Discrete Cosserat Approach for Multi-Section Soft Robots Dynamics

In spite of recent progress, soft robotics still suffers from a lack of unified modeling framework. Nowadays, the most adopted model for the design and control of soft robots is the piece-wise constant curvature model, with its consolidated benefits and drawbacks. In this work, an alternative model for multisection soft robots dynamics is presented based on a discrete Cosserat approach, which, not only takes into account shear and torsional deformations, essentials to cope with out-of-plane external loads, but also inherits the geometrical and mechanical properties of the continuous Cosserat model, making it the natural soft robotics counterpart of the traditional rigid robotics dynamics model. The soundness of the model is demonstrated through extensive simulation and experimental results for both plane and out-of-plane motions.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure

Electroactive polymers as soft robotic actuators: Electromechanical modeling and identification

Biologically inspired robotic applications have recently received significant attention due to developments in novel materials and actuators with an operation principle similar to the natural muscles’. Electroactive polymer (EAP) actuators, also known as artificial muscles, possess extraordinary properties such as low efficiency consumption, compliance, bio-compatibility and ability to be miniaturized. Although several methodologies have been proposed for modeling and identification of their quasi-static bending behavior, a negligibly small attention has been given to their dynamic behavior. In this paper, we, therefore, report on their electromechanical modeling and parameter identification. We model the tri-layer EAP actuators as a soft robotic actuator consisting of a significant number of rigid links connected with compliant revolute joints. The experimental and numerical results presented suggest that the soft robotics approach is an effective way to model the EAP actuator and subsequently identify its dynamic parameters accurately. We have previously employed the same soft robotic approach to estimate the whole shape of the EAP actuator as a function of time

Advanced Strategies for Robot Manipulators

Amongst the robotic systems, robot manipulators have proven themselves to be of increasing importance and are widely adopted to substitute for human in repetitive and/or hazardous tasks. Modern manipulators are designed complicatedly and need to do more precise, crucial and critical tasks. So, the simple traditional control methods cannot be efficient, and advanced control strategies with considering special constraints are needed to establish. In spite of the fact that groundbreaking researches have been carried out in this realm until now, there are still many novel aspects which have to be explored