Latest Papers

ASME Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics

  • Mechanical Characterization of Supernumerary Robotic Tails for Human Balance Augmentation
    on August 31, 2023 at 12:00 am

    AbstractHumans are intrinsically unstable in quiet stance from a rigid body system viewpoint; however, they maintain balance, thanks to neuro-muscular sensory control properties. With increasing levels of balance related incidents in industrial and ageing populations globally each year, the development of assistive mechanisms to augment human balance is paramount. This work investigates the mechanical characteristics of kinematically dissimilar one and two degrees-of-freedom (DoF) supernumerary robotic tails for balance augmentation. Through dynamic simulations and manipulability assessments, the importance of variable coupling inertia in creating a sufficient reaction torque is highlighted. It is shown that two-DoF tails with solely revolute joints are best suited to address the balance augmentation issue. Within the two-DoF options, the characteristics of open versus closed loop tails are investigated, with the ultimate design selection requiring trade-offs between environmental workspace, biomechanical factors, and manufacturing ease to be made.

Feasibility Design and Control of a Lower Leg Gait Emulator Utilizing a Mobile 3-Revolute, Prismatic, Revolute Parallel Manipulator

Abstract

Design and control of lower extremity robotic prostheses are iterative tasks that would greatly benefit from testing platforms that would autonomously replicate realistic gait conditions. This paper presents the design of a novel mobile 3-degree-of-freedom (DOF) parallel manipulator integrated with a mobile base to emulate human gait for lower limb prosthesis evaluation in the sagittal plane. The integrated mobile base provides a wider workspace range of motion along the gait direction and reduces the requirement of the parallel manipulator’s actuators and links. The parallel manipulator design is optimal to generate the defined gait trajectories with both motion and force requirements using commercially available linear actuators. An integrated active force control with proportional integral derivative (PID) control provided more desirable control compared to traditional PID control in terms of error reduction. The novelty of the work includes the methodology of human data-oriented optimal mechanism design and the concept of a mobile parallel robot to extend the translational workspace of the parallel manipulator with substantially reduced actuator requirements, allowing the evaluation of prostheses in instrumented walkways or integrated with instrumented treadmills.

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