scholarly journals Monolithic processing of a layered flexible robotic actuator film for kinetic electronics

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiyi Zhang ◽  
Joseph Wang ◽  
Kenshi Hayashi ◽  
Fumihiro Sassa

AbstractLow-invasive soft robotic techniques can potentially be used for developing next-generation body–machine interfaces. Most soft robots require complicated fabrication processes involving 3D printing and bonding/assembling. In this letter, we describe a monolithic soft microrobot fabrication process for the mass production of soft film robots with a complex structure by simple 2D processing of a robotic actuator film. The 45 µg/mm2 lightweight film robot can be driven at a voltage of CMOS compatible 5 V with 0.15 mm−1 large curvature changes; it can generate a force 5.7 times greater than its self-weight. In a durability test, actuation could be carried out over 8000 times without degradation. To further demonstrate this technique, three types of film robots with multiple degrees of freedom and a moving illuminator robot were fabricated. This technique can easily integrate various electrical circuits developed in the past to robotic systems and can be used for developing advanced wearable sensing devices; it can be called “Kinetic electronics”.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiyi Zhang ◽  
Joseph Wang ◽  
Kenshi Hayashi ◽  
Fumihiro Sassa

Abstract Low-invasive soft robotic techniques can potentially be used for developing next-generation body–machine interfaces. Most soft robots require complicated fabrication processes involving 3D printing and bonding/assembling. In this letter, we describe a monolithic soft microrobot fabrication process for the mass production of soft film robots with a complex structure by simple 2D processing of a robotic actuator film. The 45 μg/mm^2 lightweight film robot can be driven at a voltage of CMOS compatible 5 V with 0.15 mm^-1 large curvature changes; it can generate a force 5.7 times greater than its self-weight. In a durability test, actuation could be carried out over 8000 times without degradation. To further demonstrate this technique, three types of film robots with multiple degrees of freedom and moving illuminator robot were fabricated. This technique can easily integrate various electrical circuits developed in the past to robotic systems and can be used for developing advanced wearable sensing devices; It can be called “Kinetic electronics.”


Author(s):  
Zening Lin ◽  
Tao Jiang ◽  
Jianzhong Shang

Abstract In the past few decades, robotics research has witnessed an increasingly high interest in miniaturized, intelligent, and integrated robots. The imperative component of a robot is the actuator that determines its performance. Although traditional rigid drives such as motors and gas engines have shown great prevalence in most macroscale circumstances, the reduction of these drives to the millimeter or even lower scale results in a significant increase in manufacturing difficulty accompanied by a remarkable performance decline. Biohybrid robots driven by living cells can be a potential solution to overcome these drawbacks by benefiting from the intrinsic microscale self-assembly of living tissues and high energy efficiency, which, among other unprecedented properties, also feature flexibility, self-repair, and even multiple degrees of freedom. This paper systematically reviews the development of biohybrid robots. First, the development of biological flexible drivers is introduced while emphasizing on their advantages over traditional drivers. Second, up-to-date works regarding biohybrid robots are reviewed in detail from three aspects: biological driving sources, actuator materials, and structures with associated control methodologies. Finally, the potential future applications and major challenges of biohybrid robots are explored. Graphic abstract


2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (09) ◽  
pp. 48-51
Author(s):  
Harry H. Cheng ◽  
Graham Ryland ◽  
David Ko ◽  
Kevin Gucwa ◽  
Stephen Nestinger

This article discusses the advantages of a modular robot that can reassemble itself for different tasks. Modular robots are composed of multiple, linked modules. Although individual modules can move on their own, the greatest advantage of modular systems is their structural reconfigurability. Modules can be combined and assembled to form configurations for specific tasks and then reassembled to suit other tasks. Modular robotic systems are also very well suited for dynamic and unpredictable application areas such as search and rescue operations. Modular robots can be reconfigured to suit various situations. Quite a number of modular robotic system prototypes have been developed and studied in the past, each containing unique geometries and capabilities. In some systems, a module only has one degree of freedom. In order to exhibit practical functionality, multiple interconnected modules are required. Other modular robotic systems use more complicated modules with two or three degrees of freedom. However, in most of these systems, a single module is incapable of certain fundamental locomotive behaviors, such as turning.


2019 ◽  
Vol 04 (02) ◽  
pp. 1950002
Author(s):  
Martin Klemm ◽  
Uwe D. Hanebeck ◽  
Harald Hoppe

Nowadays, robotic systems are an integral part of many orthopedic interventions. Stationary robots improve the accuracy but also require adapted surgical workflows. Handheld robotic devices (HHRDs), however, are easily integrated into existing workflows and represent a more economical solution. Their limited range of motion is compensated by the dexterity of the surgeon. This work presents control algorithms for HHRDs with multiple degrees of freedom (DOF). These algorithms protect pre- or intraoperatively defined regions from being penetrated by the end effector (e.g., a burr) by controlling the joints as well as the device’s power. Accuracy tests on a stationary prototype with three DOF show that the presented control algorithms produce results similar to those of stationary robots and much better results than conventional techniques. This work presents novel and innovative algorithms, which work robustly, accurately, and open up new opportunities for orthopedic interventions.


Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 444
Author(s):  
Guoning Si ◽  
Liangying Sun ◽  
Zhuo Zhang ◽  
Xuping Zhang

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and testing of a novel three-dimensional (3D) three-fingered electrothermal microgripper with multiple degrees of freedom (multi DOFs). Each finger of the microgripper is composed of a V-shaped electrothermal actuator providing one DOF, and a 3D U-shaped electrothermal actuator offering two DOFs in the plane perpendicular to the movement of the V-shaped actuator. As a result, each finger possesses 3D mobilities with three DOFs. Each beam of the actuators is heated externally with the polyimide film. The durability of the polyimide film is tested under different voltages. The static and dynamic properties of the finger are also tested. Experiments show that not only can the microgripper pick and place microobjects, such as micro balls and even highly deformable zebrafish embryos, but can also rotate them in 3D space.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy Lemons ◽  
Wei Liu ◽  
Josef C. Frisch ◽  
Alan Fry ◽  
Joseph Robinson ◽  
...  

AbstractThe structural versatility of light underpins an outstanding collection of optical phenomena where both geometrical and topological states of light can dictate how matter will respond or display. Light possesses multiple degrees of freedom such as amplitude, and linear, spin angular, and orbital angular momenta, but the ability to adaptively engineer the spatio-temporal distribution of all these characteristics is primarily curtailed by technologies used to impose any desired structure to light. We demonstrate a laser architecture based on coherent beam combination offering integrated spatio-temporal field control and programmability, thereby presenting unique opportunities for generating light by design to exploit its topology.


Author(s):  
Xiaoli Zhang ◽  
Carl A. Nelson

The size and limited dexterity of current surgical robotic systems are factors which limit their usefulness. To improve the level of assimilation of surgical robots in minimally invasive surgery (MIS), a compact, lightweight surgical robotic positioning mechanism with four degrees of freedom (DOF) (three rotational DOF and one translation DOF) is proposed in this paper. This spatial mechanism based on a bevel-gear wrist is remotely driven with three rotation axes intersecting at a remote rotation center (the MIS entry port). Forward and inverse kinematics are derived, and these are used for optimizing the mechanism structure given workspace requirements. By evaluating different spherical geared configurations with various link angles and pitch angles, an optimal design is achieved which performs surgical tool positioning throughout the desired kinematic workspace while occupying a small space bounded by a hemisphere of radius 13.7 cm. This optimized workspace conservatively accounts for collision avoidance between patient and robot or internally between the robot links. This resultant mechanism is highly compact and yet has the dexterity to cover the extended workspace typically required in telesurgery. It can also be used for tool tracking and skills assessment. Due to the linear nature of the gearing relationships, it may also be well suited for implementing force feedback for telesurgery.


AIP Advances ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 075306
Author(s):  
Ruikun Niu ◽  
Yu Guo

2021 ◽  
pp. 174569162095983
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Davis ◽  
Jonathan Redshaw ◽  
Thomas Suddendorf ◽  
Mark Nielsen ◽  
Siobhan Kennedy-Costantini ◽  
...  

Neonatal imitation is a cornerstone in many theoretical accounts of human development and social behavior, yet its existence has been debated for the past 40 years. To examine possible explanations for the inconsistent findings in this body of research, we conducted a multilevel meta-analysis synthesizing 336 effect sizes from 33 independent samples of human newborns, reported in 26 articles. The meta-analysis found significant evidence for neonatal imitation ( d = 0.68, 95% CI = [0.39, 0.96], p < .001) but substantial heterogeneity between study estimates. This heterogeneity was not explained by any of 13 methodological moderators identified by previous reviews, but it was associated with researcher affiliation, test of moderators ( QM) (15) = 57.09, p < .001. There are at least two possible explanations for these results: (a) Neonatal imitation exists and its detection varies as a function of uncaptured methodological factors common to a limited set of studies, and (2) neonatal imitation does not exist and the overall positive result is an artifact of high researcher degrees of freedom.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
Larisa Dunai ◽  
Martin Novak ◽  
Carmen García Espert

The present paper describes the development of a prosthetic hand based on human hand anatomy. The hand phalanges are printed with 3D printing with Polylactic Acid material. One of the main contributions is the investigation on the prosthetic hand joins; the proposed design enables one to create personalized joins that provide the prosthetic hand a high level of movement by increasing the degrees of freedom of the fingers. Moreover, the driven wire tendons show a progressive grasping movement, being the friction of the tendons with the phalanges very low. Another important point is the use of force sensitive resistors (FSR) for simulating the hand touch pressure. These are used for the grasping stop simulating touch pressure of the fingers. Surface Electromyogram (EMG) sensors allow the user to control the prosthetic hand-grasping start. Their use may provide the prosthetic hand the possibility of the classification of the hand movements. The practical results included in the paper prove the importance of the soft joins for the object manipulation and to get adapted to the object surface. Finally, the force sensitive sensors allow the prosthesis to actuate more naturally by adding conditions and classifications to the Electromyogram sensor.


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