Device-to-device variability in experimental noise critically impacts reproducibility, especially in automated, high-throughput systems like additive manufacturing farms. While manageable in small labs, such variability can escalate into serious risks at larger scales, such as architectural 3D printing, where noise may cause structural or economic failures. This contribution presents a noise-aware decision-making algorithm that quantifies and models device-specific noise profiles to manage variability adap-tively. It uses distributional analysis and pairwise divergence metrics with clustering to choose between single-device and robust multi-device Bayesian optimization strategies. Unlike conventional methods that assume homogeneous devices or generic robustness, this framework explicitly leverages inter-device differences to enhance performance, reproducibility, and efficiency. An experimental case study involving three nominally identical 3D printers (same brand, model, and close serial numbers) demonstrates reduced redundancy, lower resource usage, and improved reliability. Overall, this framework establishes a paradigm for precision-and resource-aware optimization in scalable, automated experimental platforms. Introduction Recent advances in automation technologies have revolutionized scientific research, particularly in fields that rely on high-throughput experimentation.

Modern power systems with high penetration of inverter-based resources exhibit complex dynamic behaviors that challenge the scalability and generalizability of traditional stability assessment methods. This paper presents a dynamic recurrent adjacency memory network (DRAMN) that combines physics-informed analysis with deep learning for real-time power system stability forecasting. The framework employs sliding-window dynamic mode decomposition to construct time-varying, multi-layer adjacency matrices from phasor measurement unit and sensor data to capture system dynamics such as modal participation factors, coupling strengths, phase relationships, and spectral energy distributions. As opposed to processing spatial and temporal dependencies separately, DRAMN integrates graph convolution operations directly within recurrent gating mechanisms, enabling simultaneous modeling of evolving dynamics and temporal dependencies. Extensive validations on modified IEEE 9-bus, 39-bus, and a multi-terminal HVDC network demonstrate high performance, achieving 99.85%, 99.90%, and 99.69% average accuracies, respectively, surpassing all tested benchmarks, including classical machine learning algorithms and recent graph-based models. The framework identifies optimal combinations of measurements that reduce feature dimensionality by 82% without performance degradation. Correlation analysis between dominant measurements for small-signal and transient stability events validates generalizability across different stability phenomena. DRAMN achieves state-of-the-art accuracy while providing enhanced interpretability for power system operators, making it suitable for real-time deployment in modern control centers.

Abstract-- Real-world underwater testing for multi-agent autonomy presents substantial financial and engineering challenges. In this work, we introduce the Configurable Underwater Group of Autonomous Robots (CoUGARs) as a low-cost, configurable autonomous-underwater-vehicle (AUV) platform for multi-agent autonomy research. The base design costs less than $3,000 USD (as of May 2025) and is based on commercially-available and 3D-printed parts, enabling quick customization for various sensor payloads and configurations. Our current expanded model is equipped with a doppler velocity log (DVL) and ultra-short-baseline (USBL) acoustic array/transducer to support research on acoustic-based cooperative localization. State estimation, navigation, and acoustic communications software has been developed and deployed using a containerized software stack and is tightly integrated with the HoloOcean simulator . The system was tested both in simulation and via in-situ field trials in Utah lakes and reservoirs. Effective state estimation for underwater robotics is a challenging problem that is actively being addressed in academic circles.

The large-scale integration of renewable energy and power electronic devices has increased the complexity of power system stability, making transient stability assessment more challenging. Conventional methods are limited in both accuracy and computational efficiency. To address these challenges, this paper proposes MoE-GraphSAGE, a graph neural network framework based on the MoE for unified TAS and TVS assessment. The framework leverages GraphSAGE to capture the power grid's spatiotemporal topological features and employs multi-expert networks with a gating mechanism to model distinct instability modes jointly. Experimental results on the IEEE 39-bus system demonstrate that MoE-GraphSAGE achieves superior accuracy and efficiency, offering an effective solution for online multi-task transient stability assessment in complex power systems.

Tactile sensing plays a key role in enabling dexterous and reliable robotic manipulation, but realizing this capability requires substantial calibration to convert raw sensor readings into physically meaningful quantities. Despite its near-universal necessity, the calibration process remains ad hoc and labor-intensive. Here, we introduce 3D Cal, an open-source library that transforms a low-cost 3D printer into an automated probing device capable of generating large volumes of labeled training data for tactile sensor calibration. We demonstrate the utility of 3D Cal by calibrating two commercially available vision-based tactile sensors, DIGIT and GelSight Mini, to reconstruct high-quality depth maps using the collected data and a custom convolutional neural network. In addition, we perform a data ablation study to determine how much data is needed for accurate calibration, providing practical guidelines for researchers working with these specific sensors, and we benchmark the trained models on previously unseen objects to evaluate calibration accuracy and generalization performance. By automating tactile sensor calibration, 3D Cal can accelerate tactile sensing research, simplify sensor deployment, and promote the practical integration of tactile sensing in robotic platforms.

In this study, we leverage a mixture model learning approach to identify defects in laser-based Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes. By incorporating physics based principles, we also ensure that the model is sensitive to meaningful physical parameter variations. The empirical evaluation was conducted by analyzing real-world data from two AM processes: Directed Energy Deposition and Laser Powder Bed Fusion. In addition, we also studied the performance of the developed framework over public datasets with different alloy type and experimental parameter information. The results show the potential of physics-guided mixture models to examine the underlying physical behavior of an AM system.

Abstract--In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of advanced feature engineering and hybrid model architectures for anomaly detection in a multivariate industrial time series, focusing on a steam turbine system. We evaluate the impact of change point-derived statistical features, clustering-based substructure representations, and hybrid learning strategies on detection performance. Despite their theoretical appeal, these complex approaches consistently underperformed compared to a simple Random Forest + XGBoost ensemble trained on segmented data. The ensemble achieved an AUC-ROC of 0.976, F1-score of 0.41, and 100% early detection within the defined time window. Our findings highlight that, in scenarios with highly imbalanced and temporally uncertain data, model simplicity combined with optimized segmentation can outperform more sophisticated architectures, offering greater robustness, interpretability, and operational utility. In recent years, anomaly detection in time series has become a critical challenge in industrial applications [1].

This paper presents an integrated robotic fused deposition modeling additive manufacturing system featuring closed-loop thermal control and intelligent in-situ defect correction using a 6-degree of freedom robotic arm and an Oak-D camera. The robot arm end effector was modified to mount an E3D hotend thermally regulated by an IoT microcontroller, enabling precise temperature control through real-time feedback. Filament extrusion system was synchronized with robotic motion, coordinated via ROS2, ensuring consistent deposition along complex trajectories. A vision system based on OpenCV detects layer-wise defects position, commanding autonomous re-extrusion at identified sites. Experimental validation demonstrated successful defect mitigation in printing operations. The integrated system effectively addresses challenges real-time quality assurance. Inverse kinematics were used for motion planning, while homography transformations corrected camera perspectives for accurate defect localization. The intelligent system successfully mitigated surface anomalies without interrupting the print process. By combining real-time thermal regulation, motion control, and intelligent defect detection & correction, this architecture establishes a scalable and adaptive robotic additive manufacturing framework suitable for aerospace, biomedical, and industrial applications.

Abstract--This paper presents a soft robot finger capable of adaptive-twist deformation to grasp objects by wrapping them. For a soft hand to grasp and pick-up one object from densely contained multiple objects, a soft finger requires the adaptive-twist deformation function in both in-plane and out-of-plane directions. The function allows the finger to be inserted deeply into a limited gap among objects. Once inserted, the soft finger requires appropriate control of grasping force normal to contact surface, thereby maintaining the twisted deformation. In this paper, we refer to this type of grasping as grasping by wrapping. T o achieve these two functions by a single actuation source, we propose a variable stiffness mechanism that can adaptively change the stiffness as the pressure is higher . We conduct a finite element analysis (FEA) on the proposed mechanism and determine its design parameter based on the FEA result. Using the developed soft finger, we report basic experimental results and demonstrations on grasping various objects. There is great demand for task automation across industries, especially in the agricultural and food industries, because of constantly shrinking work-age population.

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is a complex process that creates free-form geometric objects by sequentially placing material to construct an object, usually in a layer-by-layer process. One of the most widely used methods is Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). FDM is used in many of the consumer-grade polymer 3D printers available today. While consumer grade machines are cheap and plentiful, they lack many of the features desired in a machine used for research purposes and are often closed-source platforms. Commercial-grade models are more expensive and are also usually closed-source platforms that do not offer flexibility for modifications often needed for research. The authors designed and fabricated a machine to be used as a test bed for research in the field of polymer FDM processes. The goal was to create a platform that tightly controls and/or monitors the FDM build parameters so that experiments can be repeated with a known accuracy. The platform offers closed loop position feedback, control of the hot end and bed temperature, and monitoring of environment temperature and humidity. Additionally, the platform is equipped with cameras and a mechanism for in-situ photogrammetry, creating a geometric record of the printing throughout the printing process. Through photogrammetry, backtracking and linking process parameters to observable geometric defects can be achieved. This paper focuses on the design of a novel mechanism for spinning the heated bed to allow for photogrammetric reconstruction of the printed part using a minimal number of cameras, as implemented on this platform.