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New WC–CrAlN heterostructure films were deposited on Si wafer and S45C steel substrate by a cathodic arc ion plating (CAIP) process. The Al concentration and bilayer repeat period (λ; 2–10 nm) were controlled to obtain a nano-layered structure. We have characterized our samples using X-ray diffraction (XRD), cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron diffraction patterns. Mechanical properties of the WC–CrAlN films were characterized using nano-indentation tests, residual stress evaluation and scratch testing. The microhardness of WC–CrAlN films was in the range of 30–43 GPa. The residual stress was reduced below 2 GPa and the adhesion strength obtained was approximately 50 N by alternative deposition of heterostructure (WC–CrAlN) and buffer (WC–Cr) layers.

Understanding the mode of transport of water vapor through the film is important for improving the moisture barrier properties of metallized porous papers. For the synthesis of Al metallized porous papers, it was carried out by DC planar magnetron sputtering with various target power densities and film thickness. To correlate film characteristics with moisture barrier properties, film properties were determined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy and evaluations of water vapor permeability (WVP). It changed preferred orientations from Al(1 1 1) to α-Al2O3(1 1 0) reacted with thermal activated oxygen from the paper as film thickness increase and the minimum WVP mean is 2.16×10−7 g mm/m2 h kPa at 6.3 W/cm2, 2 μm and the maximum is 2.00×10−8 g mm/m2 h kPa at 1.2 W/cm2, 0.2 μm.

Surface of a stainless steel has been modified by atmospheric-pressure plasma jet method at room temperature. The impulse voltage is applied to ignite a plasma discharge using high purity (99.999%) reactive gases: N 2 and O 2 . The treated stainless steel is characterized by the activation property of the surface using a contact angle analyzer. Surface energy for the treated stainless steel is increased remarkably when compared to the untreated surface. From the results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy, we could confirm that the main functional groups, causing the change in hydrophilic surface were generated under the surface reactions caused by reactive etching and oxidation of ions and activated species in the plasma. In addition, the aging effect during the duration of the hydrophilic property is also studied to investigate the production cost for the industrial applications.

New WC–CrAlN superlattice films have been deposited on Si(100) substrate using a cathodic arc ion plating system. A substrate holder was rotated with a range from 1 to 12 rev./min to control the thickness of layered structures, and on arc power density of Al cathodes was controlled to change the Al concentration in the film. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the film depend on the superlattice period (λ) and Al concentration. The chemical composition was evaluated by glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES). Using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), it is observed that the preferred orientation of microstructure is changed according to the superlattice periods (λ) and Al concentration. Through transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis, the microstructure and superlattice period (λ) of the WC–CrAlN superlattice film were confirmed. The hardness of the deposited film was evaluated by a nanoindentation test. As a result of the nanoindentation test, the hardness of WC–CrAlN superlattice film gained approximately 40 GPa at the superlattice period (λ) of 7 nm. The structure of WC–CrAlN superlattice film was transformed from dense columnar structure to a nanocomposite structure.

This paper describes a 3D pose estimation method for a quadruped robot and a target tracking method for its navigation. The estimated 3D pose is a key resource for walking robot operation. The pose is applied to two components: the robot's walking control and navigation. The estimated robot pose can be used to compensate sensor data such as camera and lidar. The estimated target is used as part of a leader-following system in a GPS-denied environment. In this paper, we show a 3D pose estimation method for the robot for and target tracking for leader-following navigation.