Thursday 28 September 2017

Month in Review: September 2017

September is always slightly white-knuckle, as the start of term hurtles into view. Lectures need to be ready, Web pages up-to-date, handouts printed, exams prepared - or you're in for a really hard time once teaching starts.

This year, the problem has been compounded by a big research grant getting approved in principle and needing detailed negotiation to ensure that moves to approval in practice; a small research grant in the same sort of state; the launch of the N8 Robotics and Autonomous Systems Student Network down in Sheffield; and chairing a session for LUDI at the AAATE conference (also in Sheffield). All great things (and a nice break from teaching prep!), but all needing to be slotted into a busy time.

Still, it's done: lectures, handouts, exams, ready; modules launched; new and returning tutees welcomed; teaching underway. Which isn't to say that it's an easy ride from here, but the start of term is always a nice point - when you can draw breath, mop your brow and get down to actually teaching instead of just thinking about it. And the benefit of prepping over the summer is that research marches on, rather than coming to an abrupt halt.

Anyway, I promised highlights of the summer, so here they are:

1) Getting MagOne working. Or rather, undergraduate summer interns Jamie Mawhinney and Kieran Burley getting it working for grip and posture applications respectively. Application specific calibration and housings need to be developed, but we've achieved proof of concept for both grip and posture, and the hardware and software for running off an Arduino Nano are in place. Low cost there-axis force sensing, here we come!

2) The fully housed PSATs getting up and running... and getting prepared for prehension studies. Low-Cost market tracking, here we come!

I think that'll do for now. In the meantime... back to teaching!

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