There is provided a roughness tester that improves measurement efficiency and roughness measurement accuracy. A roughness tester includes a stylus unit including a stylus that is provided in such a manner as to protrude from and retract into a through hole of a skid and performs scanning movement along a surface of a workpiece, and a stylus displacement detecting unit that detects displacement of the stylus, and a drive unit that moves the stylus unit forward and backward in a drive-axis direction. The roughness tester further includes a height detector that is provided in such a manner as to face a front end face of the main-body housing part, interposing the skid between the height detector and the front end face and that detects a height of an object in a direction parallel with a measurement axis. When the height detector detects the object at the same height of the height of the main-body support foot in the measurement axis direction, the drive unit automatically starts driving in order for the stylus unit to perform scanning measurement of the surface of the workpiece.

Methods and apparatus provide for obtaining a gravity free shape, and intrinsic shape, and a thermal strain of a glass sheet and using same to improve glass manufacturing techniques.

A method of capturing haptic content of an object, where the capturing involves a plurality of communication devices includes recognizing haptic content captured by a first communication device and properties associated with the captured haptic content and recognizing properties associated with a second communication device, and determining, at least partly based on the acquired properties, whether or not the second communication device is to participate in the capturing of the haptic content. Haptic content captured by the second communication device is then recognized by the haptic device, and a combination of the haptic content captured by the first communication device with the haptic content captured by the second communication device, can then be initiated. A haptic device and a system, capable of executing the method suggested above are also described.

A surface finish stylus and associated methods for a multi-directional scanning probe the stylus having an elongate stylus shaft having a longitudinal axis and one or more contact elements protruding from the elongate shaft for contacting a surface to be measured. The one or more contact elements are configured to enable measurement of surface finish during motion of the stylus shaft relative to a surface along a measurement direction that is non-parallel to the longitudinal axis. The multi-directional scanning probe may be carried by a coordinate measuring machine or machine tool.

A profiling machine includes an inclinometer and a displacement sensor. The inclinometer is configured to sense an incline of the profiling machine on a surface relative to the acceleration vector of gravity. The displacement sensor is configured to sense the distance that profiling machine has traversed along the surface. The profiling machine is configured to calculate and generate a surface profile of the surface based on incline data from the inclinometer and displacement data from the displacement sensor.

A fastener locating tool equipped with a sensor head having one or more probes and a method for operating such a tool for precisely locating a fastener that is hidden or buried under a thick coating applied on a surface of a structure. The fastener locating tool may be manually or automatically operated. The fastener locating tool includes a platform having a central opening, means for temporarily attaching the platform to a coated surface, and a sensor head that may be easily mechanically coupled to and then later decoupled from the platform. Optionally, the fastener locating tool also includes a multi-stage positioning system with X and Y stages which may be used to adjust the position of the sensor head. The sensor head includes at least one probe which generates electrical signals indicating the presence of a fastener beneath a coating when the probe is within a detection range.

Provided according to the present invention is a road surface profiler performance measuring instrument, which implements a virtual road surface state in order to assess the performance of a road surface profiler (A) including a distance measurement unit (10) and a flatness measurement unit (20), the measuring instrument comprising: a travel operation unit (100) for augmenting movement distance information (a) generated by the distance measurement unit (10); and a height adjustment unit (200) for changing height information (b) generated by the flatness measurement unit (20).

Provided according to the present invention is a road surface profiler performance measuring instrument, which implements a virtual road surface state in order to assess the performance of a road surface profiler (A) including a distance measurement unit (10) and a flatness measurement unit (20), the measuring instrument comprising: a travel operation unit (100) for augmenting movement distance information (a) generated by the distance measurement unit (10); and a height adjustment unit (200) for changing height information (b) generated by the flatness measurement unit (20).

Systems, methods, and apparatus for acquiring surface profile information (e.g., depths at multiple points) from limited-access structures and objects using an autonomous or remotely operated flying platform (such as an unmanned aerial vehicle). The systems proposed herein use a profilometer to measure the profile of an area on a surface where visual inspection has indicated that the surface has a potential anomaly. After the system has gathered data representing the surface profile in the area containing the potential anomaly, a determination may be made whether the collected image data indicates that the structure or object should be repaired or may be used as is.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for acquiring surface profile information (e.g., depths at multiple points) from limited-access structures and objects using an autonomous or remotely operated flying platform (such as an unmanned aerial vehicle). The systems proposed herein use a profilometer to measure the profile of an area on a surface where visual inspection has indicated that the surface has a potential anomaly. After the system has gathered data representing the surface profile in the area containing the potential anomaly, a determination may be made whether the collected image data indicates that the structure or object should be repaired or may be used as is.