82 research outputs found
Using a Soft Growing Robot as a Sensor Delivery System in Remote Environments: A Practical Case Study
Soft continuum robots are a new class of robotic devices, which are very promising for enabling measurement applications especially in remote, difficult-to-reach environments. In this work, we propose the use of a particular soft robot, which is able to evert and steer from the tip, as a sensor delivery system. The measurement system consists of two major sections: i) the robotic platform for movement purposes; and ii) the sensing part (i.e., a sensor attached to its tip to enable the measurement). As a case study of the use of the soft-growing robot as a sensor-delivery system, the transportation of a wired thermocouple towards a remote hot source was considered. The preliminary results anticipate the suitability of soft continuum robotic platforms for remote applications in confined and constrained environments
Soft Robotics and its Applications
Bakalářská práce se zabývá tématem Soft robotiky a jeho rozdělením do základních kategorií. První část práce je věnována základním informacím o této problematice, inspiracím, historii a institucím, které se touto problematikou zabývají. Následuje rozdělení Soft robotiky do kategorii. Závěr práce se věnuje současnému stavu a dalším oblastem vývoje.Bachelor thesis deals with the topic of Soft robotics its distribution into individual categories. The first part of the thesis is dedicated basic information about this issue, inspirations, history and institutions which are interested in this topic. Next follows the division of Soft robotics into categories. Last part of the thesis is devoted to the current state of Soft robotics and areas of development in this field.354 - Katedra robotikyvýborn
Flora robotica -- An Architectural System Combining Living Natural Plants and Distributed Robots
Key to our project flora robotica is the idea of creating a bio-hybrid system
of tightly coupled natural plants and distributed robots to grow architectural
artifacts and spaces. Our motivation with this ground research project is to
lay a principled foundation towards the design and implementation of living
architectural systems that provide functionalities beyond those of orthodox
building practice, such as self-repair, material accumulation and
self-organization. Plants and robots work together to create a living organism
that is inhabited by human beings. User-defined design objectives help to steer
the directional growth of the plants, but also the system's interactions with
its inhabitants determine locations where growth is prohibited or desired
(e.g., partitions, windows, occupiable space). We report our plant species
selection process and aspects of living architecture. A leitmotif of our
project is the rich concept of braiding: braids are produced by robots from
continuous material and serve as both scaffolds and initial architectural
artifacts before plants take over and grow the desired architecture. We use
light and hormones as attraction stimuli and far-red light as repelling
stimulus to influence the plants. Applied sensors range from simple proximity
sensing to detect the presence of plants to sophisticated sensing technology,
such as electrophysiology and measurements of sap flow. We conclude by
discussing our anticipated final demonstrator that integrates key features of
flora robotica, such as the continuous growth process of architectural
artifacts and self-repair of living architecture.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figure
Shape of an elastica under growth restricted by friction
We investigate the quasi-static growth of elastic fibers in the presence of
dry or viscous friction. An unusual form of destabilization beyond a critical
length is described. In order to characterize this phenomenon, a new definition
of stability against infinitesimal perturbations over finite time intervals is
proposed and a semi-analytical method for the determination of the critical
length is developed. The post-critical behavior of the system is studied by
using an appropriate numerical scheme based on variational methods. We find
post-critical shapes for uniformly distributed as well as for concentrated
growth and demonstrate convergence to a figure-8 shape for large lengths when
self-crossing is allowed. Comparison with simple physical experiments yields
reasonable accuracy of the theoretical predictions
Vine Robots: Design, Teleoperation, and Deployment for Navigation and Exploration
A new class of continuum robots has recently been explored, characterized by
tip extension, significant length change, and directional control. Here, we
call this class of robots "vine robots," due to their similar behavior to
plants with the growth habit of trailing. Due to their growth-based movement,
vine robots are well suited for navigation and exploration in cluttered
environments, but until now, they have not been deployed outside the lab.
Portability of these robots and steerability at length scales relevant for
navigation are key to field applications. In addition, intuitive
human-in-the-loop teleoperation enables movement in unknown and dynamic
environments. We present a vine robot system that is teleoperated using a
custom designed flexible joystick and camera system, long enough for use in
navigation tasks, and portable for use in the field. We report on deployment of
this system in two scenarios: a soft robot navigation competition and
exploration of an archaeological site. The competition course required movement
over uneven terrain, past unstable obstacles, and through a small aperture. The
archaeological site required movement over rocks and through horizontal and
vertical turns. The robot tip successfully moved past the obstacles and through
the tunnels, demonstrating the capability of vine robots to achieve navigation
and exploration tasks in the field.Comment: IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, 2019. Video available at
https://youtu.be/9NtXUL69g_
Soft Inflatable Fingers: An Overview of Design, Prototyping and Sensorisation for Various Applications
Fabric-based soft actuators, grippers and manipulators are gaining in popularity due to their ability to handle large payloads while being lightweight, extremely compliant, low-cost and fully collapsible. Achieving full-pose sensing of fabric fingers without compromising on these advantageous properties, however, remains a challenge. This paper overviews work on soft fabric-based inflatable finger design, actuation and sensorisation carried out at the Centre for Advanced Robotics at Queen Mary (ARQ), University of London. Further experimental analysis has been performed to examine features such as bending control and eversion (growing from the tip) in fabric fingers for grasping applications. In addition, two types of grasp force have been measured for a bi-fingered gripper: envelope grasping and pinch grasping. Beyond force measurement, this paper advances a new concept for the sensorisation of fabric grippers using soft optical waveguide sensors and proposes shape estimation using image processing
Payload capabilities and operational limits of eversion robots
Recent progress in soft robotics has seen new types of actuation mechanisms based on apical extension which allows robots to grow to unprecedented lengths. Eversion robots are a type of robots based on the principle of apical extension offering excellent maneuverability and ease of control allowing users to conduct tasks from a distance. Mechanical modelling of these robotic structures is very important for understanding their operational capabilities. In this paper, we model the eversion robot as a thin-walled cylindrical beam inflated with air pressure, using Timoshenko beam theory considering rotational and shear effects. We examine the various failure modes of the eversion robots such as yielding, buckling instability and lateral collapse, and study the payloads and operational limits of these robots in axial and lateral loading conditions. Surface maps showing the operational boundaries for different combinations of the geometrical parameters are presented. This work provides insights into the design of eversion robots and can pave the way towards eversion robots with high payload capabilities that can act from long distances
Robotic Barrier Construction through Weaved, Inflatable Tubes
In this article, we present a mechanism and related path planning algorithm
to construct light-duty barriers out of extruded, inflated tubes weaved around
existing environmental features. Our extruded tubes are based on everted
vine-robots and in this context, we present a new method to steer their growth.
We characterize the mechanism in terms of accuracy resilience, and, towards
their use as barriers, the ability of the tubes to withstand distributed loads.
We further explore an algorithm which, given a feature map and the size and
direction of the external load, can determine where and how to extrude the
barrier. Finally, we showcase the potential of this method in an autonomously
extruded two-layer wall weaved around three pipes. While preliminary, our work
indicates that this method has the potential for barrier construction in
cluttered environments, e.g. shelters against wind or snow. Future work may
show how to achieve tighter weaves, how to leverage weave friction for improved
strength, how to assess barrier performance for feedback control, and how to
operate the extrusion mechanism off of a mobile robot
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