Abstract: A battery assembly for a local use vehicle has outer walls, electrical contacts, and a communication connection, the battery providing a quantity of energy to power the local use vehicle, the electrical contacts of the battery configured and located for electrical contact with the first electrical contacts within the battery compartment when the battery is in a fully-inserted position within the battery compartment, the communication connection of the battery configured and located for wireless non-contact communication with the communication connection within the battery compartment when the battery is in a fully-inserted position within the battery compartment. The battery further includes a grasping point extending from one of the outer walls of the battery, the grasping point configured for being grasped by the end effector of the robotic device to thereby move the battery back and forth between the fully-inserted position and a removed position outside of the local use vehicle via the opening.

Abstract: The properties of metamaterials are derived both from the inherent properties of their constituent materials and from the geometrical arrangement of those materials. Metamaterials may be stacked or otherwise manipulated to transform substantially monochromatic signal into a second signal having a desired amplitude and phase. Metamaterials may be used with acoustic devices to create haptic feedback with desired properties or to transform the shape of certain devices. Metamaterials may be used in rotating devices with openings that transform a monochromatic signal into a non-monochromatic signal.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for powering a fleet of local use vehicles using batteries, the batteries being removable from the local use vehicles for charging. The system and method include moving one of the local use vehicles in a battery exchange location when the battery in the local use vehicle is in an uncharged state, removing the battery in the uncharged state from a battery compartment in the local use vehicle using a robotic device, and placing the battery in the uncharged state into a first charging bay within a charging repository using the robotic device, the charging repository configured with a plurality of the charging bays to simultaneously hold and to charge a plurality of the batteries, removing a battery in a charged state from a second bay in the charging repository using the robotic device, and placing the battery in the charged state into the battery compartment in the local use vehicle.

Abstract: Various techniques for driving phased array systems are described, specifically intended for acoustic phased arrays with applications to mid-air haptics, parametric audio, acoustic levitation and acoustic imaging, including a system: 1) that is capable of mitigating the effect of the changes in the air to provide a consistent haptic experience; 2) that produces trap points in air; 3) that defines phased-array optimization in terms of vectors for the production of more consistent haptic effects; 4) that defines one or more control points or regions in space via a controlled acoustic field; 5) that uses a reduced representation method for the construction of acoustic basis functions; 6) that performs efficient evaluation of complex-valued functions for a large quantity of throughput; 7) that generates a Krylov sub-space of a matrix; and 8) that maximizes an objective described by different control points and/or regions to those used to create the acoustic basis functions.

Abstract: A system providing various improved processing techniques for haptic feedback is described. An acoustic field is defined by one or more control points in a space within which the acoustic field may exist. Each control point is assigned an amplitude value equating to a desired amplitude of the acoustic field at the control point. Transducers are then controlled to create an acoustic field exhibiting the desired amplitude at each of the control points. When human skin interacts with the acoustic field, vibrations of the skin are interpreted by mechanoreceptors being excited and sending signals to the brain via the nervous system. Improved processing techniques allow for more efficient real-world operation.

Abstract: An Augmented Reality (AR) wayfinder tracks the current location of a user within an indoor location relative to a path defined through the indoor location for the user. The path is broken into segments, each segment is a straight line between two nodes, and each node represents either a starting point in the path, a turn along the path, or an ending point in the path. As the user traverses the path, a remaining distance between the user device and the next node in the path is calculated. An AR object with attributes that correlate to the remaining distance to the next node is blended into and superimposed into a video that the user is viewing through the user device of the physical environment as the user travels along the path.

Abstract: An alternate root tree or graph structure for ray and path tracing enables dynamic instancing build time decisions to split any number of geometry acceleration structures in a manner that is developer transparent, nearly memory storage neutral, and traversal efficient. The resulting traversals only need to partially traverse the acceleration structure, which improves efficiency. One example use reduces the number of false positive instance acceleration structure to geometry acceleration structure transitions for many spatially separated instances of the same geometry.

Abstract: An anchor pier for supporting a manufactured building, in which the anchor pier includes having a shaft with a connector and a helical flight proximate a driving tip, with a brace member attached to the connector and to the manufactured building with a connector, to transfer loading between the manufactured building and the ground. A method of supporting a manufactured building is disclosed.

Abstract: To resolve an issue related to the calibration of optical cameras in transducer-based mid-air haptic systems, the magnification of the motion induced on an optical camera by an acoustic field modulated at specific frequencies reveals very small temporal variations in video frames. This quantized distortion is used to compare different acoustic fields and to solve the calibration problem in an automatized manner. Further, mechanical resonators may be excited by ultrasound when it is modulated at the resonant frequency. When enough energy is transferred and when operating at the correct frequency, a user in contact with the device can feel vibration near areas of largest displacement. This effect can be exploited to create devices which can produce haptic feedback while not carrying a battery or exciter when in the presence of an ultrasonic source.

Abstract: A method for quantifying amounts of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may use a PFAS detection system comprising a working electrode and one or more processors. The working electrode may have a polymer layer disposed on its surface that comprises a plurality of affinity sites for detecting a plurality of PFAS molecules. Each of the plurality affinity sites may have been created using a template PFAS. The method may comprise detecting, at the working electrode, a plurality PFAS molecules that have bonded to one or more of the plurality of affinity sites; and determining, by the one or more processors and based on the detected plurality of PFAS molecules that are bonded to the one or more affinity sites, a concentration of PFAS in an environment.

Abstract: An acoustic field may be produced from a transducer array having known relative positions and orientations In this acoustic field, one or more control points may be defined. An amplitude may be assigned to the control point. Mid-air haptic effect for a virtual object on a human body part may be generated by moving the control point in a single closed curve comprising a plurality of curve segments. The single closed curve traverses at least one location where the human body part intersects with the virtual object. Additionally, a user may interact with virtual three-dimensional content using the user's hands while a tracking system monitoring the user's hands, a physics engine updates the properties of the virtual three-dimensional content and a haptic feedback system provides haptic information to the user.

Abstract: A method and circuit for determining and extinguishing electrical faults includes a power supply, and electrical load, a controller module, and electrical sensors, and when the controller module does not extinguish the electrical fault, another switch blows a fuse.

Abstract: Fluid-dispensing systems and methods relating thereto are described. A method of dispensing fluid includes: (i) receiving, from a temperature encoder, a temperature signal; (ii) receiving, from a flow rate encoder, a flow rate signal; (iii) providing, based on the temperature signal and the flow rate signal, a first amount of power required by a first motor; (iv) providing, based on the temperature signal and the flow rate signal, a second amount of power required by a second motor; (v) opening, based on the first amount of power, the first valve by a first amount of valve opening; (vi) opening, based on the second amount of power, the second valve by a second amount of valve opening; and (vii) facilitating admixing of a first fluid flow at a first fluid flow rate, received from the first valve, and a second fluid flow at a second fluid flow rate, received from the second valve, to create an admixed fluid stream.

Abstract: Provided herein are compounds and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, and pharmaceutical compositions thereof, which are useful in the treatment of conditions associated with inhibition of HDAC (e.g,. HDAC2).

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that include generating a repository of metadata based on a plurality of webpages accessed and saved in a browser history of a web browser executing on a computing device, generating, based on the metadata, a history cluster including a portion of the plurality of webpages related to a topic where the history cluster generation is based on the source events and the access timestamps of the webpages in the portion, and assigning respective scores for the webpages in the portion. In response to a request to view browser activity associated with the topic, the systems and method may generate and display a history cluster listing for the topic where the history cluster listing includes visit listings associated with the webpages in the history cluster that are determined to have a score that meets a threshold score.

Abstract: An acoustic matching structure is used to increase the power radiated from a transducing element with a higher impedance into a surrounding acoustic medium with a lower acoustic impedance. The acoustic matching structure consists of a thin, substantially planar cavity bounded by a two end walls and a side wall. The end walls of the cavity are formed by a blocking plate wall and a transducing element wall separated by a short distance (less than one quarter of the wavelength of acoustic waves in the surrounding medium at the operating frequency). The end walls and side wall bound a cavity with diameter approximately equal to half of the wavelength of acoustic waves in the surrounding medium. In operation, a transducing element generates acoustic oscillations in the fluid in the cavity.

Abstract: A system providing various improved calibration techniques for haptic feedback is described. An acoustic field is defined by one or more control points in a space within which the acoustic field may exist. Each control point is assigned an amplitude value equating to a desired amplitude of the acoustic field at the control point. Because complete control of space is not possible, controlling the acoustic field at given points yields erroneous local maxima in the acoustic field levels at other related positions. In relation to mid-air haptic feedback, these can interfere in interactions with the space by creating secondary effects and ghost phenomena that can be felt outside the interaction area. The level and nature of the secondary maxima in the acoustic field is determined by how the space is controlled. By arranging the transducer elements in different ways, unwanted effects on the acoustic field can be limited and controlled.

Abstract: A system providing various improved processing techniques for haptic feedback is described. An acoustic field is defined by one or more control points in a space within which the acoustic field may exist. Each control point is assigned an amplitude value equating to a desired amplitude of the acoustic field at the control point. Transducers are then controlled to create an acoustic field exhibiting the desired amplitude at each of the control points. When human skin interacts with the acoustic field, vibrations of the skin are interpreted by mechanoreceptors being excited and sending signals to the brain via the nervous system. Improved processing techniques allow for more efficient real-world operation.