A Bioinspired Humanoid Foot Mechanism

This paper introduces an innovative robotic foot design inspired by the functionality and the anatomy of the human foot. Most humanoid robots are characterized by flat, rigid feet with limited mobility, which cannot emulate the physical behavior of the foot–ground interaction. The proposed foot mechanism consists of three main bodies, to represent the heel, plant, and toes, connected by compliant joints for improved balancing and impact absorption. The functional requirements were extracted from medical literature, and were acquired through a motion capture system, and the proposed design was validated with a numerical simulation

Mechanical Design and Kinematic Modeling of a Cable-Driven Arm Exoskeleton Incorporating Inaccurate Human Limb Anthropomorphic Parameters

Compared with conventional exoskeletons with rigid links, cable-driven upper-limb exoskeletons are light weight and have simple structures. However, cable-driven exoskeletons rely heavily on the human skeletal system for support. Kinematic modeling and control thus becomes very challenging due to inaccurate anthropomorphic parameters and flexible attachments. In this paper, the mechanical design of a cable-driven arm rehabilitation exoskeleton is proposed to accommodate human limbs of different sizes and shapes. A novel arm cuff able to adapt to the contours of human upper limbs is designed. This has given rise to an exoskeleton which reduces the uncertainties caused by instabilities between the exoskeleton and the human arm. A kinematic model of the exoskeleton is further developed by considering the inaccuracies of human-arm skeleton kinematics and attachment errors of the exoskeleton. A parameter identification method is used to improve the accuracy of the kinematic model. The developed kinematic model is finally tested with a primary experiment with an exoskeleton prototype

Design and Development of an Affordable Haptic Robot with Force-Feedback and Compliant Actuation to Improve Therapy for Patients with Severe Hemiparesis

The study describes the design and development of a single degree-of-freedom haptic robot, Haptic Theradrive, for post-stroke arm rehabilitation for in-home and clinical use. The robot overcomes many of the weaknesses of its predecessor, the TheraDrive system, that used a Logitech steering wheel as the haptic interface for rehabilitation. Although the original TheraDrive system showed success in a pilot study, its wheel was not able to withstand the rigors of use. A new haptic robot was developed that functions as a drop-in replacement for the Logitech wheel. The new robot can apply larger forces in interacting with the patient, thereby extending the functionality of the system to accommodate low-functioning patients. A new software suite offers appreciably more options for tailored and tuned rehabilitation therapies. In addition to describing the design of the hardware and software, the paper presents the results of simulation and experimental case studies examining the system\u27s performance and usability

Bio-inspired soft robotic systems: Exploiting environmental interactions using embodied mechanics and sensory coordination

Despite the widespread development of highly intelligent robotic systems exhibiting great precision, reliability, and dexterity, robots remain incapable of performing basic manipulation tasks that humans take for granted. Manipulation in unstructured environments continues to be acknowledged as a significant challenge. Soft robotics, the use of less rigid materials in robots, has been proposed as one means of addressing these limitations. The technique enables more compliant interactions with the environment, allowing for increasingly adaptive behaviours better suited to more human-centric applications. Embodied intelligence is a biologically inspired concept in which intelligence is a function of the entire system, not only the controller or `brain'. This thesis focuses on the use of embodied intelligence for the development of soft robots, with a particular focus on how it can aid both perception and adaptability. Two main hypotheses are raised: first, that the mechanical design and fabrication of soft-rigid hybrid robots can enable increasingly environmentally adaptive behaviours, and second, that sensing materials and morphology can provide intelligence that assists perception through embodiment. A number of approaches and frameworks for the design and development of embodied systems are presented that address these hypotheses. It is shown how embodiment in soft sensor morphology can be used to perform localised processing and thereby distribute the intelligence over the body of a system. Specifically in soft robots, sensor morphology utilises the directional deformations created by interactions with the environment to aid in perception. Building on and formalising these ideas, a number of morphology-based frameworks are proposed for detecting different stimuli. The multifaceted role of materials in soft robots is demonstrated through the development of materials capable of both sensing and changes in material property. Such materials provide additional functionality beyond their integral scaffolding and static mechanical characteristics. In particular, an integrated material has been created exhibiting both sensing capabilities and also variable stiffness and `tack’ force, thereby enabling complex single-point grasping. To maximise the intelligence that can be gained through embodiment, a design approach to soft robots, `soft-rigid hybrid' design is introduced. This approach exploits passive behaviours and body dynamics to provide environmentally adaptive behaviours and sensing. It is leveraged by multi-material 3D printing techniques and novel approaches and frameworks for designing mechanical structures. The findings in this thesis demonstrate that an embodied approach to soft robotics provides capabilities and behaviours that are not currently otherwise achievable. Utilising the concept of `embodiment' results in softer robots with an embodied intelligence that aids perception and adaptive behaviours, and has the potential to bring the physical abilities of robots one step closer to those of animals and humans.EPSR

MUSME 2011 4 th International Symposium on Multibody Systems and Mechatronics

El libro de actas recoge las aportaciones de los autores a través de los correspondientes artículos a la Dinámica de Sistemas Multicuerpo y la Mecatrónica (Musme). Estas disciplinas se han convertido en una importante herramienta para diseñar máquinas, analizar prototipos virtuales y realizar análisis CAD sobre complejos sistemas mecánicos articulados multicuerpo. La dinámica de sistemas multicuerpo comprende un gran número de aspectos que incluyen la mecánica, dinámica estructural, matemáticas aplicadas, métodos de control, ciencia de los ordenadores y mecatrónica. Los artículos recogidos en el libro de actas están relacionados con alguno de los siguientes tópicos del congreso: Análisis y síntesis de mecanismos ; Diseño de algoritmos para sistemas mecatrónicos ; Procedimientos de simulación y resultados ; Prototipos y rendimiento ; Robots y micromáquinas ; Validaciones experimentales ; Teoría de simulación mecatrónica ; Sistemas mecatrónicos ; Control de sistemas mecatrónicosUniversitat Politècnica de València (2011). MUSME 2011 4 th International Symposium on Multibody Systems and Mechatronics. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/13224Archivo delegad