TY - GEN A1 - Neubauer, Kai A1 - Haubelt, Christian A1 - Wanko, Philipp A1 - Schaub, Torsten H. T1 - Utilizing quad-trees for efficient design space exploration with partial assignment evaluation T2 - 2018 23rd Asia and South Pacific Design Automation Conference (ASP-DAC) N2 - Recently, it has been shown that constraint-based symbolic solving techniques offer an efficient way for deciding binding and routing options in order to obtain a feasible system level implementation. In combination with various background theories, a feasibility analysis of the resulting system may already be performed on partial solutions. That is, infeasible subsets of mapping and routing options can be pruned early in the decision process, which fastens the solving accordingly. However, allowing a proper design space exploration including multi-objective optimization also requires an efficient structure for storing and managing non-dominated solutions. In this work, we propose and study the usage of the Quad-Tree data structure in the context of partial assignment evaluation during system synthesis. Out experiments show that unnecessary dominance checks can be avoided, which indicates a preference of Quad-Trees over a commonly used list-based implementation for large combinatorial optimization problems. Y1 - 2018 SN - 978-1-5090-0602-1 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/ASPDAC.2018.8297362 SN - 2153-6961 SP - 434 EP - 439 PB - IEEE CY - New York ER - TY - THES A1 - Ostrowski, Max T1 - Modern constraint answer set solving T1 - Moderne Constraint Antwortmengenprogrammierung N2 - Answer Set Programming (ASP) is a declarative problem solving approach, combining a rich yet simple modeling language with high-performance solving capabilities. Although this has already resulted in various applications, certain aspects of such applications are more naturally modeled using variables over finite domains, for accounting for resources, fine timings, coordinates, or functions. Our goal is thus to extend ASP with constraints over integers while preserving its declarative nature. This allows for fast prototyping and elaboration tolerant problem descriptions of resource related applications. The resulting paradigm is called Constraint Answer Set Programming (CASP). We present three different approaches for solving CASP problems. The first one, a lazy, modular approach combines an ASP solver with an external system for handling constraints. This approach has the advantage that two state of the art technologies work hand in hand to solve the problem, each concentrating on its part of the problem. The drawback is that inter-constraint dependencies cannot be communicated back to the ASP solver, impeding its learning algorithm. The second approach translates all constraints to ASP. Using the appropriate encoding techniques, this results in a very fast, monolithic system. Unfortunately, due to the large, explicit representation of constraints and variables, translation techniques are restricted to small and mid-sized domains. The third approach merges the lazy and the translational approach, combining the strength of both while removing their weaknesses. To this end, we enhance the dedicated learning techniques of an ASP solver with the inferences of the translating approach in a lazy way. That is, the important knowledge is only made explicit when needed. By using state of the art techniques from neighboring fields, we provide ways to tackle real world, industrial size problems. By extending CASP to reactive solving, we open up new application areas such as online planning with continuous domains and durations. N2 - Die Antwortmengenprogrammierung (ASP) ist ein deklarativer Ansatz zur Problemlösung. Eine ausdrucksstarke Modellierungssprache erlaubt es, Probleme einfach und flexibel zu beschreiben. Durch sehr effiziente Problemlösungstechniken, konnten bereits verschiedene Anwendungsgebiete erschlossen werden. Allerdings lassen sich Probleme mit Ressourcen besser mit Gleichungen über Ganze oder Reelle Zahlen lösen, anstatt mit reiner Boolescher Logik. In dieser Arbeit erweitern wir ASP mit Arithmetik über Ganze Zahlen zu Constraint Answer Set Programming (CASP). Unser Hauptaugenmerk liegt dabei auf der Erweiterung der Modellierungssprache mit Arithmetik, ohne Performanz oder Flexibilität einzubüßen. In einem ersten, bedarfsgesteuertem, modularen Ansatz kombinieren wir einen ASP Solver mit einem externen System zur Lösung von ganzzahligen Gleichungen. Der Vorteil dieses Ansatzes besteht darin, dass zwei verschiedene Technologien Hand in Hand arbeiten, wobei jede nur ihren Teil des Problems betrachten muss. Ein Nachteil der sich daraus ergibt ist jedoch, dass Abhängigkeiten zwischen den Gleichungen nicht an den ASP Solver kommuniziert werden können. Das beeinträchtigt die Lernfähigkeit des zu Grunde liegenden Algorithmus. Der zweite von uns verfolgte Ansatz übersetzt die ganzzahligen Gleichungen direkt nach ASP. Durch entsprechende Kodierungstechniken erhält man ein sehr effizientes, monolithisches System. Diese Übersetzung erfordert eine explizite Darstellung aller Variablen und Gleichungen. Daher ist dieser Ansatz nur für kleine bis mittlere Wertebereiche geeignet. Die dritte Methode, die wir in dieser Arbeit vorstellen, vereinigt die Vorteile der beiden vorherigen Ansätze und überwindet ihre Kehrseiten. Wir entwickeln einen lernenden Algorithmus, der die Arithmetik implizit lässt. Dies befreit uns davon, eine möglicherweise riesige Menge an Variablen und Formeln zu speichern, und erlaubt es uns gleichzeitig dieses Wissen zu nutzen. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, durch die Kombination hochmoderner Technologien, industrielle Anwendungsgebiete für ASP zu erschliessen. Die verwendeten Techniken erlauben eine Erweiterung von CASP mit reaktiven Elementen. Das heißt, dass das Lösen des Problems ein interaktiver Prozess wird. Das Problem kann dabei ständig verändert und erweitert werden, ohne dass Informationen verloren gehen oder neu berechnet werden müssen. Dies eröffnet uns neue Möglichkeiten, wie zum Beispiel reaktives Planen mit Ressourcen und Zeiten. KW - ASP (Answer Set Programming) KW - CASP (Constraint Answer Set Programming) KW - constraints KW - hybrid KW - SMT (SAT Modulo Theories) KW - Antwortmengenprogrammierung KW - hybrides Problemlösen Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-407799 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Prescher, Denise A1 - Bornschein, Jens A1 - Köhlmann, Wiebke A1 - Weber, Gerhard T1 - Touching graphical applications BT - bimanual tactile interaction on the HyperBraille pin-matrix display JF - Universal Access in the Information Society N2 - Novel two-dimensional tactile displays enable blind users to not only get access to the textual but also to the graphical content of a graphical user interface. Due to the higher amount of information that can be presented in parallel, orientation and exploration can be more complex. In this paper we present the HyperBraille system, which consists of a pin-matrix device as well as a graphical screen reader providing the user with appropriate presentation and interaction possibilities. To allow for a detailed analysis of bimanual interaction strategies on a pin-matrix device, we conducted two user studies with a total of 12 blind people. The task was to fill in .pdf forms on the pin-matrix device by using different input methods, namely gestures, built-in hardware buttons as well as a conventional PC keyboard. The forms were presented in a semigraphic view type that not only contains Braille but also tactile widgets in a spatial arrangement. While completion time and error rate partly depended on the chosen input method, the usage of special reading strategies seemed to be independent of it. A direct comparison of the system and a conventional assistive technology (screen reader with single-line Braille device) showed that interaction on the pin-matrix device can be very efficient if the user is trained. The two-dimensional output can improve access to .pdf forms with insufficient accessibility as the mapping of input controls and the corresponding labels can be supported by a spatial presentation. KW - Planar tactile display KW - Blind users KW - pdf forms KW - Screen reader KW - Gesture input KW - Key input Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-017-0538-8 SN - 1615-5289 SN - 1615-5297 VL - 17 IS - 2 SP - 391 EP - 409 PB - Springer CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - THES A1 - Przybylla, Mareen T1 - From Embedded Systems to Physical Computing: Challenges of the “Digital World” in Secondary Computer Science Education T1 - Von Eingebetteten Systemen zu Physical Computing: Herausforderungen der “Digitalen Welt” in der informatischen Bildung im Sekundarbereich N2 - Physical computing covers the design and realization of interactive objects and installations and allows learners to develop concrete, tangible products of the real world, which arise from their imagination. This can be used in computer science education to provide learners with interesting and motivating access to the different topic areas of the subject in constructionist and creative learning environments. However, if at all, physical computing has so far mostly been taught in afternoon clubs or other extracurricular settings. Thus, for the majority of students so far there are no opportunities to design and create their own interactive objects in regular school lessons. Despite its increasing popularity also for schools, the topic has not yet been clearly and sufficiently characterized in the context of computer science education. The aim of this doctoral thesis therefore is to clarify physical computing from the perspective of computer science education and to adequately prepare the topic both content-wise and methodologically for secondary school teaching. For this purpose, teaching examples, activities, materials and guidelines for classroom use are developed, implemented and evaluated in schools. In the theoretical part of the thesis, first the topic is examined from a technical point of view. A structured literature analysis shows that basic concepts used in physical computing can be derived from embedded systems, which are the core of a large field of different application areas and disciplines. Typical methods of physical computing in professional settings are analyzed and, from an educational perspective, elements suitable for computer science teaching in secondary schools are extracted, e. g. tinkering and prototyping. The investigation and classification of suitable tools for school teaching show that microcontrollers and mini computers, often with extensions that greatly facilitate the handling of additional components, are particularly attractive tools for secondary education. Considering the perspectives of science, teachers, students and society, in addition to general design principles, exemplary teaching approaches for school education and suitable learning materials are developed and the design, production and evaluation of a physical computing construction kit suitable for teaching is described. In the practical part of this thesis, with “My Interactive Garden”, an exemplary approach to integrate physical computing in computer science teaching is tested and evaluated in different courses and refined based on the findings in a design-based research approach. In a series of workshops on physical computing, which is based on a concept for constructionist professional development that is developed specifically for this purpose, teachers are empowered and encouraged to develop and conduct physical computing lessons suitable for their particular classroom settings. Based on their in-class experiences, a process model of physical computing teaching is derived. Interviews with those teachers illustrate that benefits of physical computing, including the tangibility of crafted objects and creativity in the classroom, outweigh possible drawbacks like longer preparation times, technical difficulties or difficult assessment. Hurdles in the classroom are identified and possible solutions discussed. Empirical investigations in the different settings reveal that “My Interactive Garden” and physical computing in general have a positive impact, among others, on learner motivation, fun and interest in class and perceived competencies. Finally, the results from all evaluations are combined to evaluate the design principles for physical computing teaching and to provide a perspective on the development of decision-making aids for physical computing activities in school education. N2 - Physical Computing ist die Gestaltung interaktiver Objekte und Installationen und ermöglicht Lernenden, konkrete, greifbare Produkte der realen Welt zu schaffen, die ihrer eigenen Vorstellung entsprechen. Dies kann in der informatischen Bildung genutzt werden, um Lernenden einen interessanten und motivierenden Zugang zu den verschiedenen Themengebieten des Lerngegenstandes in konstruktionistischen und kreativen Lernumgebungen anzubieten. Bisher wurde Physical Computing allerdings, wenn überhaupt, vorrangig in Nachmittagsaktivitäten und anderen extracurricularen Kontexten unterrichtet. Daher hat ein Großteil aller Schülerinnen und Schüler bisher keine Gelegenheit, im Rahmen von Schulunterricht selbst gestalterisch tätig zu werden und interaktive Objekte herzustellen. Trotz zunehmender Popularität, auch in Schulen, wurde das Thema bisher im Kontext der informatischen Bildung nicht hinreichend klar charakterisiert. Ziel dieser Dissertation ist es daher, Physical Computing aus informatikdidaktischer Sicht zu klären und sowohl inhaltlich als auch methodisch adäquat für den Schulunterricht in den Sekundarstufen aufzubereiten. Dazu werden Unterrichtsbeispiele, -aktivitäten, -materialien und -empfehlungen entwickelt, in Schulen eingesetzt und evaluiert. Im theoretischen Teil der Arbeit wird das Thema zunächst aus fachlicher Perspektive untersucht. Eine strukturierte Literaturanalyse zeigt, dass grundlegende Konzepte des Physical Computings aus dem Fachgebiet Eingebettete Systeme abgeleitet werden können, welches den Kern diverser Anwendungsgebiete und Disziplinen bildet. Typische Methoden des Physical Computings werden analysiert und geeignete Elemente für den Informatikunterricht der Sekundarstufen werden aus didaktischer Perspektive herausgearbeitet, beispielsweise Tinkering und Prototyping. Bei der Untersuchung und Klassifikation geeigneter Werkzeuge für den Schulunterricht kristallisieren sich Mikrocontroller und Mini-Computer, oft mit Erweiterungen zur deutlichen Vereinfachung der Handhabung zusätzlicher Komponenten, als besonders attraktive Werkzeuge für die Sekundarstufen heraus. Unter Berücksichtigung der Perspektiven der Fachwissenschaft, Lehrer, Schüler und Gesellschaft werden zusätzlich zu allgemeinen Gestaltungsprinzipien auch beispielhafte Unterrichtsansätze für die schulische Bildung und geeignete Lernmaterialien entwickelt und der Entwurf, die Produktion und Evaluation eines für den Unterricht geeigneten Physical-Computing-Baukastens beschrieben. Im praktischen Teil der Arbeit wird in einem Design-Based-Research-Ansatz mit „My Interactive Garden“ eine beispielhafte Umsetzung von Physical Computing im Informatikunterricht in verschiedenen Kursen getestet, evaluiert und entsprechend der Erkenntnisse überarbeitet. In einer Workshopreihe zum Thema Physical Computing, welche auf einem eigens entwickelten konstruktionistischen Lehrerfortbildungskonzept basiert, werden Lehrer befähigt und ermutigt, für ihre konkreten Unterrichtssituationen geeigneten Physical-Computing-Unterricht zu planen und durchzuführen. Aus ihren Unterrichtserfahrungen wird ein Prozessmodell für Physical-Computing-Unterricht abgeleitet. Interviews mit diesen Lehrern illustrieren, dass Vorteile des Physical Computings, z. B. die Greifbarkeit gebastelter Objekte und Kreativität im Unterricht, mögliche Nachteile wie längere Vorbereitungszeiten, technische Schwierigkeiten oder schwierige Leistungsbewertung, überwiegen. Hürden im Unterricht werden identifiziert und mögliche Ansätze, diese zu umgehen, diskutiert. Empirische Untersuchungen in den verschiedenen Unterrichtsumsetzungen zeigen, das sowohl „My Interactive Garden“ als auch Physical Computing im Allgemeinen einen positiven Einfluss unter anderem auf Lernermotivation, Spaß und Interesse im Unterricht und wahrgenommene Kompetenzen haben. Abschließend werden die Ergebnisse aller Untersuchungen zusammengeführt, um die Gestaltungsprinzipien für Physical-Computing-Unterricht zu evaluieren und einen Ausblick auf die Entwicklung von Entscheidungshilfen für Physical-Computing-Aktivitäten in der schulischen Bildung zu geben. KW - secondary computer science education KW - embedded systems KW - physical computing KW - educational reconstruction KW - design principles KW - classroom material KW - tools for teaching KW - informatische Bildung im Sekundarbereich KW - eingebettete Systeme KW - physical Computing KW - didaktische Rekonstruktion KW - Entwurfsprinzipien KW - Schulmaterial KW - Unterrichtswerkzeuge Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-418339 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Przybylla, Mareen A1 - Romeike, Ralf T1 - Empowering learners with tools in CS education BT - physical computing in secondary schools JF - it - Information Technology N2 - In computer science, computer systems are both, objects of investigation and tools that enable creative learning and design. Tools for learning have a long tradition in computer science education. Already in the late 1960s, Papert developed a concept which had an immense impact on the development of informal education in the following years: his theory of constructionism understands learning as a creative process of knowledge construction that is most effective when learners create something purposeful that they can try out, show around, discuss, analyse and receive praise for. By now, there are numerous learning and programming environments that are based on the constructionist ideas. Modern tools offer opportunities for students to learn in motivating ways and gain impressive results in programming games, animations, implementing 3D models or developing interactive objects. This article gives an overview of computer science education research related to tools and media to be used in educational settings. We analyse different types of tools with a special focus on the categorization and development of tools for student adequate physical computing activities in the classroom. Research around the development and evaluation of tools and learning resources in the domain of physical computing is illustrated with the example of "My Interactive Garden", a constructionist learning and programming environment. It is explained how the results from empirical studies are integrated in the continuous development of the learning material. KW - tools KW - media KW - resources KW - computer science education KW - physical computing Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1515/itit-2017-0032 SN - 1611-2776 SN - 2196-7032 VL - 60 IS - 2 SP - 91 EP - 101 PB - De Gruyter CY - Berlin ER - TY - GEN A1 - Sahlmann, Kristina A1 - Schwotzer, Thomas T1 - Ontology-based virtual IoT devices for edge computing T2 - Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on the Internet of Things N2 - An IoT network may consist of hundreds heterogeneous devices. Some of them may be constrained in terms of memory, power, processing and network capacity. Manual network and service management of IoT devices are challenging. We propose a usage of an ontology for the IoT device descriptions enabling automatic network management as well as service discovery and aggregation. Our IoT architecture approach ensures interoperability using existing standards, i.e. MQTT protocol and SemanticWeb technologies. We herein introduce virtual IoT devices and their semantic framework deployed at the edge of network. As a result, virtual devices are enabled to aggregate capabilities of IoT devices, derive new services by inference, delegate requests/responses and generate events. Furthermore, they can collect and pre-process sensor data. These tasks on the edge computing overcome the shortcomings of the cloud usage regarding siloization, network bandwidth, latency and speed. We validate our proposition by implementing a virtual device on a Raspberry Pi. KW - Internet of Things KW - Edge Computing KW - oneM2M Ontology KW - M2M KW - Semantic Interoperability KW - MQTT Y1 - 2018 SN - 978-1-4503-6564-2 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1145/3277593.3277597 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - Association for Computing Machinery CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schaub, Torsten H. A1 - Woltran, Stefan T1 - Answer set programming unleashed! JF - Künstliche Intelligenz N2 - Answer Set Programming faces an increasing popularity for problem solving in various domains. While its modeling language allows us to express many complex problems in an easy way, its solving technology enables their effective resolution. In what follows, we detail some of the key factors of its success. Answer Set Programming [ASP; Brewka et al. Commun ACM 54(12):92–103, (2011)] is seeing a rapid proliferation in academia and industry due to its easy and flexible way to model and solve knowledge-intense combinatorial (optimization) problems. To this end, ASP offers a high-level modeling language paired with high-performance solving technology. As a result, ASP systems provide out-off-the-box, general-purpose search engines that allow for enumerating (optimal) solutions. They are represented as answer sets, each being a set of atoms representing a solution. The declarative approach of ASP allows a user to concentrate on a problem’s specification rather than the computational means to solve it. This makes ASP a prime candidate for rapid prototyping and an attractive tool for teaching key AI techniques since complex problems can be expressed in a succinct and elaboration tolerant way. This is eased by the tuning of ASP’s modeling language to knowledge representation and reasoning (KRR). The resulting impact is nicely reflected by a growing range of successful applications of ASP [Erdem et al. AI Mag 37(3):53–68, 2016; Falkner et al. Industrial applications of answer set programming. K++nstliche Intelligenz (2018)] Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13218-018-0550-z SN - 0933-1875 SN - 1610-1987 VL - 32 IS - 2-3 SP - 105 EP - 108 PB - Springer CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schaub, Torsten H. A1 - Woltran, Stefan T1 - Special issue on answer set programming T2 - Künstliche Intelligenz Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13218-018-0554-8 SN - 0933-1875 SN - 1610-1987 VL - 32 IS - 2-3 SP - 101 EP - 103 PB - Springer CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schäpers, Björn A1 - Niemueller, Tim A1 - Lakemeyer, Gerhard A1 - Gebser, Martin A1 - Schaub, Torsten H. T1 - ASP-Based Time-Bounded Planning for Logistics Robots T2 - Twenty-Eighth International Conference on Automated Planning and Scheduling (ICAPS 2018) N2 - Manufacturing industries are undergoing a major paradigm shift towards more autonomy. Automated planning and scheduling then becomes a necessity. The Planning and Execution Competition for Logistics Robots in Simulation held at ICAPS is based on this scenario and provides an interesting testbed. However, the posed problem is challenging as also demonstrated by the somewhat weak results in 2017. The domain requires temporal reasoning and dealing with uncertainty. We propose a novel planning system based on Answer Set Programming and the Clingo solver to tackle these problems and incentivize robot cooperation. Our results show a significant performance improvement, both, in terms of lowering computational requirements and better game metrics. Y1 - 2018 SN - 2334-0835 SN - 2334-0843 SP - 509 EP - 517 PB - ASSOC Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence CY - Palo Alto ER -