Mechanical Characterization of Supernumerary Robotic Tails for Human Balance Augmentation
Abstract Humans 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 […]
Analysis and Optimization of a 6-DoF 3- R R P S Parallel Mechanism for Robot-Assisted Long-Bone Fracture Surgery
Abstract Robot-assisted femur repair has been of increased interest in recent literature due to the success of robot-assisted surgeries and current reoperation rates for femur fracture surgeries. The current limitation of robot-assisted femur fracture surgery is the lack of large force generation and sufficient workspace size in traditional mechanisms. To address these challenges, our group […]
A Cyclic Differentiable Manifold Representation of Redundant Manipulator Kinematics
Abstract An inverse kinematic mapping for redundant serial manipulators is presented at the configuration level, for which periodic manipulator operational trajectories map into periodic input trajectories, i.e., for which serial manipulators are cyclic. The inverse kinematic mapping defines a differentiable manifold on which output and self-motion coordinates comprise operational coordinates that represent manipulator redundant degrees-of-freedom. […]
Development of a Low-Cost Soft Robot Fish With Biomimetic Swimming Performance
Abstract This paper investigates the methodology and techniques for a soft biomimetic robot fish that has a straightforward design, relatively simple fabrication, and low cost. In addition to the investigations of fabrication techniques, we also explore the numerical analysis of the biological fish swimming performance, with its inspiration for robot fish design, which is less […]
Configuration Synthesis Method of Multi-Mode Parallel Mechanism Based on Variable Mobility Branch
Abstract In order to obtain more configurations of multi-mode parallel mechanism with the expected motion modes, a new configuration synthesis method of multi-mode parallel mechanism is proposed in this paper. The generation principle of parallel mechanism with multiple motion modes is analyzed. The relation between the motion of moving platform and the motion of branch […]
Single-Actuated Camshaft Robot With Multiple Sequential Motions
Abstract Pipeline inspection in unknown environments is challenging for robots, and various in-pipe crawling robots have been developed in recent years to perform pipeline inspection. Most of these robots comprise multiple parts and require multiple actuators to realize the pipeline locomotion, resulting in complicated system composition and large energy consumption. In this paper, inspired by […]
High Precision Trajectory Learning Method Based Improved Dynamic Movement Primitives for Robot Skill Learning
Abstract In robot skill learning, the higher accuracy of trajectory reproduction, the smaller difference between the trajectory reproduced by the robot and the expected trajectory, and the higher accuracy and reliability of the robot’s task execution. In robot skill learning methods based on dynamic movement primitives, the problems are found that the tail exponential decay […]
Dynamics of a Parallel-Kinematics Machine With Six Pairs of Offset Joints
Abstract The authors propose a systematic formulation of the dynamics of the 6-P-RR-R-RR parallel-kinematics machine (PKM) with offset RR -joints. The kinematics of the same system is reported in an accompanying paper. Based on the kinematics model developed in the former, the dynamics model of the limb-chain is derived here using the Newton–Euler equations. Then, […]
Energy-Efficient Tristable Soft Gripper Using Shape Memory Alloy Wires for Gripping Convex and Concave Objects
Abstract Bistable structures have been widely utilized in soft grippers to reduce the energy required for maintaining grip. Grippers have been investigated in terms of the energy efficiency and accuracy of gripping; however, the limited number of gripping states hinders the holding of objects of various shapes. In this study, an energy-efficient gripper was developed […]
Enhancing Kinematic Calibration Accuracy for Parallel Manipulators Based on Truncated Total Least-Square Regularization
Abstract This article proposes a novel kinematic calibration approach to address the ill-conditioned identification matrix problem and enhance the accuracy of parallel manipulators (PMs). The kinematic calibration approach applies the truncated total least-square (T-TLS) regularization method to the inverse kinematic calibration of PMs and does not have the unit inconsistency issue and configuration selection issue. […]
