Spot instances let users access unused cloud resources at significantly reduced costs. While cloud vendors offer availability information, existing tools like Spotlake only provide single-node availability data, which falls short for modern distributed applications. This paper highlighted the limitations of single-node availability data and introduced a multi-node availability dataset collection system. We analyzed the collected data and enhanced Spotlake to share these multi-node datasets publicly for broader use.

Cloud computing provides a variety of distinct computing resources on demand. Supporting live migration in the cloud can be beneficial to dynamically build a reliable and cost-optimal environment, especially when using spot instances. Users can apply the process of live migration technology using the Checkpoint/Restore In Userspace (CRIU) to achieve the goal. Due to the nature of live migration, ensuring the compatibility of the central processing unit (CPU) features between the source and target hosts is crucial for flawsless execution after migration. To detect migratable instances precisely while lowering false-negative detection on the cloud-scale, we propose a workload-aware migratable instance detector. Unlike the implementation of the CRIU compatibility checking algorithm, which audits the source and target host CPU features, the proposed system thoroughly investigates instructions used in a migrating process to consider CPU features that are actually in use. With a thorough evaluation under various workloads, we demonstrate that the proposed system improves the recall of migratable instance detection over 5× compared to the default CRIU implementation with 100% detection accuracy. To demonstrate its practicability, we apply it to the spot-instance environment, revealing that it can improve the median cost savings by 16% and the interruption ratio by 15% for quarter cases.

We introduce Pro-Tact, a novel eyes-free pointing technique for interacting with out-of-view (OoV) VR menus. This technique combines rapid rough pointing using proprioception with fine-grain adjustments through tactile exploration, enabling menu interaction without visual attention. Our user study demonstrated that Pro-Tact allows users to select menu items accurately (95% accuracy for 54 items) in an eyes-free manner, with reduced fatigue and sickness compared to eyes-engaged interaction. Additionally, we observed that participants voluntarily interacted with OoV menus eyes-free when Pro-Tact’s tactile feedback was provided in practical VR application usage contexts. This research contributes by introducing the novel interaction technique, Pro-Tact, and quantitatively evaluating its benefits in terms of performance, user experience, and user preference in OoV menu interactions.

Public cloud computing providers offer a surplus of computing resources at a lower price with a service of a spot instance. Despite the possible great cost savings from using spot instances, sudden resource interruption can occur as resource demand changes. To help users estimate cost savings and the possibility of interruption when using spot instances, vendors provide diverse datasets. However, the effectiveness of using the datasets has not yet been quantitatively evaluated, and many users still rely on the guess when choosing spot instances. To help users lower the chance of interruption of the spot instance for reliable usage, in this paper, we thoroughly analyze various datasets of the spot instance and present the feasibility for value prediction. Then, to measure how the public datasets reflect real-world spot instance interruption events, we conduct real-world experiments for spot instances of AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Combining the dataset analysis, modeling, and the real-world spot instance interruption experiment, we present a significant improvement in reducing the possibility of interruption events.

In this paper, a novel mobile robot developed to perform Curling sports is introduced. The developed robot is a Stone Throwing Robot (STR) for Curling that can travel on the ice with wheels and throw a stone as well as make curls of the stone. The STR is developed as a robot component of an Artificial Intelligence(AI) system that can autonomously play the curling sport. The proposed STR can throw a stone at any desired speed and in any desired direction, which are determined by the AI system. To achieve this precise driving of the STR and throwing of the stone, two dimensional drive control is developed for the STR, which consists of 1) anti-slip control for high traction, 2) precise velocity control and 3) high accuracy heading angle control. In addition to the conventional PID controller, model-based feedforward control, Model Following Control (MFC) for the anti-slip control of the wheel on the ice and Yaw Moment Observer (YMO) for the robust heading angle control are applied as key technologies for the STR driving. The design configurations of the STR to achieve the detection of its own location and throwing/curling of the stone is proposed in this paper as well as the detail of the precise driving control.

This paper presents a generalized framework for dynamic simulation realized in a prototype simulator called the Interactive Generalized Motion Simulator (I-GMS), which can simulate motions of multirigid-body systems with contact interaction in virtual environments. I-GMS is designed to meet two important goals: generality and interactivity. By generality, we mean a dynamic simulator which can easily support various systems of rigid bodies, ranging from a single free-flying rigid object to complex linkages such as those needed for robotic systems or human body simulation. To provide this generality, we have developed I-GMS in an object-oriented framework. The user interactivity is supported through a haptic interface for articulated bodies, introducing interactive dynamic simulation schemes. This user-interaction is achieved by performing push and pull operations via the PHANToM haptic device, which runs as an integrated part of I-GMS. Also, a hybrid scheme was used for simulating internal contacts (between bodies in the multirigid-body system) in the presence of friction, which could avoid the nonexistent solution problem often faced when solving contact problems with Coulomb friction. In our hybrid scheme, two impulse-based methods are exploited so that different methods are applied adaptively, depending on whether the current contact situation is characterized as "bouncing" or "steady." We demonstrate the user-interaction capability of I-GMS through on-line editing of trajectories of a 6-degree of freedom (dof) articulated structure.

This paper presents micropositioning system using feedback of multiple magnification images from CCD cameras mounted on an optical microscope. In order to guarantee of the accurate micropositioning to micro assembly system, high precise sensors are required. But many kinds of sensors, which are used in macro world, have insufficient resolution and size. The visual data from an optical microscope have vast information, however, the single field-of-view of optical microscope essentially limits the workspace of the micromanipulator and the low depth-of-field makes it difficult to handle micro parts. To overcome these problems and increase and precision of micropositioning system, we use multiple magnification images that have same viewpoint. The use of multiple magnification images reduces the time consuming for handling of micro parts and increases precision of micropositioning. We propose this method for micropositioning system.

In the previous works, we have proposed new control schemes based on the sliding mode control and impedance control in order to cope with varying time delays. However, the previous controller needs local compliance to reduce contact forces between the slave and environment. In this paper, we modify the previous one to have a sliding surface for the slave include an impedance model. Since the nonlinear gain of the sliding controller is independent of the time delay as in the previous proposed controllers, it is not necessary to measure or estimate the time delay to implement the controller. The validity of the proposed control scheme is demonstrated by experiments with a 1-DOF master/slave system connected through the Internet.

This paper introduces I-GMS, a dynamic simulator that accommodates various systems of rigid bodies, ranging from a single free flying rigid object to complex linkages such as those needed for robotic systems or human body simulation. I-GMS's object-oriented design provides a generic framework for representing various types of rigid body systems, and exploits virtual functions to apply common kinematic and dynamic functionalities to them. Moreover, I-GMS supports interactive simulation so that it easily incorporates user-input for the on-line editing and modification of trajectories. User-interaction is achieved with the PHANToM haptic device which runs as an integrated part of I-GMS. We demonstrate I-GMS's capability to simulate general multi-rigid-body systems through examples that include a free-falling sphere, a robot manipulator, and a human body model with 36 degrees of freedom (dof). We present a simple example of interactive simulation for a 3-dof robot manipulator.

Describes an interactive dynamic simulator for virtual environments which allows user interaction via a haptic interface. The interactive simulation is performed in our testbed dynamic simulator I-GMS (Interactive Generalized Motion Simulator), which has been developed in an object-oriented framework for simulating motions of free bodies and complex linkages such as those needed for robotic systems or human body simulation. User interaction is achieved by performing push and pull operations via the PHANToM haptic device which runs as on integrated part of I-GMS. We demonstrate the user interaction capability of I-GMS through online editing of trajectories for a 6-DOF robot manipulator.

In biological systems a central pattern generator is thought to generate motion patterns for muscular movement that exhibits strong nonlinearity. After learning process, motion is then executed with minimal interaction of the cerebellum, hence freeing up communication channels. Inspired by the biological pattern generator, this paper proposes a scheme to control motor networks with slow communication channels. In the proposed control scheme, motion patterns consist of simple torque pulses. Each joint autonomously generates input torque patterns and the patterns are refined through a searching process. After the searching process, motors can be controlled in an open loop fashion, with minimal management by a central processor. The feasibility of the proposed scheme is demonstrated by a robotic finger system with communication-constrained channels.