Ground Robotic Hand Applications for the Space Program study (GRASP)

This document reports on a NASA-STDP effort to address research interests of the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) through a study entitled, Ground Robotic-Hand Applications for the Space Program (GRASP). The primary objective of the GRASP study was to identify beneficial applications of specialized end-effectors and robotic hand devices for automating any ground operations which are performed at the Kennedy Space Center. Thus, operations for expendable vehicles, the Space Shuttle and its components, and all payloads were included in the study. Typical benefits of automating operations, or augmenting human operators performing physical tasks, include: reduced costs; enhanced safety and reliability; and reduced processing turnaround time

3D Printed Soft Robotic Hand

Soft robotics is an emerging industry, largely dominated by companies which hand mold their actuators. Our team set out to design an entirely 3D printed soft robotic hand, powered by a pneumatic control system which will prove both the capabilities of soft robots and those of 3D printing. Through research, computer aided design, finite element analysis, and experimental testing, a functioning actuator was created capable of a deflection of 2.17” at a maximum pressure input of 15 psi. The single actuator was expanded into a 4 finger gripper and the design was printed and assembled. The created prototype was ultimately able to lift both a 100-gram apple and a 4-gram pill, proving its functionality in two prominent industries: pharmaceutical and food packing

A Robotic Haptic System Architecture

In order to carry out a given task in a unstructured environment, a robotic system must extract physical and geometric properties about the environment and the objects therein. We are interested in the question of what are the necessary elements to integrate a robotics system that would be able to carry out a task, i.e pick-up and transport objects in an unknown environment. One of the major concerns is to insure adequate data throughput and fast communication between modules within the system, so that haptic tasks can be adequately carried out. We also discuss the communication issues involved in the development of such a system

Human Machine Interfaces for Teleoperators and Virtual Environments

In Mar. 1990, a meeting organized around the general theme of teleoperation research into virtual environment display technology was conducted. This is a collection of conference-related fragments that will give a glimpse of the potential of the following fields and how they interplay: sensorimotor performance; human-machine interfaces; teleoperation; virtual environments; performance measurement and evaluation methods; and design principles and predictive models

Control and operation of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Research in wind power generation technology is a topic of high relevance in the context of renewable energy systems. This project aims to develop and implement an automatic operation and control system for an experimental vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) located at Lunds Tekniska Högskola, in Sweden. Supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA) are increasingly considered indispensable in industrial scale wind power plants with the purpose of optimizing power production and monitoring the operation conditions in realtime to improve safety and reduce downtime and costs. Variable speed control is widely used for maximizing power extraction. In this project, a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm was successfully implemented in order to optimize power production. Hill Climb Search (HCS) was the chosen control method, since there is no knowledge about the optimum tip speed ratio of the rotor or the wind turbine maximum power curve. A state-machine model was developed to manage the operation of the wind turbine. The control sequence is implemented in programmable logic controllers from National Instruments, and data from the power converters and wind speed measurement is acquired and analyzed in the system. Performance tests were ran to investigate the optimum CP and the wind speed at which the wind turbine is capable of producing power

Part clamping and fixture geometric adaptability for reconfigurable assembly systems.

Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering. University of KwaZulu-Natal. Durban, 2017.The Fourth Industrial Revolution is leading towards cyber-physical systems which justified research efforts in pursuing efficient production systems incorporating flexible grippers. Due to the complexity of assembly processes, reconfigurable assembly systems have received considerable attention in recent years. The demand for the intricate task and complicated operations, demands the need for efficient robotic manipulators that are required to manoeuvre and grasp objects effectively. Investigations were performed to understand the requirements of efficient gripping systems and existing gripping methods. A biologically inspired robotic gripper was investigated to establish conformity properties for the performance of a robotic gripper system. The Fin Ray Effect® was selected as a possible approach to improve effective gripping and reduce slippage of component handling with regards to pick and place procedures of assembly processes. As a result, the study established the optimization of self-adjusting end-effectors. The gripper system design was simulated and empirically tested. The impact of gripping surface compliance and geometric conformity was investigated. The gripper system design focused on the response of load applied to the conformity mechanism called the Fin Ray Effect®. The appendages were simulated to determine the deflection properties and stress distribution through a finite element analysis. The simulation proved that the configuration of rib structures of the appendages affected the conformity to an applied force representing an object in contact. The system was tested in real time operation and required a control system to produce an active performance of the system. A mass loading test was performed on the gripper system. The repeatability and mass handling range was determined. A dynamic operation was tested on the gripper to determine force versus time properties throughout the grasping movement for a pick and place procedure. The fluctuating forces generated through experimentation was related to the Lagrangian model describing forces experienced by a moving object. The research promoted scientific contribution to the investigation, analysis, and design of intelligent gripping systems that can potentially be implemented in the operational processes of on-demand production lines for reconfigurable assembly systems