Abstract: A bird feeding system is provided having a body and a removable insert. The insert can be removed and refilled without removing the body from its support. The body has a receiver that can be a cage, collar, roof or other structure that has a guide that receives the insert. A plate is attached to the top of the receiver. The plate has at least two hooks, each with a channel. The hooks are opposite facing. The insert has a cylindrical wall with feed opening therethrough. A top bar is used as a handle and also as a securing element that is selectably engaged with the hooks. A bottom bar is used to grip the insert for insertion, locking, unlocking and removal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the production of methyl methacrylate. The process of the present invention comprises the steps of: a) providing a microorganism in a fermentation medium, under conditions which said microorganism will produce a C3-C12 methacrylate ester; b) providing an organic phase in contact with the fermentation medium, said organic phase including C3-C12 methacrylate ester in a higher concentration than that in the fermentation medium; c) removing organic phase containing the said C3-C12 methacrylate ester from contact with the fermentation medium; and d) transesterifying the removed C3-C12 methacrylate ester with methanol, optionally after separation from the organic phase, to produce methyl methacrylate.

Abstract: A hearing assistance system is disclosed that comprises a hearing assistance device configured to reproduce sounds and to assist a person to hear the sounds, the hearing assistance device including a left hearing assistance device and a right hearing assistance device, and a computing device in communication with the hearing assistance device. The computing device interacts with the hearing assistance device to implement a fitting mode wherein the hearing assistance device is caused to generate fitting sounds usable to evaluate whether the left and right hearing devices are properly fitted into respective left and right ears of the person. The computing device produces a communication indicative of whether the left and right hearing assistance devices are properly fitted into respective left and right ears of the person.

Abstract: A surgical robotic component comprising an articulated terminal portion, the terminal portion comprising: a distal segment having an attachment connected thereto, an intermediate segment, and a basal segment whereby the terminal portion is attached to the remainder of the surgical robotic component. The terminal portion further comprises a first articulation between the distal segment and the intermediate segment, the first articulation permitting relative rotation of the distal segment and the intermediate segment about a first axis, and a second articulation between the intermediate segment and the basal segment, the second articulation permitting relative rotation of the intermediate segment and the basal segment about a second axis.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a lidar system includes a light source configured to emit local-oscillator (LO) light and pulses of light, the emitted pulses of light including a first emitted pulse of light, where an optical frequency of the first emitted pulse of light is offset from an optical frequency of the LO light by a first frequency offset. The lidar system further includes a receiver configured to detect the LO light and a first received pulse of light, the first received pulse of light including light from the first emitted pulse of light scattered by a target located a distance from the lidar system. The receiver includes a detector, where: the LO light and the first received pulse of light are coherently mixed together at the detector, and the detector is configured to produce a photocurrent signal corresponding to the coherent mixing.

Abstract: A surgical robotic component comprising an articulated terminal portion, the terminal portion comprising: a distal segment having an attachment connected thereto, an intermediate segment, and a basal segment whereby the terminal portion is attached to the remainder of the surgical robotic component. The terminal portion further comprises a first articulation between the distal segment and the intermediate segment, the first articulation permitting relative rotation of the distal segment and the intermediate segment about a first axis, and a second articulation between the intermediate segment and the basal segment, the second articulation permitting relative rotation of the intermediate segment and the basal segment about a second axis.

Abstract: A control system for a surgical robotic system, the surgical robotic system comprising a remote surgeon console and an articulated surgical robot arm comprising a series of joints extending from a base to a terminal end for attaching to an articulated surgical instrument. The control system comprises a central controller communicatively coupled to and remotely located from an arm controller of the surgical robot arm, the central controller also communicatively coupled to a surgeon input device of the surgeon console.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for configuring a hearing device. The system includes an audiogram processing component arranged to process image data indicative of an image of an audiogram associated with a person so as to produce audiogram data indicative of the audiogram, and a hearing device configuration component arranged to produce hearing device configuration data based on the audiogram data. The configuration data is indicative of configuration settings for a hearing device that will cause the hearing device to assist the hearing of the person.

Abstract: A robotic surgical instrument comprising a shaft, an articulated section and a drive mechanism. The articulated section extends from the shaft and terminates at its distal end in a tip. The tip has an attachment for an end effector. The drive mechanism drives the articulated section via flexible driving elements thereby altering the angular orientation of the tip relative to the shaft. The drive mechanism is controlled so as to always fully compress the articulated section along at least one extent by which the articulated section connects the tip and the shaft whilst driving the articulated section from any one configuration to any other configuration. The drive mechanism constrains movement of the articulated section so as to permit the tip to move with two degrees of rotational freedom and no degrees of translational freedom relative to the shaft.

Abstract: Described herein is a technique for modifying a bounding volume hierarchy. The techniques include combining preferred orientations of child nodes of a first bounding box node to generate a first preferred orientation; based on the first preferred orientation, converting one or more child nodes of the first bounding box node into one or more oriented bounding box nodes; combining preferred orientations of child nodes of a second bounding box node to generate a second preferred orientation; and based on the second preferred orientation, maintaining one or more children of the second bounding box node as non-oriented bounding box nodes.

Abstract: Techniques of forming a foamed insulation material from gypsum waste are disclosed herein. One example technique includes mechanically comminuting the gypsum waste from an original size into particles of gypsum at a target size smaller than the original size and mixing the particles of the gypsum with a binder to form a mixture of particles and binder. The binder is configured to bind the particles of gypsum upon hydration. The example technique can further include performing air entrainment on the mixture until a foam is formed from the mixture having the particles of gypsum and binder. The foam has water that causes the binder to bind the particles of gypsum. The example technique can then include removing moisture from the mixture with the formed foam to form a foamed insulation material from the particles of gypsum.

Abstract: A method of real-time image correction of a video stream from a surgical endoscope of a surgical robotic system. The video stream comprises a sequence of images. The method comprises: for an image in the sequence of images, identifying a plurality of regions, each region having a different range of values of at least one image property to another region; applying a mask to the image which applies a region-specific modification to each region, each region-specific modification modifying the at least one image property of that region; deriving data from the surgical robotic system; determining a relationship between features in the image from the derived data; modifying the mask for a predicted relationship between the features at the time of a subsequent image in the video stream; and applying the modified mask to the subsequent image in the video stream.

Abstract: A control system configured to control manipulation of a surgical instrument in response to manipulation of a remote surgeon input device, the surgical instrument comprising opposable first and second end effector elements connected to a shaft by an articulated coupling, the articulated coupling comprising a first joint driveable by a first pair of driving elements so as to permit the first end effector element to rotate, and a second joint driveable by a second pair of driving elements so as to permit the second end effector element to rotate, the control system configured to: detect a change of configuration of the surgeon input device to a gripping configuration at time t; respond to the change of configuration of the surgeon input device to the gripping configuration by commanding gripping forces to be applied to the first and second pairs of driving elements, so as to cause the first and second end effector elements to rotate in opposing rotational directions towards each other with a gripping closing fo

Abstract: A control system for a surgical robotic system, the surgical robotic system comprising a remote surgeon console and an articulated surgical robot arm comprising a series of joints extending from a base to a terminal end for attaching to an articulated surgical instrument. The control system comprises a central controller communicatively coupled to and remotely located from an arm controller of the surgical robot arm, the central controller also communicatively coupled to a surgeon input device of the surgeon console.

Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling a surgical robot comprising a base, and an arm extending from the base to an attachment for an instrument, the arm comprising a plurality of joints whereby the configuration of the arm can be altered. The system includes: a display device configured to present a view of a virtual scene to an operator of the virtual reality display device, the virtual scene comprising a virtual screen on which a representation of a real-time video stream of a surgical site is displayed; an input tracking system configured to track a position of one or more free-space inputs in space; and a control unit configured to translate the tracked position of the one or more inputs free-space into one or more control signals to control the position of the arm of the surgical robot. To be accompanied, when published, by FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings.

Abstract: A control system of a surgical robotic system, the surgical robotic system comprising a first robot arm and a second robot arm, each of the first and second robot arms comprising a series of joints by which the configuration of that robot arm can be altered, the series of joints extending from a base at a proximal end of the robot arm to an attachment for a surgical instrument at a distal end of the robot arm, the control system being configured to reconfigure the surgical robotic system by: controlling the first robot arm to operate in a surgical mode in which a first surgical instrument attached to that first robot arm is inside a patient's body; and whilst the first robot arm is operating in the surgical mode: (i) controlling the second robot arm so as to permit a second surgical instrument attached to the second robot arm to be inserted into a port in the patient's body; (ii) determining a fulcrum about which the second surgical instrument pivots when the configuration of the second robot arm is altered w

Abstract: A method of real-time image correction of a video stream from a surgical endoscope of a surgical robotic system. The video stream comprises a sequence of images. The method comprises: for an image in the sequence of images, identifying a plurality of regions, each region having a different range of values of at least one image property to another region; applying a mask to the image which applies a region-specific modification to each region, each region-specific modification modifying the at least one image property of that region; deriving data from the surgical robotic system; determining a relationship between features in the image from the derived data; modifying the mask for a predicted relationship between the features at the time of a subsequent image in the video stream; and applying the modified mask to the subsequent image in the video stream.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a negative pressure wound therapy device includes a negative pressure source and a controller configured to, in response to determining that the negative pressure source is directly fluidically connected to a wound dressing without a canister between the two, operate the negative pressure source in a first mode; otherwise, operate the negative pressure source in a second, different mode. The controller can be further configured to, in response to determining that a level of activity of the negative pressure source over a first time duration satisfies at least one of a leak or blockage condition, provide an indication of at least one of a leak or blockage and, in response to determining that the level of activity does not satisfy the at least one of the leak or blockage condition over a second time duration subsequent to the first time duration, discontinue providing the indication.

Abstract: An acoustic transducer (30), comprising: a support structure (36); an active assembly comprising a base plate (32) supported by the support structure (36) and a piezoelectric body (34) supported by the base plate (32); and a passive vibrator (38) supported by the support structure (36) and coupled via the support structure (36) to the active assembly (32, 34) so that vibration of the active assembly (32, 34) drives the passive vibrator (38). The active assembly (32, 34) and the passive vibrator (38) have the same resonant frequency.

Abstract: A robotic surgical instrument comprising a shaft, an articulation attached to the distal end of the shaft, and a driving mechanism at the proximal end of the shaft. The articulation comprises a plurality of joints for articulating an end effector, the plurality of joints driveable by at least first and second pairs of driving elements. The driving mechanism comprises a pulley arrangement and a pulley drive. The pulley arrangement comprises first and second pulleys attached together such that their separation is fixed, wherein the first pair of driving elements is constrained to move around the first pulley, and the second pair of driving elements is constrained to move around the second pulley.