Advanced flight control system study

The architecture, requirements, and system elements of an ultrareliable, advanced flight control system are described. The basic criteria are functional reliability of 10 to the minus 10 power/hour of flight and only 6 month scheduled maintenance. A distributed system architecture is described, including a multiplexed communication system, reliable bus controller, the use of skewed sensor arrays, and actuator interfaces. Test bed and flight evaluation program are proposed

Integrated Application of Active Controls (IAAC) technology to an advanced subsonic transport project: Current and advanced act control system definition study. Volume 2: Appendices

The current status of the Active Controls Technology (ACT) for the advanced subsonic transport project is investigated through analysis of the systems technical data. Control systems technologies under examination include computerized reliability analysis, pitch axis fly by wire actuator, flaperon actuation system design trade study, control law synthesis and analysis, flutter mode control and gust load alleviation analysis, and implementation of alternative ACT systems. Extensive analysis of the computer techniques involved in each system is included

A Soft touch: wearable dielectric elastomer actuated multi-finger soft tactile displays

PhDThe haptic modality in human-computer interfaces is significantly underutilised when compared to that of vision and sound. A potential reason for this is the difficulty in turning computer-generated signals into realistic sensations of touch. Moreover, wearable solutions that can be mounted onto multiple fingertips whilst still allowing for the free dexterous movements of the user’s hand, brings an even higher level of complexity. In order to be wearable, such devices should not only be compact, lightweight and energy efficient; but also, be able to render compelling tactile sensations. Current solutions are unable to meet these criteria, typically due to the actuation mechanisms employed. Aimed at addressing these needs, this work presents research into non-vibratory multi-finger wearable tactile displays, through the use of an improved configuration of a dielectric elastomer actuator. The described displays render forces through a soft bubble-like interface worn on the fingertip. Due to the improved design, forces of up to 1N can be generated in a form factor of 20 x 12 x 23 mm, with a weight of only 6g, demonstrating a significant performance increase in force output and wearability over existing tactile rendering systems. Furthermore, it is shown how these compact wearable devices can be used in conjunction with low-cost commercial optical hand tracking sensors, to cater for simple although accurate tactile interactions within virtual environments, using affordable instrumentation. The whole system makes it possible for users to interact with virtually generated soft body objects with programmable tactile properties. Through a 15-participant study, the system has been validated for three distinct types of touch interaction, including palpation and pinching of virtual deformable objects. Through this investigation, it is believed that this approach could have a significant impact within virtual and augmented reality interaction for purposes of medical simulation, professional training and improved tactile feedback in telerobotic control systems.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Doctoral Training Centre EP/G03723X/

A Proposed Approach to Mechatronics Design and Implementation Education-Oriented Methodology

Mechatronics engineer is expected to design engineering systems with synergy and integration toward constrains like higher performance, speed, precision, efficiency, lower costs and functionality. The key element in success of a mechatronics engineering education-program, and correspondingly, Mechatronics engineering graduates, is directly related to a well-structured mechatronic system design course and the applied structural design methodology. Guidelines for structural design methodology and tools for the development process of mechatronic products, that can be applied in educational process is highly required. This paper proposes mechatronics systems design education-oriented methodology, which aims to integrate multidisciplinary knowledge, in various stages through the design process and development of mechatronics product. The proposed mechatronics design methodology is described, discussed and applied with the help of example student final year graduation project; design and implementation of mechatronics mobile robotic guidance system in the from of smart wheelchair- Mechatronics Motawif, to help and support people with disabilities and special needs to perform specific predetermined tasks, particularly, performing Al Omrah and motion around holy Kaba, Makka. Keywords: Mechatronics, Design methodology, Parallel design, Synergistic integration, Modeling/ Simulation, Prototyping, Mobile robot, Motawif

MEMS Technology for Biomedical Imaging Applications

Biomedical imaging is the key technique and process to create informative images of the human body or other organic structures for clinical purposes or medical science. Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology has demonstrated enormous potential in biomedical imaging applications due to its outstanding advantages of, for instance, miniaturization, high speed, higher resolution, and convenience of batch fabrication. There are many advancements and breakthroughs developing in the academic community, and there are a few challenges raised accordingly upon the designs, structures, fabrication, integration, and applications of MEMS for all kinds of biomedical imaging. This Special Issue aims to collate and showcase research papers, short commutations, perspectives, and insightful review articles from esteemed colleagues that demonstrate: (1) original works on the topic of MEMS components or devices based on various kinds of mechanisms for biomedical imaging; and (2) new developments and potentials of applying MEMS technology of any kind in biomedical imaging. The objective of this special session is to provide insightful information regarding the technological advancements for the researchers in the community

A multi finger electromagnetic actuator apparatus for biomechanical studies on the hand

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-80).The focus of this thesis was on the design and construction of a multi-finger haptic device powered by electromechanical voice-coil actuators. Five actuators were designed and constructed and a position and force feedback control system was implemented for each. The maximum continuous force output for each actuator ranged from 12-16 N, which is about 15%-30% of the maximum force that can be exerted by an individual finger. The bandwidth of the controlled actuators ranged from 0.7 Hz to 1.7 Hz, the steady-state error was zero, and the overshoot ranged from 3.5% to 7.7%. Four actuators were constructed into an array, with finger contact points 23 mm apart. Additional structures, such as finger holders and a wrist rest, were developed to complete the human interface. With further modifications, the multi-finger apparatus can be used to conduct biomechanical and perceptual studies of the human hand.by Kathleen L. DobsonS.M

Detection of mine roof failure using inexpensive LiDAR technology

Slope, Roof, and mine wall stability problems are some of the main reasons for deaths at U.S. surface or underground mining. The safety instruments were not enough to prevent that failure or even predict it before it occurs. However, the cost of such a tool that can be helpful in detecting roof failures is very high and not reachable in most instances. The present study investigates the feasibility of using the M16 Leddar Evaluation Kit to detect the roof failure in mines. The M16 Leddar Evaluation kit cost is between 300$-800$, so it is the reachable price if it provides the required safety in mines. In fact, the underground mines have many openings, so the needs for instruments that can be distributed in all tunnels and safe all workers are urgent. The Leica Scan Station P40-3D Laser Scanner costs $123915.00, so in mine industry, it is not worthy to establish the mining with such high cost like that. Buying one unit of the Leica ScanStation P40-3D Laser Scanner to provide the safety and minimize the expenses in the mining industry is not a practical idea which is providing safety to some of the workers in one tunnel spot and neglect the others. Steel movement plate has been built and attached to a linear actuator that can move with a resolution around 0.00375 mm per step and stroke 50 mm in order to simulate the roof failures in mines. It is not possible to try the M16 in real mine due to the time limits and absence of not unstable mines locally, besides the intention that the author has to start with an office environment. The M16 Leddar Evaluation kit is aimed directly to movement plate and collecting the deformation derived by the actuator. The results collected has many of anomalies and irregular data that can be eliminated by doing some of the statistical identification of outliers. The results show that the M16 Leddar evaluation kit is capable of detecting the movement plate profile with a precision between 0.1 mm and 3 mm per integration period --Abstract, page iii

DEVELOPMENT OF A POST-FABRICATION STIFFNESS CHARACTERIZATION TOOL FOR MEMS

Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) manufacturers face difficulties in characterizing material properties of MEMS post production. Properties such as stiffness can be obtained from simultaneous force and displacement measurements in full-field. We developed a prototype MEMS metrology system that uses a sub-micro Newton resolution force probe operating under a nanometer resolution interferometer to characterize MEMS mechanical properties. FEA simulations and analytical calculations were performed to help determine system constraints and validate results. Precision actuators were integrated and controlled from a developed graphical user interface. The system was tested on an Analog Devices ADXL202 accelerometer

Robotic simulators for tissue examination training with multimodal sensory feedback

Tissue examination by hand remains an essential technique in clinical practice. The effective application depends on skills in sensorimotor coordination, mainly involving haptic, visual, and auditory feedback. The skills clinicians have to learn can be as subtle as regulating finger pressure with breathing, choosing palpation action, monitoring involuntary facial and vocal expressions in response to palpation, and using pain expressions both as a source of information and as a constraint on physical examination. Patient simulators can provide a safe learning platform to novice physicians before trying real patients. This paper reviews state-of-the-art medical simulators for the training for the first time with a consideration of providing multimodal feedback to learn as many manual examination techniques as possible. The study summarizes current advances in tissue examination training devices simulating different medical conditions and providing different types of feedback modalities. Opportunities with the development of pain expression, tissue modeling, actuation, and sensing are also analyzed to support the future design of effective tissue examination simulators

New Formulation for Finite Element Modeling Electrostatically DrivenMicroelectromechanical Systems

The increased complexity and precision requirements of microelectromechanical systems(MEMS) have brought about the need to develop more reliable and accurate MEMS simulation tools. To better capture the physical behavior encountered, several finite elementanalysis techniques for modeling electrostatic and structural coupling in MEMS devices havebeen developed in this project. Using the principle of virtual work and an approximationfor capacitance, a new 2-D lumped transducer element for the static analysis of MEMS hasbeen developed. This new transducer element is compatible to 2-D structural and beamelements. A novel strongly coupled 3-D transducer formulation has also been developed tomodel MEMS devices with dominant fringing electrostatic fields. The transducer is compatible with both structural and electrostatic solid elements, which allows for modeling complexdevices. Through innovative internal morphing capabilities and exact element integrationthe 3-D transducer element is one of the most powerful coupled field FE analysis tools available. To verify the accuracy and effectiveness of both the 2-D and 3-D transducer elements a series of benchmark analyses were conducted. More specifically, the numerically predicted results for the misalignment of lateral combdrive fingers were compared to available analytical and modeling techniques. Electrostatic uncoupled 2-D and 3-D finite element models werealso used to perform energy computations during misalignment. Finally, a stability analysisof misaligned combdrive was performed using a coupled 2-D finite element approach. Theanalytical and numerical results were compared and found to vary due to fringing fields