ABSTRACT
Brazil's primary sanitation sector has been neglected, especially concerning rural sanitation. Population dispersion and the difficulty of access in many rural communities bring more significant challenges to the universalization of the service and, consequently, vulnerabilities for the population. The present work builds a theoretical framework about the context of rural sanitation in Brazil, with history, weaknesses in the sector, the impact of COVID-19 and new technologies, and central public policies in the State of Pernambuco. It is known that COVID-19 has caused considerable challenges that, added to the obstacles to national sanitation, result in greater vulnerability to the population, especially for indigenous peoples, quilombolas, and diffuse rural communities. In the State of Pernambuco, certain policies, such as the One Million Rural Cisterns Program (P1MC), One Land and Two Waters Program (P1 + 2), Agua Doce Program and Operacao Pipa Program, significantly improved the quality of life of the rural population. However, these measures are not enough to remedy the sector's shortcomings. Although alternative sanitation technologies bring hope to the sector, there is a long way to go towards the universalization of sanitation.
ABSTRACT
There is a noticeable lag between Brazilian Teams and Robocup Division A teams in Small Size Soccer League (SSL). One of the main reasons is the difference in the mechanical project and how effective the dribbler and kicker systems conduct and kick the ball to other robots or the goal. This paper describes the process to develop both dribbler and kicker systems to an SSL robot, beginning with a review of Robocup Division A teams and the main Brazilian teams' projects. A 3D modeling of the dribbler and kicker systems is presented considering innovation effectiveness and space. The systems and models were evaluated via finite element simulation tests. The manufacturing process and its challenges are not in the scope of this paper due to Covid-19 limitations to lab access and will be part of future works. All parts designed are available for public use, allowing other teams to use them, modified or not, on their projects. © 2020 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
The use of simulation and visualization tools to validate mechanical designs and programming for robots has become increasingly important. Being used in many scenarios, simulators have collaborated for research in machine learning, deep learning and training of professionals. Nowadays, with the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing, simulators have great potential as a tool to help in the teaching of robotics. However, research indicates that the user may encounter differences between what happens in the simulator and in real life, this effect is called reality gap. This article aims to investigate the effects of this gap in an educational robotics simulator, named Virtual Robotics Toolkit (VRT), as well as its impacts on the testing of algorithms and to propose strategies to reduce the impact of this effect. Three batch tests were carried out on two different robots, both in the simulation and in the real world. By capturing data from sensors such as tachometer, infrared, gyroscope and a light sensor, it was possible to compare the performance in the two scenarios and their differences. Finally, the entire test field and models were made available along with videos of some tests. © 2020 IEEE.