28 research outputs found
Computational Synthesis of Wearable Robot Mechanisms: Application to Hip-Joint Mechanisms
Since wearable linkage mechanisms could control the moment transmission from
actuator(s) to wearers, they can help ensure that even low-cost wearable
systems provide advanced functionality tailored to users' needs. For example,
if a hip mechanism transforms an input torque into a spatially-varying moment,
a wearer can get effective assistance both in the sagittal and frontal planes
during walking, even with an affordable single-actuator system. However, due to
the combinatorial nature of the linkage mechanism design space, the topologies
of such nonlinear-moment-generating mechanisms are challenging to determine,
even with significant computational resources and numerical data. Furthermore,
on-premise production development and interactive design are nearly impossible
in conventional synthesis approaches. Here, we propose an innovative autonomous
computational approach for synthesizing such wearable robot mechanisms,
eliminating the need for exhaustive searches or numerous data sets. Our method
transforms the synthesis problem into a gradient-based optimization problem
with sophisticated objective and constraint functions while ensuring the
desired degree of freedom, range of motion, and force transmission
characteristics. To generate arbitrary mechanism topologies and dimensions, we
employed a unified ground model. By applying the proposed method for the design
of hip joint mechanisms, the topologies and dimensions of non-series-type hip
joint mechanisms were obtained. Biomechanical simulations validated its
multi-moment assistance capability, and its wearability was verified via
prototype fabrication. The proposed design strategy can open a new way to
design various wearable robot mechanisms, such as shoulders, knees, and ankles.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figures, Supplementary Material
Design of a lower-limb exoskeleton
[EN] In recent years, many mechanisms have been developed to
help people with reduced mobility, especially for people who
have injuries that do not allow the mobility of the lower
body of the human body. In the present work, the properties
and mechanical movements of a human being, angles of
movement, extension and flexion of the hip, knee, etc. are
described. A device has also been designed, using aluminum
elements to give lightness and robustness to the exoskeleton.
At the same time, an external casing made of PLA plastic has
been developed, with all of which it has been tried to make
a light exoskeleton with a low volume, with the aim that be
of daily use for people with mobility problems. Five young
students tested the exoskeleton in laboratory conditions.
Different parameters have been evaluated as design, range of
movement and the functionality. A series of characteristics has
been defined such as the design improvement, functionality
and navigation, the operating time, speed and data reading
with myoelectric sensors after trials[ES] ayuda a las personas con movilidad reducida, especialmente
para personas con lesiones que impiden la movilidad de la parte
inferior de su cuerpo. En el presente trabajo se revisan inicialmente los fundamentos de los movimientos mecánicos básicos de un
ser humano, profundizando en aspectos tales como ángulos de
movimiento, extensión y flexión de la cadera, rodilla, etc. Posteriormente, se diseña un exoesqueleto para uso diario por parte de
personas con reducida movilidad. Éste está basado en motores de
corriente continua (DC), tecnologĂa arduino y en una aplicaciĂłn
mĂłvil para Android. Se utilizan elementos de aluminio para dotar
de ligereza y robustez al exoesqueleto y, al mismo tiempo, se elabora una carcasa externa de plástico PLA, con el fin de proveerlo
de ligereza, reducido volumen y flexibilidad. El exoesqueleto ha
sido ensayado en el laboratorio en cinco individuos. Se han evaluado distintos parámetros como diseño, rango de movimiento y
funcionalidad. En base a los resultados obtenidos, se han definido
una serie de caracterĂsticas a mejorar en el diseño, tales como funcionalidad de navegaciĂłn, tiempo de funcionamiento, velocidad y
lectura de datos mediante sensores mioelectricos.Dunai, L.; Lengua, I.; Peris Fajarnes, G.; Defez Garcia, B. (2019). Diseño de un exoesqueleto de extremidades inferiores. DYNA IngenierĂa e Industria. 94(3):297-303. https://doi.org/10.6036/9010S29730394
Mechatronic Systems
Mechatronics, the synergistic blend of mechanics, electronics, and computer science, has evolved over the past twenty five years, leading to a novel stage of engineering design. By integrating the best design practices with the most advanced technologies, mechatronics aims at realizing high-quality products, guaranteeing at the same time a substantial reduction of time and costs of manufacturing. Mechatronic systems are manifold and range from machine components, motion generators, and power producing machines to more complex devices, such as robotic systems and transportation vehicles. With its twenty chapters, which collect contributions from many researchers worldwide, this book provides an excellent survey of recent work in the field of mechatronics with applications in various fields, like robotics, medical and assistive technology, human-machine interaction, unmanned vehicles, manufacturing, and education. We would like to thank all the authors who have invested a great deal of time to write such interesting chapters, which we are sure will be valuable to the readers. Chapters 1 to 6 deal with applications of mechatronics for the development of robotic systems. Medical and assistive technologies and human-machine interaction systems are the topic of chapters 7 to 13.Chapters 14 and 15 concern mechatronic systems for autonomous vehicles. Chapters 16-19 deal with mechatronics in manufacturing contexts. Chapter 20 concludes the book, describing a method for the installation of mechatronics education in schools
Smart Exercise Adaptive Control of a Three Degree of Freedom Upper-limb Manipulator Robot
An adaptive velocity field controller for robotic manipulators is proposed in this thesis. The control objective is to cause the user to exercise in a manner that optimizes a criterion related to the user’s mechanical power. The control structure allows for passive user-manipulator physical interaction while the adaptive algorithm identifies the user’s biomechanical characteristics as a linear Hill based force-velocity curve defined at each pose of a repetitive exercise motion i.e. a Hill surface. The study of such a surface allows for the characterization of maximal effort exercise tasks and subsequently the control of exercises that is unique to each user. This allows for the intelligent characterization of a user’s abilities such that repetitive exercises defined by velocity fields can be safely performed. Such a study involving a 3DOF manipulator operating in full 3D has not been conducted in literature to the best of author’s knowledge. The proposed control structure is verified through experimentation on a unimanual setup of the BURT rehabilitation manipulator system involving a single user. The manipulator system includes friction, actuator/sensor noise, and unmodelled dynamics
Investigation of the feasibility of using focal vibratory stimulation with robotic aided therapy for spasticity rehabilitation in spinal cord injury
The occurrence of a traumatic spinal cord injury is in hundreds of thousands of people every year. Survivors are left with loss of many bodily functions, loss of sensation below the point of injury and many more painful and uncomfortable repercussions which interfere with activities of daily living.
Over 70% of people with SCI develop spasticity: abnormally increased muscle tone and connected joint stiffness that interfere with residual volitional control of the limbs. Treatments for spasticity include many pharmacological and non-pharmacological techniques, however many of them have severe sideeffects. Evidence suggest the use of vibratory stimulation to relieve repercussions of
spasticity, despite not agreeing on the most advantageous protocol.
This thesis evaluated effects that focal vibratory stimulation have on the muscle performance. Within two studies, focal muscle vibration is compared against different application conditions such as timing and location. The results suggests that if focal vibrations are applied to the relaxed muscle, the increase in muscle's force is observed. Analysis of the cortical waves indicates minimal cortical involvement in vibratory stimulation modulation. On the other hand, FV applied of the connected tendon/bone imposed to a contraction seems to have a potential to increase muscle's activation. There is evidence that motor cortex is responding to this stimulation to stabilise the muscle in order to perform the contraction.
Within clinical trial, focal muscle vibratory stimulation is employed in total of 6 interventional sessions while a joint's spastic exor and extensor muscles were relaxed. Spasticity appears to be reduced as a consequence of the stimulation. Moreover, engaging the joint into robotic-aided therapy increase volitional control of the wrist, according to the analysis of the active range of motion, joint stiffness and kinematic parameters associated to the movement. The measurement and movement facilitation device used in the clinical trial was designed and developed in accordance to the spasticity and spinal cord injury repercussions consideration.
The studies conducted for this thesis demonstrated feasibility and potential for the use of focal muscle vibratory stimulation to enhance muscle power in healthy muscles but also relieve consequences of spasticity. Vibrations combined with movement robotic-aided therapy have a prospects to enhance motor control
Proceedings of the ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics 2015
This volume contains the full papers accepted for presentation at the ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics 2015 held in the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, on June 29 - July 2, 2015. The ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics is an international meeting held once every two years in a European country. Continuing the very successful series of past conferences that have been organized in Lisbon (2003), Madrid (2005), Milan (2007), Warsaw (2009), Brussels (2011) and Zagreb (2013); this edition will once again serve as a meeting point for the international researchers, scientists and experts from academia, research laboratories and industry working in the area of multibody dynamics. Applications are related to many fields of contemporary engineering, such as vehicle and railway systems, aeronautical and space vehicles, robotic manipulators, mechatronic and autonomous systems, smart structures, biomechanical systems and nanotechnologies. The topics of the conference include, but are not restricted to: ● Formulations and Numerical Methods ● Efficient Methods and Real-Time Applications ● Flexible Multibody Dynamics ● Contact Dynamics and Constraints ● Multiphysics and Coupled Problems ● Control and Optimization ● Software Development and Computer Technology ● Aerospace and Maritime Applications ● Biomechanics ● Railroad Vehicle Dynamics ● Road Vehicle Dynamics ● Robotics ● Benchmark ProblemsPostprint (published version
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
Engineering derivatives from biological systems for advanced aerospace applications
The present study consisted of a literature survey, a survey of researchers, and a workshop on bionics. These tasks produced an extensive annotated bibliography of bionics research (282 citations), a directory of bionics researchers, and a workshop report on specific bionics research topics applicable to space technology. These deliverables are included as Appendix A, Appendix B, and Section 5.0, respectively. To provide organization to this highly interdisciplinary field and to serve as a guide for interested researchers, we have also prepared a taxonomy or classification of the various subelements of natural engineering systems. Finally, we have synthesized the results of the various components of this study into a discussion of the most promising opportunities for accelerated research, seeking solutions which apply engineering principles from natural systems to advanced aerospace problems. A discussion of opportunities within the areas of materials, structures, sensors, information processing, robotics, autonomous systems, life support systems, and aeronautics is given. Following the conclusions are six discipline summaries that highlight the potential benefits of research in these areas for NASA's space technology programs
Volume 3 – Conference
We are pleased to present the conference proceedings for the 12th edition of the International Fluid Power Conference (IFK). The IFK is one of the world’s most significant scientific conferences on fluid power control technology and systems. It offers a common platform for the presentation and discussion of trends and innovations to manufacturers, users and scientists. The Chair of Fluid-Mechatronic Systems at the TU Dresden is organizing and hosting the IFK for the sixth time. Supporting hosts are the Fluid Power Association of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), Dresdner Verein zur Förderung der Fluidtechnik e. V. (DVF) and GWT-TUD GmbH. The organization and the conference location alternates every two years between the Chair of Fluid-Mechatronic Systems in Dresden and the Institute for Fluid Power Drives and Systems in Aachen. The symposium on the first day is dedicated to presentations focused on methodology and fundamental research. The two following conference days offer a wide variety of application and technology orientated papers about the latest state of the art in fluid power. It is this combination that makes the IFK a unique and excellent forum for the exchange of academic research and industrial application experience. A simultaneously ongoing exhibition offers the possibility to get product information and to have individual talks with manufacturers. The theme of the 12th IFK is “Fluid Power – Future Technology”, covering topics that enable the development of 5G-ready, cost-efficient and demand-driven structures, as well as individual decentralized drives. Another topic is the real-time data exchange that allows the application of numerous predictive maintenance strategies, which will significantly increase the availability of fluid power systems and their elements and ensure their improved lifetime performance. We create an atmosphere for casual exchange by offering a vast frame and cultural program. This includes a get-together, a conference banquet, laboratory festivities and some physical activities such as jogging in Dresden’s old town.:Group 8: Pneumatics
Group 9 | 11: Mobile applications
Group 10: Special domains
Group 12: Novel system architectures
Group 13 | 15: Actuators & sensors
Group 14: Safety & reliabilit
Symmetric and Asymmetric Data in Solution Models
This book is a Printed Edition of the Special Issue that covers research on symmetric and asymmetric data that occur in real-life problems. We invited authors to submit their theoretical or experimental research to present engineering and economic problem solution models that deal with symmetry or asymmetry of different data types. The Special Issue gained interest in the research community and received many submissions. After rigorous scientific evaluation by editors and reviewers, seventeen papers were accepted and published. The authors proposed different solution models, mainly covering uncertain data in multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) problems as complex tools to balance the symmetry between goals, risks, and constraints to cope with the complicated problems in engineering or management. Therefore, we invite researchers interested in the topics to read the papers provided in the book