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This work is the extended version of a paper presented at the conference HMM2021, about the history of mechanical engineering. First, the initial cultural and industrial steps in the robotic field in Japan are introduced, to display the beginning of this interlaced path, before WW2; then, in the context of the aftermaths of the war, some famous anime heroes are presented as ancestors of the coming mecha anime series. The rising research in the field of robotics and more generally the developments of contemporary Japanese automation industry are then drawn, as a technological substrate for mecha conception. In particular, Masahiro Mori studies are taken into consideration to identify an actual robot design pattern to apply to the following comparative description and examination of the different mecha; finally, thanks to this analysis, the common breeding ground whence robotics and mecha (and their reciprocal influences) arise, is outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The papers covered a wide range of fundamental studies, industrial practices, and engineering innovations by applying knowledge on microsystems. Authors of selected papers from the conference were invited to submit full length papers for possible inclusion in this special issue of Microsystem Technologies (MST). This special issue on Innovation, Communication and Engineering consists of selected papers presented at the International Conference on "Innovation, Communication and Engineering", in 2018.The conference covered broad topics, including information science, innovation design, industrial design, applied mathematics, computer science, cultural and creative research, electrical and electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, automation engineering, green technology and architectural engineering, material science, and other related fields. [Extracted from the article]

Cheating in the undergraduate classroom is not a new problem, and it is recognized as one that is endemic to the education system. This paper examines the highly normative behavior of using unauthorized assistance (e.g., a solutions manual or a friend) on an individual assignment within the context of an upper division undergraduate course in engineering mechanics. The findings indicate that there are varying levels of accepting responsibility among the students (from denial to tempered to full) and that acceptance of responsibility can lead to identification of learning and necessary behavioral changes. The findings have implications for institutions and engineering faculty, in particular the need for consistent academic integrity education and the teaching of professional integrity and ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the deformation of a clamped-clamped elastica under edge thrust and constrained inside a straight tube. The governing equations are formulated within the framework of director theory and solved by the shooting method. The deformations calculated from the elastica model are compared with those computed from small-deformation theory. For a relatively slender tube, the early stage of the deformation sequence is similar to the one obtained from small-deformation theory. They are one-point, two-point, three-point, and point-line-point contact deformations. However, some fundamental differences exist between these two theories even in this early stage of deformation. According to small-deformation theory, the constrained rod jumps from planar one-point contact to helical two-point contact suddenly. In elastica model, the planar one-point contact evolves to spatial one-point contact first and transforms to two-point contact smoothly. In small-deformation theory, the point-line-point contact is the final stage of deformation. In elastica model, on the other hand, the deformation may transform to other shapes as the edge thrust increases further. Generally speaking, the difference between small-deformation theory and elastica model grows as the radius of the constraining tube becomes larger. In the case when the ratio of the tube radius and the beam length is larger than 0.384, the constraining tube has no effect on the elastica deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to explore whether there is a gender difference in the beneficial effects of Racing Academy, which is a video game used to support undergraduate students learning of Mechanical Engineering. One hundred and thirty-eight undergraduate students (15 females and 123 males) participated in the study. The students completed a pre-test a week before they started using Racing Academy. The pre-test consisted of a test of students' knowledge of engineering, and a measure of students' motivation towards studying engineering. A week after using Racing Academy the students completed a post-test which was identical to the pre-test, except it also included a measure of how frequently they used Racing Academy and how motivating the students found playing Racing Academy. We found that after playing Racing Academy the students learnt more about engineering and there was no gender difference in the beneficial effect of Racing Academy, however there is some evidence that, female students found Racing Academy more motivating than male students. The implications for the use and design of video games for supporting learning for both males and females are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a non-actuated glass-curtain wall-cleaning robot prototype that has been designed and realized based on some wall-climbing robots developed recently and common traits of glass-curtain walls of high-rise buildings. The robot hasn’t its own driving mechanism, but it can move on smooth glass surfaces depending on its own gravity and the lifting force of the trolley crane on the roof while adhering to the surfaces using dual vacuum suction cups. Obstacles, such as horizontal window frames, can be crossed while cleaning. The safety analysis ensures that the robot can work reliably. The analysis on characteristics of suction cups using fluidic network theory is to enhance the adhering capacity of the robot. The control system utilizes two-level computer control strategy to achieve the robot’s moving, cleaning and crossing obstacles. Experiments proved the robotic system is feasible and practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limiting situation of a pair of approaching circular arc crack tips in a homogeneous medium is examined to draw analogies with circular disc problems. As the crack tips approach each other, the narrow material ligament bridging the crack tips controls the stresses, stress intensity factors and energy release rates. In particular, this ligament sets up the length scale for singularity analysis for a given radius of the arc crack. Following a detailed analytical examination of approaching crack tips, a photoelastic visualisation of the stress field is presented. Experimental isochromatics are also compared with theoretical predictions for some specific cases. Finally, based on the ideas developed in this paper, existing notions on interacting cracks and cavities treated in the literature are reinterpreted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]