One-shot additive manufacturing of robotic finger with embedded sensing and actuation

A main challenge in the additive manufacturing (AM) field is the possibility to create structures with embedded actuators and sensors: addressing this requirement would lead to a reduction of manual assembly tasks and product cost, pushing AM technologies into a new dimension for the fabrication of assembly-free smart objects. The main novelty of the present paper is the one shot fabrication of a 3D printed soft finger with an embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator and two different 3D printed sensors (strain gauge and capacitive force sensor). 3D printed structures, fabricated with the proposed approach, can be immediately activated after their removal from the build plate, providing real-time feedback because of the embedded sensing units. Three different materials from two nozzles were extruded to fabricate the passive elements and sensing units of the proposed bioinspired robotic finger and a custom-made Cartesian pick and place robot (CPPR) was employed to integrate the SMA spring actuator into the 3D printed robotic finger during the fabrication processes. Another novelty of the present paper is the direct integration of SMA actuators during the 3D printing process. The low melting thermoplastic polycaprolactone (PCL) was extruded: its printing temperature of 70 °C is lower than the SMA austenitic start temperature, preventing the SMA activation during the manufacturing process. Two different sensors based on the piezoresistive principle and capacitive principle were studied, 3D printed and characterized, showing respectively a sensitivity ratio of change in resistance to finger bending angle to be 674.8 Ω∘Angle and a capacitance to force ratio of 0.53pFN . The proposed manufacturing approach paves the way for significant advancement of AM technologies in the field of smart structures with embedded actuators to provide real-time feedback, offering several advantages, especially in the soft robotics domain

Designing a Low-Cost Mechatronic Device for Semi-Automatic Saffron Harvesting

This paper addresses the design of a novel mechatronic device for saffron harvesting. The main proposed challenge consists of proposing a new paradigm for semi-automatic harvesting of saffron flowers. The proposed novel solution is designed for being easily portable with user-friendly and cost-oriented features and with a fully electric battery-powered actuation. A preliminary concept design has been proposed as based on a specific novel cam mechanism in combination with an elastic spring for fulfilling the detachment of the flowers from their stems. Numerical calculations and simulations have been carried out to complete the full design of a proof-of-concept prototype. Preliminary experimental tests have been carried out to demonstrate the engineering feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed design solutions, whose concept has been submitted for patenting

Desarrollo de un cuadricóptero operado por ROS

Este proyecto se centra en el desarrollo de un cuadricóptero y su control integrado en el entorno de ROS. ROS (Robotic Operating System) es un pseudo sistema operativo orientado a plataformas robóticas. El trabajo desarrollado cubre desde el manejo del sistema operativo en distintas plataformas robóticas o el estudio de las diversas formas de programación en ROS hasta la evaluación de alternativas de construcción, desarrollo de la interfaz con ROS o ensayos prácticos con la plataforma construida. En primer lugar, se ha realizado un estudio de las posibilidades de ROS aplicadas a robots voladores, las alternativas de desarrollo y su viabilidad de integración. Entre estas aplicaciones cabe destacar las de SLAM (Localización y Mapeo Simultáneos) y navegación autonoma. Tras la evaluación de las distintas alternativas considerando funcionalidad, autonomía y precio, la plataforma de desarrollo se ha basado en ArduCopter. Aunque existen algunos ejemplos de vehículos aéreos no tripulados en ROS, no hay soporte para este sistema, por lo cual se ha desarrollado el trabajo necesario para hacer estas dos plataformas compatibles. El hardware ha sido montado sobre una plataforma de fabricación propia, realizada mediante impresión 3D, y se ha evaluado su funcionamiento en entornos reales. También se ha valorado y ensayado una plataforma de aluminio, con resultados menos satisfactorios. Para el correcto funcionamiento del conjunto se ha tenido que conseguir una conexión entre el cuadricóptero y la estación de tierra. En este caso, se han diseñado alternativas de conexión entre ordenadores (para el caso de que se monte un ordenador en la aeronave) o conexión entre ordenador y ArduCopter (para el caso de que no haya ordenador de a bordo). También se ha implementado una serie de algoritmos para llevar a cabo el control del cuadricóptero de manera autónoma: navegación de puntos vía, control de la rotación y control de altitud. Estos módulos funcionan bajo el sistema ROS y operan en remoto desde la estación de tierra. Finalmente, se ha desarrollado un módulo de lectura para una unidad de medida inercial actualmente en desarrollo por la universidad de Luleå (KFly). Este dispositivo sólo se ha probado en entornos controlados y aún no ha pasado a formar parte del cuadricóptero, aunque en un futuro próximo se espera que sirva de reemplazo al ordenador de a bordo

Design, Actuation, and Functionalization of Untethered Soft Magnetic Robots with Life-Like Motions: A Review

Soft robots have demonstrated superior flexibility and functionality than conventional rigid robots. These versatile devices can respond to a wide range of external stimuli (including light, magnetic field, heat, electric field, etc.), and can perform sophisticated tasks. Notably, soft magnetic robots exhibit unparalleled advantages among numerous soft robots (such as untethered control, rapid response, and high safety), and have made remarkable progress in small-scale manipulation tasks and biomedical applications. Despite the promising potential, soft magnetic robots are still in their infancy and require significant advancements in terms of fabrication, design principles, and functional development to be viable for real-world applications. Recent progress shows that bionics can serve as an effective tool for developing soft robots. In light of this, the review is presented with two main goals: (i) exploring how innovative bioinspired strategies can revolutionize the design and actuation of soft magnetic robots to realize various life-like motions; (ii) examining how these bionic systems could benefit practical applications in small-scale solid/liquid manipulation and therapeutic/diagnostic-related biomedical fields

Micro/nanoscale magnetic robots for biomedical applications

Magnetic small-scale robots are devices of great potential for the biomedical field because of the several benefits of this method of actuation. Recent work on the development of these devices has seen tremendous innovation and refinement toward ​improved performance for potential clinical applications. This review briefly details recent advancements in small-scale robots used for biomedical applications, covering their design, fabrication, applications, and demonstration of ability, and identifies the gap in studies and the difficulties that have persisted in the optimization of the use of these devices. In addition, alternative biomedical applications are also suggested for some of the technologies that show potential for other functions. This study concludes that although the field of small-scale robot research is highly innovative ​there is need for more concerted efforts to improve functionality and reliability of these devices particularly in clinical applications. Finally, further suggestions are made toward ​the achievement of commercialization for these devices

Teleoperation of MRI-Compatible Robots with Hybrid Actuation and Haptic Feedback

Image guided surgery (IGS), which has been developing fast recently, benefits significantly from the superior accuracy of robots and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which is a great soft tissue imaging modality. Teleoperation is especially desired in the MRI because of the highly constrained space inside the closed-bore MRI and the lack of haptic feedback with the fully autonomous robotic systems. It also very well maintains the human in the loop that significantly enhances safety. This dissertation describes the development of teleoperation approaches and implementation on an example system for MRI with details of different key components. The dissertation firstly describes the general teleoperation architecture with modular software and hardware components. The MRI-compatible robot controller, driving technology as well as the robot navigation and control software are introduced. As a crucial step to determine the robot location inside the MRI, two methods of registration and tracking are discussed. The first method utilizes the existing Z shaped fiducial frame design but with a newly developed multi-image registration method which has higher accuracy with a smaller fiducial frame. The second method is a new fiducial design with a cylindrical shaped frame which is especially suitable for registration and tracking for needles. Alongside, a single-image based algorithm is developed to not only reach higher accuracy but also run faster. In addition, performance enhanced fiducial frame is also studied by integrating self-resonant coils. A surgical master-slave teleoperation system for the application of percutaneous interventional procedures under continuous MRI guidance is presented. The slave robot is a piezoelectric-actuated needle insertion robot with fiber optic force sensor integrated. The master robot is a pneumatic-driven haptic device which not only controls the position of the slave robot, but also renders the force associated with needle placement interventions to the surgeon. Both of master and slave robots mechanical design, kinematics, force sensing and feedback technologies are discussed. Force and position tracking results of the master-slave robot are demonstrated to validate the tracking performance of the integrated system. MRI compatibility is evaluated extensively. Teleoperated needle steering is also demonstrated under live MR imaging. A control system of a clinical grade MRI-compatible parallel 4-DOF surgical manipulator for minimally invasive in-bore prostate percutaneous interventions through the patient’s perineum is discussed in the end. The proposed manipulator takes advantage of four sliders actuated by piezoelectric motors and incremental rotary encoders, which are compatible with the MRI environment. Two generations of optical limit switches are designed to provide better safety features for real clinical use. The performance of both generations of the limit switch is tested. MRI guided accuracy and MRI-compatibility of whole robotic system is also evaluated. Two clinical prostate biopsy cases have been conducted with this assistive robot

NASA Tech Briefs, May 2010

Topics covered include: Instrument for Analysis of Greenland's Glacier Mills Cryogenic Moisture Apparatus; A Transportable Gravity Gradiometer Based on Atom Interferometry; Three Methods of Detection of Hydrazines; Crossed, Small-Deflection Energy Analyzer for Wind/Temperature Spectrometer; Wavefront Correction for Large, Flexible Antenna Reflector; Novel Micro Strip-to-Waveguide Feed Employing a Double-Y Junction; Thin-Film Ferro Electric-Coupled Microstripline Phase Shifters With Reduced Device Hysteresis; Two-Stage, 90-GHz, Low-Noise Amplifier; A 311-GHz Fundamental Oscillator Using InP HBT Technology; FPGA Coprocessor Design for an Onboard Multi-Angle Spectro-Polarimetric Imager; Serrating Nozzle Surfaces for Complete Transfer of Droplets; Turbomolecular Pumps for Holding Gases in Open Containers; Triaxial Swirl Injector Element for Liquid-Fueled Engines; Integrated Budget Office Toolbox; PLOT3D Export Tool for Tecplot; Math Description Engine Software Development Kit; Astronaut Office Scheduling System Software; ISS Solar Array Management; Probabilistic Structural Analysis Program; SPOT Program; Integrated Hybrid System Architecture for Risk Analysis; System for Packaging Planetary Samples for Return to Earth; Offset Compound Gear Drive; Low-Dead-Volume Inlet for Vacuum Chamber; Simple Check Valves for Microfluidic Devices; A Capillary-Based Static Phase Separator for Highly Variable Wetting Conditions; Gimballing Spacecraft Thruster; Finned Carbon-Carbon Heat Pipe with Potassium Working Fluid; Lightweight Heat Pipes Made from Magnesium; Ceramic Rail-Race Ball Bearings; Improved OTEC System for a Submarine Robot; Reflector Surface Error Compensation in Dual-Reflector Antennas; Enriched Storable Oxidizers for Rocket Engines; Planar Submillimeter-Wave Mixer Technology with Integrated Antenna; Widely Tunable Mode-Hop-Free External-Cavity Quantum Cascade Laser; Non-Geiger-Mode Single-Photon Avalanche Detector with Low Excess Noise; Using Whispering-Gallery-Mode Resonators for Refractometry; RF Device for Acquiring Images of the Human Body; Reactive Collision Avoidance Algorithm; Fast Solution in Sparse LDA for Binary Classification; Modeling Common-Sense Decisions in Artificial Intelligence; Graph-Based Path-Planning for Titan Balloons; Nanolaminate Membranes as Cylindrical Telescope Reflectors; Air-Sea Spray Airborne Radar Profiler Characterizes Energy Fluxes in Hurricanes; Large Telescope Segmented Primary Mirror Alignment; and Simplified Night Sky Display System

Scalability of a robotic inspection and repair system

Shift2Rail and In2Smart are two initiatives that will be part of the development of the necessary technologies to complete the Single European Railway Area (SERA). The target of this proposal is to accelerate the integration of new and advanced technologies into innovative rail product solutions. Shift2Rail has a robust framework to meet ambitious objectives. The most important is to double the capacity of the European rail system and increase its reliability and service quality by 50% while having life-cycle costs. In2Smart, as a project directed mainly of Network Rail, is measured in Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). These levels will indicate the maturity of technology for the application into the industry. The intention of this project is to reach a homogeneous TRL 3/4 demonstrator of a system capable to secure proper maintenance of rails, which is a Robotic Inspection and Repair System (RIRS). This research is focused on the scalability of the RIRS, taking into consideration the creation of a representative demonstrator that will authenticate the concept, the validation and verification of that demonstrator and finally the simulation of a scale-up system that will be more robust and will upgrade the TRL. This document contains the development of the control diagrams and schematics for the future incorporation of this control to a higher TRL prototype. The initial demonstrator consists of an autonomous railway vehicle equipped with a robotic arm that will scan the rails searching for faults and simulate a repairing process with a 3D printed polymer. The V&V of the physical demonstrator was a result of tests in the laboratory and the display of the demonstrator in several conferences and events.Manufacturin

複数の静電容量型柔軟触覚デバイスを用いた三軸力センサの開発

早大学位記番号:新7325早稲田大