The DoF-Box project: An educational kit for configurable robots

China: Shanghai. AirportCNAC is the China National Aviation Corporation. The Shanghai Longhua Airport.GrayscaleForman Nitrate Negatives, Box 2

The Dof-Box Project: An Educational Kit for Configurable Robots

This paper describes the Dof-Box, a modular, reconfigurable robot, used in Hands-on practicals of robotics taught to miroengineering students. We present the hardware and software of the robots and describe the pedagogical approach adopted in the practicals. This approach encourages the creativity and imagination of the students, while ensuring that the students put in practice fundamental laws of control they are taught in class. Some of the results, including particular design of robots, obtained by the students are also shown

Downloaded from

Braided pneumatic artificial muscles, and in particular the better known type with a double helical braid usually called the McKibben muscle, seem to be at present the best means for motorizing robotarms with artificial muscles. Their ability to develop high maximum force associated with lightness and a compact cylindrical shape, as well as their analogical behavior with natural skeletal muscle were very well emphasized in the 1980s by the development of the Bridgestone “soft robot ” actuated by “rubbertuators”. Recent publications have presented ways for modeling McKibben artificial muscle as well as controlling its highly non-linear dynamic behavior. However, fewer studies have concentrated on analyzing the integration of artificial muscles with robot-arm architectures since the first Bridgestone prototypes were designed. In this paper we present the design of a 7R anthropomorphic robot-arm entirely actuated by antagonisti

Serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 regulates ubiquitin ligase neural precursor cell-expressed, developmentally down-regulated protein 4-2 by inducing interaction with 14-3-3

Serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) is an aldosterone-regulated early response gene product that regulates the activity of several ion transport proteins, most notably that of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC). Recent evidence has established that SGK1 phosphorylates and inhibits Nedd4-2 (neural precursor cell-expressed, developmentally down-regulated protein 4-2), a ubiquitin ligase that decreases cell surface expression of the channel and possibly stimulates its degradation. The mechanistic basis for this SGK1-induced Nedd4-2 inhibition is currently unknown. In this study we show that SGK1-mediated phosphorylation of Nedd4-2 induces its interaction with members of the 14-3-3 family of regulatory proteins. Through functional characterization of Nedd4-2-mutant proteins, we demonstrate that this interaction is required for SGK1-mediated inhibition of Nedd4-2. The concerted action of SGK1 and 14-3-3 appears to disrupt Nedd4-2-mediated ubiquitination of ENaC, thus providing a mechanism by which SGK1 modulates the ENaC-mediated Na(+) current. Finally, the expression pattern of 14-3-3 is also consistent with a functional role in distal nephron Na(+) transport. These results demonstrate a novel, physiologically significant role for 14-3-3 proteins in modulating ubiquitin ligase-dependent pathways in the control of epithelial ion transport

Advanced assistance tool for optimal compression spring design

International audienceThe main industrial programs for spring design do not make most of the powerful capabilities for optimization currently available. Usually, such software simply provides comprehensive validation tools. This paper introduces an advanced sizing tool for compression spring design. This tool can be used at any design stage and involves a specification sheet to provide data including interval values. Interval analysis and optimization processes are then run to provide the best design as output. High-level assistance functionalities are also presented and illustrated through a case study