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IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin, July 2011 Volume 60 No. 7 of 12

Pittsburgh Section

Bulletin July 2011 Volume 60, No. 7

Included in this issue:

Bob’s Bytes ................................................................................................................................................. 2

The Cosmic Microwave Background: the Bedrock of Modern Cosmology .................................... 3

August Meeting of PES/IAS – Speaker & Topic to be finalized ................................................... 3

Save the Date: Annual Picnic, September 10th ................................................................................. 4

Congratulate Our New Senior Members: ............................................................................................ 4

Become a Senior Member ....................................................................................................................... 4

Robotics & Automation: Research – Development – Applications .................................................. 6

Development of implantable brain-machine interfaces ................................................................. 10

Editor: Philip Cox, [email protected]; Contributors: Bob Brooks, Louis Hart, Karl Muller, Guy Nicoletti,

Dave Vaglia and Ramana Vinjamuri

All announcements for publication in a particular month’s bulletin are due to the Editor by the 20th of the

previous month. The accuracy of the published material is not guaranteed. If there is any error, please bring it

to the Editor’s attention. The Section’s web site www.ewh.ieee.org/r2/pittsburgh has past issues of the bulletin

and lots of other useful information

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r2/pittsburgh


Bob’s Bytes

Are you a senior member of the IEEE?

I am not, but am hoping to become one this year. The

Pittsburgh Section will be having a Senior Membership

drive very soon, with details in this edition of the

newsletter. Being a senior member does not cost you

anything extra (nor does it get you any permanent

membership discounts, although you get a $25 discount

toward a new society membership) but it does carry a

certain level of distinction. First of all, it attests that

you are a practicing engineer who has been in the field

for at least ten years and have advanced within your

field over those ten (or more) years. There are literally

hundreds of engineers in the Pittsburgh section who

qualify for this honor, many of whom I know

personally, and whose qualifications far exceed the

requirements - you know who you are. Step up and

become a senior member.

Also, take note that our annual picnic is scheduled for

Saturday, September 10 at Boyce Park. More details to

follow in the August bulletin, but save the date now.

Anyone who has been to our picnic knows there is a lot

of fun to be had, and it‟s a great opportunity to network

with your section leaders, and other great folks.

Until Next Month

Bob Brooks – IEEE Pittsburgh Section Chair 2011

Section

Chair – Robert Brooks [email protected]

Vice Chair - Dr. Louis Hart [email protected]

Treasurer – Dr. Rin Burke [email protected]

Secretary - Dr. Jim Beck, [email protected]

Immediate Past Chair – Joe Cioletti PE, [email protected]

Awards Chair - Ralph Sprang, [email protected]

Webmaster – Gerry Kumnik, [email protected]

UpperMon Subsection

Chair: Dr. Natalia Schmid [email protected] (304) 293-9136; Treasurer/Secretary: Dr. David Graham [email protected] (304) 293-9692

Chapters

Communications Society – Co-Chairs: Phil Cox [email protected] (724) 443-0566 and Dr. Ajay Ogirala [email protected]

Computer Society – Chair: Ralph Sprang, [email protected]

Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology/Electron Devices Societies – Drs. Louis Hart and Rin Burke

Engineering In Medicine & Biology Society Co-Chairs: Bob Brooks (see above), Dr. Zhi-Hong Mao [email protected] (412) 624-9674

Electromagnetic Compatibility Society Chair: Michael J. Oliver [email protected] (814) 763-3211

Power & Energy & Industry Applications Societies Chair: Dave Vaglia, [email protected]; Past: Mey Sen, [email protected] 412-373-0117

Magnetics Society – Chair: Dr. Jimmy Zhu, [email protected]

Nanotechnology Society - Chair: Dr. MinheeYun [email protected]

Robotics Society – Chair: Dr. Guy Nicoletti [email protected] (724) 836-9922

Signal Processing Society – Chair: Dr. Ramana Kumar Vinjamuri;,[email protected]

Society on Social Implications of Technology Chair: Joe Kalasky, P.E., [email protected] (724) 838-6492

Affinity Groups

GOLD – Chair: Jason Harchick [email protected]

Life Member – Chair: Bob Grimes, P.E. [email protected] (412) 963-9711

Women In Engineering – Chair: Dr. Rin Burke [email protected]

Committees

Consultants Network

Professional/Career Activities (PACE) Chair: Joe Kalasky, P.E. (see above)

Student Activities – Rajiv Garg, [email protected]

Membership Development – Dr. Karl Muller P.E., [email protected]

Publicity – Chair: Thomas Dionise, P.E. [email protected] (724) 779-5864





























The Cosmic Microwave Background: the Bedrock of Modern Cosmology

Speaker: Joseph Busche, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics, Wheeling Jesuit University,

Visiting Associate Professor of Physics, University of Pittsburgh

Date: Wednesday, 13 July 2011

Time: 630 PM (social), 700 PM (presentation)

Place: Compunetics, 700 Seco Rd, Monroeville Business Park, Monroeville, PA

Sponsors: Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology/Electron Devices Society

Lecture

Reservations: Contact Louis Hart, 412-858-1272, [email protected] on or before 8 July.

Abstract Edwin Hubble's discovery of the expansion of the Universe produced a profound shift in

scientists' cosmic perspective. By tracing this expansion backward in time, cosmologists predicted that

the Universe was filled with remnant blackbody radiation. This prediction was subsequently verified

when Penzias and Wilson accidentally discovered this radiation in 1964 while doing communications

experiments at Bell Labs. By the 1990s, high precision measurements beginning with the Cosmic

Background Explorer (COBE) satellite finally turned cosmology into a high precision science. Today,

astronomers are probing the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy through detailed studies of the

power spectrum of the Cosmic Microwave Background. This talk will provide a review of the history

of the Cosmic Microwave Background and describe the modern efforts to use it to answer some of

mankind's most profound questions about the Universe.

Speaker: Joe Busche holds an undergraduate degree in physics from Texas A&M University and a

masters and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, where his thesis work focused on the

development of numeric models for radiation transfer in stellar atmospheres. Currently, his research is

focused on empirical studies of the chemical evolution of the Universe through studies of the

absorption features in quasar spectra.

Directions: From US 22 or I-376, take PA 48 north approximately 1 km (through 1 traffic light) and

turn right into the Business Park. Take 1st left, barely 25 meters, and go behind the first row of

buildings into a large parking lot. The „Compunetics‟ sign is on the right.

August Meeting of PES/IAS – Speaker & Topic to be finalized

Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Time: Social 6:30 PM, Program 7:00 PM

Location: Westinghouse Cranberry Woods Headquarters, Building 1 (Center Building)

Sponsors: Power & Energy Society/Industrial Applications Society



Save the Date: Annual Picnic, September 10th

Please reserve Saturday, September 10 for our annual picnic at the Boyce Park in Monroeville. Details

will follow in the August bulletin.

Congratulate Our New Senior Members:

Diego Benitez

David Malfara

David Parlour

Become a Senior Member

We have been receiving inquiries from members on how they can become Senior IEEE Members.

This has been discussed by the Executive Committee, and we have decided to set up a procedure to

help members through the process. The basic concern of our members has been identifying references

who are familiar with their work and are Senior members or Fellows of IEEE. We will help you find

qualified references. You will need to provide a detailed resume/list of your work experience for them.

We will also set up a meeting for the applicants and references to discuss the applicant‟s work

experience.

Basic Requirements of Senior Membership:

1. Engineer, scientist, educator, etc. in professional practice for 10 years, showing significant

performance over at least 5 of those years.

2. Recommendations from 3 Senior or Fellow IEEE members.

Additional detailed requirements should be reviewed at:

http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/senior/senior_requirements.html

Guide to Applying for Senior Member Grade

Once you determine that you fulfill the requirements for Senior Member (SM) grade, identify

your three references, who must be IEEE Senior Members or Fellows.

If you have difficulty in locating individuals to serve as your references, contact Karl Muller at

[email protected] or (724) 327-0016 for assistance.

Fill out the electronic form to provide to your references

Download the electronic SM Application form in Word and fill out the form completely. Fill in

your references‟ Member numbers if known. Save this file and name it accordingly. You can

then send this document to your references as an email attachment.

Contact your references and ask them for a recommendation. Send them your completed

application form as suggested above to give them supporting information on which to base

their recommendation and to fill out the required reference form.

Each reference must send a brief note of recommendation directly to IEEE, preferably using

the online SM Reference form.

http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/senior/senior_requirements.html



Submit the application form

After you have notified all your references and have given them the proper instructions, fill out

the online form by cutting and pasting information from the electronic form that you have

already prepared. You may submit your application in any of the formats provided, but for the

quickest processing of your application, it is suggested that you submit the Web form, with the

electronic format as the second preferred option.

It is encouraged that a resume be submitted as well. Without a resume, there may not be

sufficient information for the Admission & Advancement (A&A) panel to make a favorable

decision.

If you have questions, contact Karl Muller, Membership Development Chair at (724) 327-0016

or [email protected].



Robotics & Automation: Research – Development – Applications

Fundamentals of Robot Kinematics

Part III

(Continued from Part I)

Guy M. Nicoletti, MS, Ph.D., IEEE LM

Assoc. Prof. Emeritus, Engineering

University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Greensburg Pa

[email protected], [email protected]

Application to an Industrial Robot

Here we demonstrate how the theory presented in Part II is applied to an industrial robot, The well

known PUMA ® 550 robot is an excellent candidate for this purpose. Its kinematics is configured on

its five axes of motion (degrees of Freedom) as can be seen in Figures 6a and 6b.

Figure 6a. The PUMA 550 Figure 6b. Reference Frames

Matrix can be derived for each of the five axes.

An example of Rotation followed by a Translation will be shown next (refer to Figures 6a and 6b).

Frame 0 to frame 1:.

1. Rotate by about - lines up with .

2. Translate by along - places origin of frame 0 onto origin of frame 1;

3. Rotate by -90 degrees about (or ) – frame 0 is now lined up with frame 1.

= = = 26.5 in. = 0 = = -90 degrees.




[

]

Frame 1 to frame 2:

1. Rotate by about – lines u with ;

2. Translate by along , then translate by along (or ) – places origin of frame 1 onto

origin of frame 2 and both frames are lined up.

= = = 7.7 in. = = 17.0 in. = 0 degrees.

= [

]

Frame 2 to frame 3:

1. Rotate by about - lines up with ;

2. Translate by along (or - places origin of frame 2 onto origin of frame 3 and both

frames are lined up.

= 0 = = 17.1 in. = 0 degrees.

= [

]

Frame 3 to frame 4:

1. Rotate by about - lines up with ;

2. Rotate by 90 degrees about (or ) – lines up frame 3 with frame 4.

= = 0 = 0 = 90 degrees.

= [

]

Frame 4 to frame 5:

1. Rotate by about - lines up with and thus both reference frames.

= = 0 = 0 = 0 degrees


[

]

Therefore the description of the end of the manipulator, link coordinate frame 5, with respect to the

base coordinate frame is

=

Or

[

] ;

Where:

=

=

and

for

I = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The position of the end effector can now be set as

[

]

= [

]

[

]

Translation of the system to the base coordinate system (0, 0, 0) significantly simplifies computations.

Thus, the solution of the system described above is:


=

= (10)

=

For any combination of angles

In order to derive the home position from the equations presented above we set the following:

Or

Thus, the home position will be:

The angles play a role when a gripper or other tools is attached to the flange of the flange

of the end effector. In that situation the tip of the tool is related to the wrist through an additional

transformation which is described relative to the base coordinate by the relationship:

One of the problems which is the subject of on going research are the angular role that angles

play in the reverse kinematics process. For a given point in space, these two angles would

satisfy the solution; however, in that solution there would exist a combination of angles .

This lack of uniqueness makes a direct trajectory planning rather difficult. This problem is often

curbed by planning a trajectory as a sequence of small step sizes.

References 1. Asada, H. A. Characteristic Analysis of Manipulators Dynamics Using Principal Transformations. Proceedings,

American Control Conference, Washington, DC, June 1982.

2. Bedewi, N. E. “The Fundamentals of Robot Kinematics” Robotics Engineering, The Journal of Intelligent

Machines, Chris Crocker Publisher, July, 1986, Vol. 8, NO. 7.

3. Brady, M. et al. Robot Motion: Planning and Control. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA., 1982.

4. Myers, R.E. Microcomputer Graphics. Addison Wesley Publishing Co., Reading, MA, 1982.

5. Paul, R. P. Robot Manipulators: Mathematics, Programming, and Control. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1981.


Development of implantable brain-machine interfaces

Wei Wang

University of Pittsburgh

ANY individuals with motor impairments have

limited means to communicate and interact with their

environment. Physiatrists work to restore function for these

individuals or to augment residual function with assistive

technology in order to improve quality of life.

Unfortunately, the same motor impairments limit the user‟s

ability to operate these technologies. An emerging field

called neuroprosthetics aims to directly interface with the

nervous system in order to harness control signals for a

wide variety of assistive devices. This new field has the

potential to benefit individuals with severe motor

disabilities secondary to spinal cord

injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

(ALS), and stroke.

Neuroprosthetics encompasses a

wide range of technologies that aim

to replace a motor, sensory, or

cognitive function by directly

connecting to an intact part of the

nervous system. The most successful

and widely-used neuroprosthesis is

the cochlear implant which provides

a sense of sound to people who are

hearing impaired. Brain-computer

interface (BCI) devices are a specific

type of neuroprosthetics in which a

direct communication pathway is

established between the brain and an

external device. BCI technology

allows the user to control and communicate to external

devices using only brain activity without the need for overt

movement.

Studies in non-human primates have used single-unit

neural recording methods to derive movement direction,

speed, and position information from neurons in the motor

cortex. Animal studies, including the pioneering work

completed at the University of Pittsburgh, led by Dr.

Andrew Schwartz, have shown that non-human primates

can learn to control an upper limb prosthesis in three-

dimensional space to perform reaching and feeding tasks.

Based on this strong foundation, it is time to start

translating the basic research that has been completed in

animals to clinical applications for humans. The challenge

is to extract this same movement or intention related

information with less invasive recording methods. Multiple

neural recording modalities are being investigated for

human BCI applications.

The BrainGate system uses a 4x4 mm, 100 -electrode,

microarray that penetrates 2-3 mm into the cortex, the

same array used by Dr. Schwartz in his neuroprosthetic

studies in non-human primates. Clinical trials of the

BrainGate neural interface system are being conducted by

Dr. John Donoghue and Dr. Leigh Hochberg at Brown

University and Massachusetts General Hospital. Based on

recordings from a population of motor cortex neurons,

subjects have learned to control a computer cursor using

imagined arm and hand movements. The long term

stability of this recording methods

remains to be seen as signal quality

declines with time.

Electrocorticography (ECoG) has

recently emerged as a promising

neural recording modalities for BCI

applications. The initial ECoG-BCI

research has been performed

exclusively in patients undergoing

presurgical monitoring as part of

their treatment for intractable

epilepsy. ECoG electrode grids are

implanted subdurally over the

suspected epilogenic foci for 1-2

weeks. During this time, neural

recordings have been utilized by

researchers for BCI development.

Since the ECoG grids are placed

directly on the brain, a higher spatial

resolution than EEG can be achieved and movement

related information is preserved within a wide frequency

range (0 to 200 Hz) of ECoG signals. Several studies,

including work completed by Dr. Wang‟s research team,

have shown that human subjects can achieve effective

control of cursor movement within a very short period of

time with ECoG.

Dr. Wang, along with Drs. Douglas Weber, Elizabeth

Tyler-Kabara, and Jennifer Collinger, is leading the human

neuroprosthetics effort at the University of Pittsburgh

along with a large group of collaborators at the University

of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Wang

has received research support from the Clinical and

Translational Science Institute Translational Tool Pilot

Project (CTSI TTPP) program as well as a special fund

from Dr. Arthur S. Levine, Senior Vice Chancellor for the

Health Science, and Dean, School of Medicine, to conduct

M

X-ray showing the placement of the standard

clinical ECoG grid and the experimental micro-

ECoG grid for a recent subject. The inset

photograph compares the center-to-center

electrode distance between the two electrode grids.


translational research in human neuroprosthetics.

The human neuroprosthetics group

is currently investigating micro-

ECoG as a platform technology for

an implantable BCI. Micro-ECoG

electrode arrays have a much

smaller footprint than traditional

ECoG grids, and it can potentially

be implanted through a small burr

hole and placed above the dura

mater, thus minimizing various

clinical risks and invasiveness of

implantation surgery.

Currently, with approval from

University of Pittsburgh

Institutional Review Board, the

team is testing custom designed

micro-ECoG arrays in patients

undergoing subdural epilepsy

monitoring. Micro-ECoG arrays are

implanted next to the clinical ECoG

grid without measurably increasing

the risk to patients. Data from the

last subject with a micro-ECoG

array implanted above the motor

cortical area showed that rich

movement related information could

be decoded from micro-ECoG recording. It was possible

to predict which finger was moving with 73% accuracy

based on micro-ECoG signals (chance level: 20%). This

subject was able to control the “jumping” action using

neural signals related to finger movement while playing the

Super Mario Brothers video game.

Results from the last subject suggests that micro-ECoG-

based BCI devices hold great potential for high-resolution

brain activity monitoring and the improvement of quality

of life for many individuals with motor impairments. The

next step is to test this new technology in individuals who

can benefit from an implantable BCI, such as those with

spinal cord injury.

A complementary line of research is developing

magnetoencephalography (MEG) as a non-invasive tool for

studying neural mechanisms and as a pre-surgical

screening tool to determine micro-ECoG electrode

placement. MEG can be used to identify cortical areas that

contain information about intended actions. These areas

would be targeted for micro-ECoG implantation. Dr.

Wang has shown that MEG can be used to reliably detect

the intended movement direction during motor imagery

without overt movement from subjects. This is particularly

important as we move towards an implantable BCI system

for individuals with motor impairments. Also, through

real-time feedback of cortical activity, MEG-BCI system

may be used to enhance cortical modulation by intended

movement, which can improve the performance of BCI

operation. Furthermore, given the capability to promote

neuroplasticity through BCI operation, MEG-BCI systems

may hold great potential as a rehabilitation tool for patients

with stroke and incomplete spinal cord injury.

An implantable BCI would offer a new way for individuals

with severe motor impairments to communicate and

interact with the environment without requiring overt

movement. Once reliable and independent control signals

are derived, the possibility exists to operate any type of

assistive technology, ranging from a computer to complex

upper limb prosthesis. Given the possibility of micro-

ECoG technology to bring significant functional gain with

minimal clinical risk, it is expected

that this new technology can

potentially benefit not only those with

severe motor disabilities, but also

many individuals with various degrees

of motor impairments caused by

stroke and other neurological

disorders.

For more information, contact Wei

Wang, MD, PhD, at [email protected].

Modulation of neural signals recorded by the micro-ECoG grid during individual finger movements.

The five columns from left to right correspond to instructed thumb, index, middle, ring, and little finger

movement, respectively. Top row: Spatial pattern of 60-120 Hz band activity averaged over movement

time across all 14 recording electrodes on the micro-ECoG grid. Numbers indicate electrode locations.

Middle: Movements of five fingers (PIP joint angles) from nine repetitions. PIP joints exhibiting the

most significant change during this task were chosen for analysis. All joint angle data has been

normalized to the angle of thumb PIP joint during maximum thumb flexion. Bottom row:

Spectrograms (spectral power change from baseline as a function of both frequency and time) for

Electrode No. 11. The vertical dotted lines represent onset of finger movement.


IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin May 2011 Volume 60 No. 5 of 12

2011 Calendar – Meetings of IEEE Pittsburgh Section Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July August Sept Oct Nov Dec

Executive

Committee

20

Panera,

Wilkins

Twp.

17

TBD

17

Panera Bread

Wilkins

21

Panera Bread

Wilkins

19

Panera Bread

Oakland

16

Panera

Miracle

Mile

21

TBD

18

Panera Bread

Oakland

15

TBD

20

WVU

Section 19

Eng. Week

13

History

Dinner

10

Picnic

Communic

ations

3

Network

Arch.

31

Network Arch

14

Wireless

5

Internet

22

Wireless

23

Dist.

Antennas

Computer

EMBS 18

Brain-

Computer

Interface

18

Human

Posture

8

Biometrics

15

Neural

6

Hand

Tracking

24

Skin-screw

electrodes

EMCS

PES/IAS 19

Capacitors

23

Storage &

Hydro

16

Voltage Reg.

14

PE License

13

History

Dinner

15

Eng.

Designs

9

Pirates

24

TBA

Magnetics

Robotics 10

Advances in

Robotics

Sig.

Processing

18

Brain-

Computer

Interface

18

Human

Posture

14

Wireless

8

Biometrics

15

Neural

22

Wireless

6

Hand

Tracking

24

Skin-screw

electrodes

CPMT/ED

Social Impl

Technology

10

Advances in

Robotics

19

Legislative

Upper Mon 28

Cyber

Attacks

4

Wireless

14

Software

Women in

Eng’ing

Life Mem.

GOLD 14

PE License

PACE 19

Legislative

Student Act

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