The design, kinematics and torque analysis of the self-bending soft contraction actuator

This article presents the development of a self-bending contraction actuator (SBCA) through analysis of its structure, kinematics, and torque formulas, and then explores its applications. The proposed actuator has been fabricated by two methods to prove the efficiency of the human body inspiration, which represents the covering of human bones by soft tissues to protect the bone and give the soft texture. The SBCA provides bending behaviour along with a high force to-weight ratio. As with the simple pneumatic muscle actuator (PMA), the SBCA is soft and easy to implement. Both the kinematics and the torque formula presented for the SBCA are scalable and can be used with different actuator sizes. The bending actuator has been tested under an air pressure up to 500 kPa, and the behaviour of its bending angle, parameters, dimensions, and the bending torques have been illustrated. On the other hand, the experiments showed the efficient performances of the actuator and validate the proposed kinematics. Therefore, the actuator can be used in many different applications, such as soft grippers and continuum arms

Optimal control of the heave motion of marine cable subsea-unit systems

One of the key problems associated with subsea operations involving tethered subsea units is the motions of support vessels on the ocean surface which can be transmitted to the subsea unit through the cable and increase the tension. In this paper, a theoretical approach for heave compensation is developed. After proper modelling of each element of the system, which includes the cable/subsea-unit, the onboard winch, control theory is applied to design an optimal control law. Numerical simulations are carried out, and it is found that the proposed active control scheme appears to be a promising solution to the problem of heave compensation

On Neuromechanical Approaches for the Study of Biological Grasp and Manipulation

Biological and robotic grasp and manipulation are undeniably similar at the level of mechanical task performance. However, their underlying fundamental biological vs. engineering mechanisms are, by definition, dramatically different and can even be antithetical. Even our approach to each is diametrically opposite: inductive science for the study of biological systems vs. engineering synthesis for the design and construction of robotic systems. The past 20 years have seen several conceptual advances in both fields and the quest to unify them. Chief among them is the reluctant recognition that their underlying fundamental mechanisms may actually share limited common ground, while exhibiting many fundamental differences. This recognition is particularly liberating because it allows us to resolve and move beyond multiple paradoxes and contradictions that arose from the initial reasonable assumption of a large common ground. Here, we begin by introducing the perspective of neuromechanics, which emphasizes that real-world behavior emerges from the intimate interactions among the physical structure of the system, the mechanical requirements of a task, the feasible neural control actions to produce it, and the ability of the neuromuscular system to adapt through interactions with the environment. This allows us to articulate a succinct overview of a few salient conceptual paradoxes and contradictions regarding under-determined vs. over-determined mechanics, under- vs. over-actuated control, prescribed vs. emergent function, learning vs. implementation vs. adaptation, prescriptive vs. descriptive synergies, and optimal vs. habitual performance. We conclude by presenting open questions and suggesting directions for future research. We hope this frank assessment of the state-of-the-art will encourage and guide these communities to continue to interact and make progress in these important areas

Recent results in the development of band steaming for intra-row weed control

The recent achievements with developing band-steaming techniques for intra-row weed control in vegetables are presente

Combining physical and cultural weed control with biological methods – prospects for integrated non-chemical weed management strategies

The paper deals with the possibilities of combining physical weed control with biological weed control

Bending continuous structures with SMAs: a novel robotic fish design

In this paper, we describe our research on bio-inspired locomotion systems using deformable structures and smart materials, concretely shape memory alloys (SMAs). These types of materials allow us to explore the possibility of building motor-less and gear-less robots. A swimming underwater fish-like robot has been developed whose movements are generated using SMAs. These actuators are suitable for bending the continuous backbone of the fish, which in turn causes a change in the curvature of the body. This type of structural arrangement is inspired by fish red muscles, which are mainly recruited during steady swimming for the bending of a flexible but nearly incompressible structure such as the fishbone. This paper reviews the design process of these bio-inspired structures, from the motivations and physiological inspiration to the mechatronics design, control and simulations, leading to actual experimental trials and results. The focus of this work is to present the mechanisms by which standard swimming patterns can be reproduced with the proposed design. Moreover, the performance of the SMA-based actuators’ control in terms of actuation speed and position accuracy is also addressed

Modeling, Stability Analysis, and Testing of a Hybrid Docking Simulator

A hybrid docking simulator is a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulator that includes a hardware element within a numerical simulation loop. One of the goals of performing a HIL simulation at the European Proximity Operation Simulator (EPOS) is the verification and validation of the docking phase in an on-orbit servicing mission.....Comment: 30 papge