Browsing by Author "Van der Merwe, Andre F."

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    Development and implementation of a telerobotic system with visual and haptic feedback : current progress
    (Industrial Engineering, Stellenbosch University, 2011-09) Pretorius, J.; Van der Merwe, Andre F.
    Telerobotics is a field of robotics interested in controlling robots from a distance. Incorporating visual and haptic (touch) feedback allows the operator greater accuracy in manipulating objects in a remote environment. This project endeavours to develop a telerobotic system with a focus towards telesurgical applications by using two similar industrial robotic manipulators, one acting as a haptic input device, the other as the telerobot. This paper describes the process of converting such robots into a functioning telerobotic system that allows the operator to “see” and “feel” in the remote environment. A partial working model of the telerobotic system can be achieved through experimental procedures.
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    Towards the implementation of e-manufacturing : design of an automatic tea drying control system
    (Southern African Institute for Industrial Engineering, 2014-11) Mabvuu, Never; Nyanga, Lungile; Van der Merwe, Andre F.; Matope, Stephen; Mhlanga, Samson
    Many of the production costs for producing tea are attributable to the process of drying the tea. E-manufacturing can assist companies to reduce these production costs by making crucial information available to decision-makers so that they can make informed decisions. This paper presents an application of e-manufacturing to the design of an automatic tea drying control system. This control system will ensure that the multiple drying parameters such as temperature, dryer-exit tea moisture content, and fuel consumption are maintained at optimal states during the course of the drying of tea. The additional aim of this system is to balance the cost of production and the quality of the final product. Using the Guggenheim-Anderson-De Boer (GAB) model, the optimum drying temperature was found to be 100-110°C, while maintaining a dryer-exit tea moisture content of 3 to 3.12 per cent, at a drying rate of 3 per cent per minute. A Barix control application to control the system’s activities, using the web user interface (WUI), was also developed.