Orochi: Investigating Requirements and Expectations for Multipurpose Daily Used Supernumerary Robotic Limbs

Supernumerary robotic limbs (SRLs) present many opportunities for daily use. However, their obtrusiveness and limitations in interaction genericity hinder their daily use. To address challenges of daily use, we extracted three design considerations from previous literature and embodied them in a wearable we call Orochi. The considerations include the following: 1) multipurpose use, 2) wearability by context, and 3) unobtrusiveness in public. We implemented Orochi as a snake-shaped robot with 25 DoFs and two end effectors, and demonstrated several novel interactions enabled by its limber design. Using Orochi, we conducted hands-on focus groups to explore how multipurpose SRLs are used daily and we conducted a survey to explore how they are perceived when used in public. Participants approved Orochi's design and proposed different use cases and postures in which it could be worn. Orochi's unobtrusive design was generally well received, yet novel interactions raise several challenges for social acceptance. We discuss the significance of our results by highlighting future research opportunities based on the design, implementation, and evaluation of Orochi

Design and control of supernumerary robotic limbs

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2016.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 175-181).Humans possess the remarkable ability to control their four natural limbs in a voluntary, accurate and independent manner. The simultaneous use of two or more limbs allows humans to learn and robustly perform a wide range of complex tasks. Since the use of multiple limbs enables humans to master advanced motor skills, it would be interesting to study whether having additional limbs would enable users to expand their skill set beyond its natural limits. Inspired by this vision, we propose a new form of human augmentation: a wearable robot that augments its user by providing him with an additional set of robotic limbs. We named this new device Supernumerary Robotic Limbs (SRL). However, humans have never had the possibility to control additional, powered limbs besides their natural arms and legs. The main theme of this thesis, besides realizing a prototype of the robot and proving its usefulness in realworld tasks, is demonstrating that humans can voluntarily control additional limbs as if they were a part of their own body. We realized a lightweight (3.5 kg), comfortable prototype of the SRL that can be easily worn by an unassisted user. Two robotic limbs can assist the user in both manufacturing and locomotion tasks. We created control strategies that take advantage of the independence of the robotic limbs, enabling them to provide optimal assistance in specific tasks such as weight support, body stabilization, using powered tools, sitting/standing and dynamic walking. Finally, we developed an EMG-based control interface that enables users to voluntarily control the motion of the robotic limbs, without interfering with the posture of the rest of the body. The new augmentation technology presented in this thesis opens up new possibilities in the field of wearable robotics. The voluntary control of additional robotic limbs falls within the range of motor skills that humans can learn, and enables the acquisition of a new set of complex skills that would not be achievable using only the natural body..by Federico Parietti.Ph. D

Design and Biomechanical Analysis of Supernumerary Robotic Limbs

A new type of wearable robot that provides a third and fourth arm for performing manipulative tasks with the wearer's own arms is presented. These Supernumerary Robotic Limbs (SRL) work so closely with the human that he/she can potentially perceive them to be his/her own. The SRL consist of two independently acting robotic limbs that can function as either arms or legs to help the user position objects, lift weights, and maintain balance. These wearable robots are aimed to augment not only the strength and the precision of the human users, but also their range of skills and interactions with the environment. The guiding principles of the robotic design are safety, transparency and user comfort. Series viscoelastic actuators provide suitable joint torques while ensuring compliance and robust torque sensing. A Bowden cable transmission actuates the elbow joint, minimizing the robotic arms' weight. A tuned elastic human-robot coupling ensures wearability and comfort. To quantify the mechanical advantage the SRL offers to the operator during use, joint torques generated in the human while performing static manipulation tasks have been reconstructed experimentally. © 2012 by ASME

Quality considerations on the pharmaceutical applications of fused deposition modeling 3D printing

3D printing, and particularly fused deposition modeling (FDM), has rapidly brought the possibility of personalizing drug therapies to the forefront of pharmaceutical research and media attention. Applications for this technology, described in published articles, are expected to grow significantly in 2020. Where are we on this path, and what needs to be done to develop a FDM 2.0 process and make personalized medicines available to patients? Based on literature analysis, this manuscript aims to answer these questions and highlight the critical technical aspects of FDM as an emerging technology for manufacturing safe, high-quality personalized oral drug products. In this collaborative paper, experts from different fields contribute strategies for ensuring the quality of starting materials and discuss the design phase, printer hardware and software, the process, the environment and the resulting products, from the perspectives of both patients and operators

Industrial Development of a 3D-Printed Nutraceutical Delivery Platform in the Form of a Multicompartment HPC Capsule

Following recent advances in nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics, as well as in view of the increasing use of nutraceuticals in combination with drug treatments, considerable attention is being directed to the composition, bioefficacy, and release performance of dietary supplements. Moreover, the interest in the possibility of having such products tailored to meet specific needs is fast growing among costumers. To fulfill these emerging market trends, 3D-printed capsular devices originally intended for conveyance and administration of drugs were proposed for delivery of dietary supplements. Being composed of separate inner compartments, such a device could yield customized combinations of substances, relevant doses, and release kinetics. In particular, the aim of this work was to face early-stage industrial development of the processes involved in fabrication of nutraceutical capsules for oral pulsatile delivery. A pilot plant for extrusion of filaments based on pharmaceutical-grade polymers and intended for 3D printing was set up, and studies aimed at demonstrating feasibility of fused deposition modeling in 3D printing of capsule shells according to Current Good Manufacturing Practices for dietary supplements were undertaken. In this respect, the stability of the starting material after hot processing and of the resulting items was investigated, and compliance of elemental and microbiological contaminants, as well as of by-products, with internal specifications was assessed. Finally, operating charts highlighting critical process variables and parameters that would serve as indices of both intermediate and final product quality were developed