Bio-Inspired Robotics

Modern robotic technologies have enabled robots to operate in a variety of unstructured and dynamically-changing environments, in addition to traditional structured environments. Robots have, thus, become an important element in our everyday lives. One key approach to develop such intelligent and autonomous robots is to draw inspiration from biological systems. Biological structure, mechanisms, and underlying principles have the potential to provide new ideas to support the improvement of conventional robotic designs and control. Such biological principles usually originate from animal or even plant models, for robots, which can sense, think, walk, swim, crawl, jump or even fly. Thus, it is believed that these bio-inspired methods are becoming increasingly important in the face of complex applications. Bio-inspired robotics is leading to the study of innovative structures and computing with sensory–motor coordination and learning to achieve intelligence, flexibility, stability, and adaptation for emergent robotic applications, such as manipulation, learning, and control. This Special Issue invites original papers of innovative ideas and concepts, new discoveries and improvements, and novel applications and business models relevant to the selected topics of ``Bio-Inspired Robotics''. Bio-Inspired Robotics is a broad topic and an ongoing expanding field. This Special Issue collates 30 papers that address some of the important challenges and opportunities in this broad and expanding field

Development of a Chain Climbing Robot and an Automated Ultrasound Inspection System for Mooring Chain Integrity Assessment

Mooring chains used to stabilise offshore floating platforms are often subjected to harsh environmental conditions on a daily basis, i.e. high tidal waves, storms etc. Chain breakage can lead to vessel drift and serious damage such as riser rupture, production shutdown and hydrocarbon release. Therefore, integrity assessment of chain links is vital, and regular inspection is mandatory for offshore structures. Currently, structural health monitoring of chain links is conducted using either remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), which are associated with high costs, or by manual means, which increases the risk to human operators. The development of climbing robots for mooring chain applications is still in its infancy due to the operational complexity and geometrical features of the chain. This thesis presents a Cartesian legged magnetic adhesion tracked-wheel crawler robot developed for mooring chain inspection. The crawler robot presented in this study is suitable for mooring chain climbing in air and the technique can be adapted for underwater use. The proposed robot addresses straight mooring chain climbing and a misaligned scenario that is commonly evident in in-situ conditions. The robot can be used as a platform to convey equipment, i.e. tools for non-destructive testing/evaluation applications. The application of ultrasound for in-service mooring chain inspection is still in the early stages due to lack of accessibility, in-field operational complexity and the geometrical features of mooring systems. With the advancement of robotic/automated systems (i.e. chain-climbing robotic mechanisms), interest in in-situ ultrasound inspection has increased. Currently, ultrasound inspection is confined to the weld area of the chain links. However, according to recent studies on fatigue and residual stresses, ultrasound inspection of the chain crown should be further investigated. A new automated application for ultrasonic phased-array full-matrix capture is discussed in this thesis for investigation of the chain crown. The concept of the chain-climbing robot and the inspection technique are validated with laboratory-based climbing experiments and presented in this thesis

Challenges in the Locomotion of Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robots

Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robots (SRMRs) are assemblies of autonomous robotic units, referred to as modules, joined together using active connection mechanisms. By changing the connectivity of these modules, SRMRs are able to deliberately change their own shape in order to adapt to new environmental circumstances. One of the main motivations for the development of SRMRs is that conventional robots are limited in their capabilities by their morphology. The promise of the field of self-reconfigurable modular robotics is to design robots that are robust, self-healing, versatile, multi-purpose, and inexpensive. Despite significant efforts by numerous research groups worldwide, the potential advantages of SRMRs have yet to be realized. A high number of degrees of freedom and connectors make SRMRs more versatile, but also more complex both in terms of mechanical design and control algorithms. Scalability issues affect these robots in terms of hardware, low-level control, and high-level planning. In this thesis we identify and target three major challenges: (i) Hardware design; (ii) Planning and control; and, (iii) Application challenges. To tackle the hardware challenges we redesigned and manufactured the Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robot Roombots to meet desired requirements and characteristics. We explored in detail and improved two major mechanical components of an SRMR: the actuation and the connection mechanisms. We also analyzed the use of compliant extensions to increase locomotion performance in terms of locomotion speed and power consumption. We contributed to the control challenge by developing new methods that allow an arbitrary SRMR structure to learn to locomote in an efficient way. We defined a novel bio-inspired locomotion-learning framework that allows the quick and reliable optimization of new gaits after a morphological change due to self-reconfiguration or human construction. In order to find new suitable application scenarios for SRMRs we envision the use of Roombots modules to create Self-Reconfigurable Robotic Furniture. As a first step towards this vision, we explored the use and control of Plug-n-Play Robotic Elements that can augment existing pieces of furniture and create new functionalities in a household to improve quality of life

Vergleichende Funktionsmorphologie der Haftstrukturen bei Spinnentieren (Arthropoda: Arachnida).

Attachment is one of the major interactions between an organism and its environment. An enormous diversity of organs or secretory products has been evolved to enhance adhesion and friction with various substrates. The biological functions comprise maintenance of position, locomotion, prey capture, defence, reproduction or dispersal. There are numerous studies that deal with this issue in lizards, frogs, insects, barnacles, mussels and echinoderms, but the second largest class of arthropods, the Arachnida, are highly neglected. This work surveys the attachment organs and structures, and adhesive secretions occurring in this class and discusses the relationship between morphology and function, evolutionary trends, and biomimetic potential. The found diversity comprises interlocking and clamping devices (like claws, spines, hooks, pincer, locking piercer and raptorial legs), smooth and hairy adhesive pads, suckers, and hardening and viscid glue. Mechanical attachment is found in every arachnid order. The membrane based smooth adhesive pads occur in pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones), camel spiders (Solifugae), ticks (Ixodida and Holothyrida), mites (Opilioacarida, Mesostigmata, Sarcoptiformes and Trombidiformes), harvestmen nymphs (Opiliones), and prenymphs of scorpions (Scorpiones), whip spiders (Amblypygi) and whip scorpions (Thelyphonida). Hairy adhesive pads are found in spiders (Araneae), harvestmen (Opiliones), mites (Trombidiformes), and hooded tickspiders (Ricinulei). A unique micro-patterned adhesive pad (‘smooth’ pad with spatulae) occurs in whip spiders (Amblypygi). Suckers are present in mites (Sarcoptiformes and Trombidiformes). Hardening glue is produced by spiders (Araneae), whip spiders (Amblypygi), whip scorpions (Thelyphonida), scorpions (Scorpiones), harvestmen (Opiliones), pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones), ticks (Ixodida), and mites (Mesostigmata, Sarcoptiformes and Trombidiformes). Viscid secretions for attachment purposes are produced by spiders (Araneae), harvestmen (Opiliones), and mites (Mesostigmata and Trombidiformes). The mechanical function and fine structure of selected attachment devices was studied, namely the arolia of whip spiders, whip scorpions, scorpions, pseudoscorpions and ticks, the tenent setae of some mites, the glandular setae and secretion of harvestmen, and the silken attachment discs of spiders. Further morphological examinations were performed on the scopulae of harvestmen and ricinuleids, the arolia of harvestmen and the secretions serving camouflage with soil particles in harvestmen and mites. Most structures and secretion properties have remarkable analogies among insects, lizards and tree frogs, which illustrate the optimal biological solutions for universal or specific attachment. This holds for the shape of claws, the spatulate or (rarer) mushroom-like shape of contact elements in adhesive hairs, the inner directed fibrillation of smooth adhesive pads, and the viscoelastic properties of prey capture adhesives. However, some of the described attachment devices are rather unique. In scorpion prenymphs the perhaps most simple type of an adhesive foot pad was found, represented by the non-sclerotized sac-like tip of the pretarsus that is hold in shape by the internal fluid pressure and can be invaginated by a muscle. An aroliar shape building a narrow, transverse contact has evolved in three different orders of arachnids. This structure presumably enhances the ability to switch quickly between a distribution and concentration of stress, which is of high importance for dynamic adhesion. In whip-spiders an arolium was found that exhibits hexagonal microstructures with spatulate tips, which have previously only known from hairy adhesive pads. These pads can generate a high adhesive strength, comparable to spiders and geckoes, even in the absence of fluids. The hexagonal order presumably permits a rapid drainage, enhancing the adhesion on wet surfaces, as known from tree frogs. The prehensile tarsi of harvestmen have dense pads of thin pointed setae, permitting a secure grip without the necessity of adhesive structures. The glandular setae of harvestmen exhibit special microstructures that arrest a droplet of viscid glue even at high pulling stresses. The silken attachment discs of spiders are secretory glue products with a unique hierarchical structure enhancing the flaw tolerance and attachment performance on anti-adhesive surfaces. The results may be of high relevance for our understanding of the function and evolution of attachment devices, as well as for the life history, behaviour, ecology and phylogeny of arachnids. The findings may also be a source of inspiration for biomimetic approaches and demonstrate that the high neglecting of arachnids in biomechanic research is unjustified.Befestigung ist eine der wichtigsten Interaktionen zwischen einem Organismus und seiner Umwelt. Zu diesem Zweck entstand im Laufe der Evolution eine enorme Vielfalt an Klammer- und Haftorganen sowie klebrigen Sekreten. Ihre biologischen Funktionen umfassen Positions-Beibehaltung, Fortbewegung, Beutefang, Verteidigung, Reproduktion und Verbreitung. Zahlreiche Studien befassen sich mit dem Aufbau, der mechanischen Funktion und der stofflichen Zusammensetzung solcher Organe oder Sekrete bei Echsen, Fröschen, Insekten, Seepocken, Muscheln oder Stachelhäutern, aber die zweitgrößte Klasse der Gliederfüßer (Arthropoda), die Spinnentiere (Arachnida), sind bei dieser Forschung weitgehend ignoriert. Diese Arbeit gibt einen Überblick über Haftorgane, -strukturen, und -sekrete in dieser Tierklasse und diskutiert den Zusammenhang zwischen deren Morphologie und Funktion, evolutionäre Trends und ihr Potenzial für die Bionik. Die Haftorgane der Arachniden umfassen Verhakung- und Klammer-Vorrichtungen (Krallen, Stacheln, Haken, Zangen, Riegel, Klammer- und Fangbeine), glatte und haarige Haftpolster, Saugnäpfe, sowie aushärtende oder schleimartige Klebstoffe. Vorrichtungen zur mechanischen Haftung, wie Krallen, treten in jeder Arachniden-Ordnung auf. Die membran-basierten glatten Haftpolster treten bei den Pseudoskorpionen (Pseudoscorpiones), Walzenspinnen (Solifugae), Zecken (Ixodida und Holothyrida), Milben (Opilioacarida, Mesostigmata, Sarcoptiformes und Trombidiformes), Weberknecht-Nymphen (Opiliones), sowie den Pränymphen von Skorpionen (Scorpiones), Geißelspinnen (Amblypygi) und Geißelskorpionen (Thelyphonida) auf. Hafthaare (mit spatelförmigen Terminalstrukturen) kommen bei Spinnen (Araneae), Weberknechten (Opiliones), Milben (Trombidiformes) und Kapuzenspinnen (Ricinulei) vor. Eine einzigartige Form eines ‚glatten’ Haftpolsters mit spatulären Strukturen wurde in Geißelspinnen (Amblypygi) gefunden. Saugnäpfe finden sich bei einigen Milben (Sarcoptiformes und Trombidiformes). Aushärtender Klebstoff wird produziert von Spinnen (Araneae), Geißelspinnen (Amblypygi), Geißelskorpionen (Thelyphonida), Skorpionen (Scorpiones), Weberknechten (Opiliones), Pseudoskorpionen (Pseudoscorpiones), Zecken (Ixodida) und Milben (Mesostigmata, Sarcoptiformes und Trombidiformes). Schleimartige Klebstoffe gibt es bei Spinnen (Araneae), Weberknechten (Opiliones) und einigen Milben (Mesostigmata und Trombidiformes). Die mechanische Funktion und Feinstruktur wurde an ausgewählten Haftstrukturen näher untersucht: die Arolien der Geißelspinnen, Geißelskorpione, Skorpione, Pseudoskorpione und Zecken, die Hafthaare einiger Milben, die Drüsenhaare und Haftsekrete von Weberknechten, sowie die seidenen Haftscheiben der Spinnen. Desweiteren wurden morphologische Untersuchungen durchgeführt an den Scopulae von Weberknechten und Kapuzenspinnen, den Arolien bei Weberknechten, sowie den Sekreten zur Anhaftung von Bodenpartikeln zur Tarnung bei Weberknechten und Milben. Für die meisten Strukturen und Sekrete gibt es erstaunlich ähnliche Analogien bei Insekten, Echsen und Fröschen, was die optimalen biologischen Lösungen für universelle oder spezifische Haftung aufzeigt. Dies gilt für die Form und Struktur von Krallen, die spatuläre oder (seltener) pilzkopfartige Form von adhäsiven Kontaktelementen, die faserige innere Struktur glatter Haftpolster, sowie die Viskoelastizität schleimartiger Klebstoffe zum Beutefang. Einige der beschriebenen Haftstrukturen sind dagegen Besonderheiten der Spinnentiere. Bei den Pränymphen der Skorpione wurde die vielleicht basalste Art eines adhäsiven Fußpolsters gefunden, gebildet von der nicht-sklerotisierten sack-artigen Spitze des Prätarsus. Diese wird in Form gehalten durch den inneren Flüssigkeitsdruck und lässt sich durch einen Muskel zurück ziehen. Eine besondere Form des Aroliums, welche mit dem Substrat eine schmale Kontaktfläche quer zur Beinachse bildet, ist in drei Arachniden-Ordnungen unabhängig voneinander entstanden. Dies verbessert wahrscheinlich die Fähigkeit schnell zwischen Stressverteilung und Stresskonzentration zu wechseln, was für dynamisches Haften von großer Bedeutung ist. In Geißelspinnen wurde ein Arolium gefunden das hexagonale Mikrostrukturen mit apikalen Spatulae aufweist. Spatulae waren zuvor nur von Hafthaaren bekannt. Die Haftpolster der Geißelspinnen können auch ohne die Kapillarkraft durch Sekrete eine große Haftstärke generieren, vergleichbar mit den haarigen Haftpolstern von Spinnen und Geckos. Die hexagonalen Strukturen begünstigen wahrscheinlich den Ausfluss von Flüssigkeiten aus dem Kontakt, was den Halt auf nassen Oberflächen verbessert, ein Prinzip das von den Haftzehen von Baumfröschen bekannt ist. Die vielgliedrigen Greiffüße von Weberknechten sind mit dichten Polstern feiner Häärchen besetzt, was vermutlich einen sicheren Griff auf zahlreichen Oberflächen ermöglicht, ganz ohne die Notwendigkeit von adhäsiven Strukturen. Die Drüsenhaare von Weberknechten zeichnen sich durch den Besatz mit speziellen Mikrotrichien aus, wodurch sich der anhaftende klebrige Sekret-Tropfen selbst bei starkem Zug nicht ablöst. Die seidenen Haftscheiben von Spinnen sind sekretorische Klebstoff-Produkte mit einer einzigartigen hierarchischen Struktur, die die Haftung auf mikrostrukturierten und anti-adhäsiven Oberflächen verbessert. Die Ergebnisse können von hoher Relevanz für das Verständnis über die Funktion und Evolution von Haftstrukturen, sowie der Biologie, der Ökologie, dem Verhalten und der Systematik der Arachniden sein. Sie können auch eine Inspirationsquelle für bionische Ansätze zur Lösung technischer Probleme oder der Verbesserung von Produkten sein. Die Studie zeigt, dass bei Arachniden eine Fülle spannender Mechanismen zu finden sind, und sie damit wertvolle Studienobjekte der Biomechanik sind

Fabricate 2014

FABRICATE is an international peer reviewed conference that takes place every three years with a supporting publication on the theme of Digital Fabrication. Discussing the progressive integration of digital design with manufacturing processes, and its impact on design and making in the 21st century, FABRICATE brings together pioneers in design and making within architecture, construction, engineering, manufacturing, materials technology and computation. Discussion on key themes includes: how digital fabrication technologies are enabling new creative and construction opportunities from component to building scales, the difficult gap that exists between digital modelling and its realisation, material performance and manipulation, off-site and on-site construction, interdisciplinary education, economic and sustainable contexts. FABRICATE features cutting-edge built work from both academia and practice, making it a unique event that attracts delegates from all over the worl

Using MapReduce Streaming for Distributed Life Simulation on the Cloud

Distributed software simulations are indispensable in the study of large-scale life models but often require the use of technically complex lower-level distributed computing frameworks, such as MPI. We propose to overcome the complexity challenge by applying the emerging MapReduce (MR) model to distributed life simulations and by running such simulations on the cloud. Technically, we design optimized MR streaming algorithms for discrete and continuous versions of Conway’s life according to a general MR streaming pattern. We chose life because it is simple enough as a testbed for MR’s applicability to a-life simulations and general enough to make our results applicable to various lattice-based a-life models. We implement and empirically evaluate our algorithms’ performance on Amazon’s Elastic MR cloud. Our experiments demonstrate that a single MR optimization technique called strip partitioning can reduce the execution time of continuous life simulations by 64%. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to propose and evaluate MR streaming algorithms for lattice-based simulations. Our algorithms can serve as prototypes in the development of novel MR simulation algorithms for large-scale lattice-based a-life models.https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/scs_books/1014/thumbnail.jp