time to have the work from home conversation, and when it isnt it just takes a bit of poking around to find out what these clues are. Is your department facing cutbacks? Is his or her boss putting pressure on for better results, or is there a big project facing a deadline. If so, you might need to pump the breaks and wait until things are less stressful, Hannon advises. When youve done your research, made your strategy and found the right time to talk about it, its time for you to make the big ask. At this point, remember its important to not just put your request in terms of how you will benefit you ( Ill be less stressed, I can spend less time commuting, I can spend more time with family ), although these are all important to bring up. Its also crucial to talk about how these will benefit your boss and your company ( youll have a more productive worker, there will be more time for me to work on nights and weekends for you, and so on ). When we asked Hannon what the very first line in this important conversation should be, she suggested starting with Id like to explore the opportunity to work from home and how you and the department can benefit. Having an employee ask if they can work from home may be foreign territory for your boss. They may have fears that youll slack off, be less reachable, or less able to collaborate with your team when youre working outside of the office. Its your job to be able to quell these fears. For this reason, Hannon suggests starting with baby steps. Rather than asking if you can immediately transition to fully remote work, take it one ask at a time. This could be through a three- to six-month trial period, or through a transition to 1 or 2 days per week where youre working from home. After this trial period, you can go back and evaluate how working from how is going for the two of you. During that pilot period, communication will be the key to your success , s o you need to stay connected and open about any obstacles on either your part, or from your bosss perspective, that need to be dealt with immediately, says Hannon. The trial period is a critical time to show your boss that youre up to the task of working from home and that as you previously told him or her, that it will make you more productive . There may be a long time gap between when you make the first ask to your boss, and you fully transition into the work from home schedule that you were hoping for. Many compromises and tweaks may need to be made along the way. So take things one step at a time, be prepared, and hope for the best.

Military Do-It-Yourself (DITY) Moves

Military Do-It-Yourself (DITY) MovesMilitary Do-It-Yourself (DITY) MovesWhen transitioning from one duty station to the next, the Do It Yourself (DITY) move can be a lot more work than it was worth. Normally, when a person in the military makes a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move, the government hires a commercial contractor to pack and move their household goods (HHG). The military will move, free of charge, HHG, up to the members authorized weight limit (which depends on rank and whether or not the member has dependents). However, if you have a team of people to help you, the DITY move can be a fun challenge and will definitely burn some calories for the day. The Personally Procured Move Program (formerly Do-it-Yourself DITY Move) is designed to provide the military member an alternative to move their household goods on their own. Members may move their personal property themselves, using rental equipment, their own vehicle, or by hiring their own commercial carrier. Under thi s program, military members can receive reimbursement up to 100% of the Government Constructive Cost (GCC), if they hire their own carrier, or an incentive payment of 95% of the GCC if they move the property on their own. An advance operating allowance can be authorized to defray out of pocket moving expense (rental equipment, HHG mover charges, packing material, etc.). Individual situations may vary widely so prior to making a personally procured move it is recommended that the military member be counseled and get approval by the base personal property office. Failure to get approval from the personal property office MAY result in non-payment of the reimbursement claim or incentive payment. Contact your local Personal Property bro to help you determine the most cost-effective method of moving your household goods. Personally procured moves to overseas areas are not recommended. Its almost impossible to move your property to an overseas location for what the government pays contract ors to do. Participation in the Personally Procured Move Program is voluntary. Military members may choose a Personally Procured Move, a Government Move, or a combination of the two methods, subject to entitlement limitations. Options The personally procured move program offers the following options Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) A privately owned vehicle can be used to affect your move. If you use a travel trailer or motorhome, contact your Personal Property Shipping Office for special guidance. Any POV in tow must be disconnected prior to weighing. Rental Vehicle You procure the rental equipment and the accessories yourself and perform all the labor. Sources of rental equipment must be bonafide rental vendors such as RYDER, U-HAUL, etc. Commercial You contract directly with commercial carriers vice rental contractors. Incentives for this type of move are authorized under public law and will be calculated on the same basis as a PERSONALLY PROCURED MOVE by rental vehicle or POV. For all options, empty and full certified weight tickets are required. Be sure you have your vehicle weighed at a CERTIFIED weigh station. The towing vehicle and trailer must be weighed as a complete unit at one time on a large platform scale or on two smaller scales. Axle weights are acceptable. Imprint or official stamp with name and location of Weigh StationSignature and title of official certifying the weighingLegible imprint of the weight and date recorded.Your name, rank, and social security number.Identification of vehicle weighed. You should retain a copy of each weight ticket for your personal records.Its important that this weight be as accurate as possible. Over-estimating may result in a lower reimbursement or incentive payment. Insurance The Government is not liable for any loss or damages that occur during a personally procured move. Since you perform all of the packing and transportation by yourself or with the assistance of a contracted carrier, any loss or damag e is presumed to be the result of your or your agents improper packing or handling. You should also seriously consider purchasing commercial insurance coverage, either through the moving company or through a commercial insurance company to protect yourself from financial loss. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have or purchase the proper insurance to cover all rental equipment, your POV, and your household goods. When using a commercial HHG carrier you should ensure the carrier provides insurance on your HHG in accordance with local and state laws. If in items go to storage, claims for loss or damage to your household goods while in storage are not payable by the military claims offices. Make sure you purchase insurance to cover your goods while in storage. Storage You should have a residence available for delivery of the goods at destination within the period specified for the move. If storage is required at the destination, you SHOULD consider doing a Government mov e. Temporary storage (up to 90 days) incidental to a personally procured moved is authorized at Government expense. However, reimbursement will be based on the Governments cost to store a like amount of weight and will not include an incentive payment. If you must procure storage, you should use a bonafide commercial storage facility (to include a mini-storage facility) and submit a claim for reimbursement for personally procured storage. This will be submitted on a DD gestalt 1351-2 to the Personal Property Office. Reimbursement Once you have reached your destination, you must submit a claim for the balance of your reimbursement or incentive to the Personal Property Office on your new base, within 45 days of your move date. Claim should consist of the DD Form 2278, DD Form 1351-2, certified weight tickets (empty and full), and complete set of orders. Your reimbursement will be equal to 100% of the GCC or your incentive will be equal to 95% of the GCC, depending on which option you chose to use. Weight Ticket Identification To ensure proper identification of the weight tickets and subsequent payment of your incentive allowance, it is essential that the following information is included on each weight ticket obtained Imprint or official stamp with name and location of Weigh StationSignature and title of official certifying the weighingLegible imprint of the weight and date recorded.Your name, rank, and social security number.Identification of vehicle weighed. You should retain a copy of each weight ticket for your personal records.Its important that this weight be as accurate as possible. Over-estimating may result in a lower reimbursement or incentive payment. Definition of Household Goods (HHG) Items associated with the home and all personal effects belonging to a member and dependents on the effective date of the members PCS or TDY order that legally may be accepted and transported by an authorized commercial transporter. HHG Also Include professiona l books, papers, and equipment (PBPE),spare POV parts and a pickup tailgate when removed,integral or attached vehicle parts that must be removedmiscellaneous associated hardware,vehicles other than POVs (such as motorcycles, mopeds, snowmobiles, etc HHG Do Not Include personal baggage when carried free on an airplane,automobiles, trucks, vans and similar motor vehiclesairplanes mobile homes camper trailersfarming vehicleslive animalscordwood and building materialsitems for resale, disposal or commercial use rather than for use by the member and dependentsprivately owned live ammunitionarticles that otherwise would qualify as HHG but are acquired after the effective date of PCS orders except for bona fide replacements for articles that have become inadequate, worn out, broken, or unserviceable on/after the effective date of orders.