In this study, we present a modular worm-like robot, which utilizes voice coils as a new paradigm in soft robot actuation. Drive electronics are incorporated into the actuators, providing a significant improvement in self-sufficiency when compared with existing soft robot actuation modes such as pneumatics or hydraulics. The body plan of this robot is inspired by the phylum Annelida and consists of three-dimensional printed voice coil actuators, which are connected by flexible silicone membranes. Each electromagnetic actuator engages with its neighbor to compress or extend the membrane of each segment, and the sequence in which they are actuated results in an earthworm-inspired peristaltic motion. We find that a minimum of three segments is required for locomotion, but due to our modular design, robots of any length can be quickly and easily assembled. In addition to actuation, voice coils provide audio input and output capabilities. We demonstrate transmission of data between segments by high-frequency carrier waves and, using a similar mechanism, we note that the passing of power between coupled coils in neighboring modules—or from an external power source—is also possible. Voice coils are a convenient multifunctional alternative to existing soft robot actuators. Their self-contained nature and ability to communicate with each other are ideal for modular robotics, and the additional functionality of sound input/output and power transfer will become increasingly useful as soft robots begin the transition from early proof-of-concept systems toward fully functional and highly integrated robotic systems.

Abstract. We present a linguistic application that uses web technologies to promote the reuse of research data in the form of Interlinear Glossed Text (IGT), which is a well-established data format within philology and the structural and generative fields of linguistics. Here we present the modules and procedures of the online database TypeCraft.3 IGT is a sought after commodity in NLP and an integral part of scholarly linguistic work. It not rarely represents the only structured data available for less-resourced or endangered languages. While archiving of structured data from endangered languages is already well on its way [2], the free creation and exchange of linguistic data in the form of linked IGTs still needs to gain in popularity.

In a manuscript William Labov (1987) states that although linguistics is a field with a long historical tradition and with a high degree of consensus on basic categories, it experiences a fundamental devision concerning the role that quantitative methods should play as part of the research progress. Linguists differ in the role they assign to the use of natural language examples in linguistic research and in the publication of its results. In this paper we suggest that the general availability of richly annotated, multi-lingual data directly suited for scientific publications could have a positive impact on the way we think about language, and how we approach linguistics.We encourage the systematic generation of linguistic data beyond what emerges from fieldwork and other descriptive studies and introduce an online glossing tool for textual data annotation. We argue that the availability of such an online tool will facilitate the generation of in-depth annotated linguistic examples as part of linguistic research. This in turn will allow the build-up of linguistic resources which can be used independent of the research focus and of the theoretical framework applied. The tool we would like to present is a non-expert-user system designed in particular for the work with lesser documented languages. It has been used for the documentation of several African languages, and has served for two projects involving universities in Africa.