Robot arm
A robot arm or robotic arm can be classified as articulated and not articulated. It’s more autonomous than a simple mechanic arm and can be used to lift small parts with high precision and velocity. It’s generally used in tasks such as: welding, painting, assembling, packaging, storage, product inspection and test and even in spacecrafts as can be seen below:

OpenGL
OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a standard specification that defines an API (Application Program Interface) that is multi-language and multi-platform and that enables the codification of applications that output computerized graphics in 2D and 3D.

Computer graphics paper
I and a dear brother in faith of mine called Wellington Magalhães Leite wrote a paper titled: Construction and Simulation of a Robot Arm with OpenGL

We used the Tao Framework C# biding to OpenGL during the construction of the robot arm.

See one of the screenshots of our robot arm:

See the paper's abstract below:

The importance of projects related to the field of Computer Graphics in simulations has been growing a lot during the last years. Therefore it brings to life the necessity of mastering the concepts and techniques inherent to the process of elaboration, construction and simulation of a given graphical project.

The OpenGPL API specification tries to help us when we are programming the graphical details of a given project. In this article we’re showing the necessary steps and routines to the proper codification and simulation of a robotic arm in 3D, which is the most employed robot in the manufacturing industry and in areas that require a high precision rate.

With a simulation (virtual) model, we can have a closer vision of the object of study in contrast with reality, what make us capable of foreseeing how a determined object will look like and how it will behave after its proper construction in the physical world.

Keywords: robot arm, OpenGL, 3D simulation, computer graphics

You can get a PDF copy of the article at:

https://github.com/leniel/leniel.net/blob/master/Uploads/ConstructionSimulationRobotArmOpenGL.pdf

Visual Studio C# Windows Application
You can get the Microsoft Visual Studio Project and the executables at:

https://github.com/leniel/leniel.net/blob/master/Uploads/RobotArmOpenGLCSharp.zip

Ordinary Differential Equation
In mathematics, an ordinary differential equation (or ODE) is a relation that contains functions of only one independent variable, and one or more of its derivatives with respect to that variable. To get in depth knowledge about ODEs refer to this article at Wikipedia.

A scientific magazine article
As the result of the Numerical Calculus discipline's classwork during the 4th term of the computer engineering course I and the teacher Dener Martins dos Santos decided to write an article about ordinary differential equations. In that discipline we studied about the classic methods for the resolution of ordinary differential equations.

We ended up with a concise informative article with the following title: Development and Numerical Simulation of Algorithms to Computational Resolution of Ordinary Differential Equations. Then we submitted the article to the scientific magazine of my alma mater university. We made it in the magazine called Revista Científica do Centro Universitário de Barra Mansa.

See the article's abstract below:

The computational simulation nowadays consists of a great tool assisting the learning process of complex mathematical calculations. This informative article shows how the computational resolution of differential equations assists in this learning. Two different types of computational resolution for differential equations are demonstrated: explicit Euler's method and Runge-Kutta's fourth order method. The programs were developed in C programming language. The results obtained via both methods are compared with the respective analytical solution (traditional, manual); in these a low level of generated computational error was perceived during their simulation, not compromising the methods.

Keywords: ordinary differential equations, numerical methods, C programming.

SUMMARY
1 INTRODUCTION
2 OBJECTIVE
3 REVISION
4 METHODOLOGY
  4.1 Programs
5 RESULTS
  5.1 Differential equation 1
      5.1.1 Initial conditions
      5.1.2 Analytical solution (traditional)
      5.1.3 Graphical solution
            5.1.3.1 Explicit Euler’s method
            5.1.3.2 Runge-Kutta’s fourth order method
  5.2 Differential equation 2
      5.2.1 Initial conditions
      5.2.2 Analytical solution (traditional)
      5.2.3 Graphical solution
            5.2.3.1 Explicit Euler’s method
            5.2.3.2 Runge-Kutta’s fourth order method
6 CONCLUSION
7 BIBLIOGRAPHY

See a screenshot of the output of Runge-Kutta's fourth order method when simulated with the 1st equation described in the paper:

You can get a PDF copy of the article at:

http://leniel.googlepages.com/DevNumSimOfAlgorithmsCompResOfODEs.pdf

It’s known that computers help men in the more diverse areas. We see nowadays that great part of men’s activities use in some way resources proceeding from the technological evolution that in its turn is leveraged by the advancement in computational resources. However, caution is necessary.

There are a lot of barriers that complicate men’s lives when they don’t use the computer power in an adequate way. Between those barriers I can cite: aspects related to health, social life, professional life and even education. Let’s see for example: if a man doesn’t take care of his physical body, it dies.

With the intensive use of computers, the majority of people forget about physical exercises. If a man forgets about the life outside, that is, thinks that the planet only spins around the computer, this man looses his life. If a man thinks that the computer can solve any problem, this man is wrong.

A computer is only a tool. The true architects are us, the men. Without our instructions the computer is incapable of executing a task.

Leaving the bad part of the topic, let’s see some positive effects of computers on society: information access through the internet that on the other hand lends to a better informed society. Increase in job opportunities coming from better environments. The velocity we arrive at results once unthinkable of being achieved. This velocity contributes to the development of advanced resources in the research area that on the other hand will influence the more diverse branches of society.

Computers are now part of our lives. It’s our responsibility to be rational and to search for better ways of interacting with them. We must evolve together with the technological innovations, but we must not give up life. We must not be bound to the new.

Only each one of us can choose its way but a world of information is here and whoever doesn’t try to get the perfect comprehension of reality can be in a worse position. You are your manager.