Development of a novel robotic hand with soft materials and rigid structures

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongyao Li ◽  
Ming Cong ◽  
Dong Liu ◽  
Yu Du ◽  
Minjie Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategies ◽  
Kinematic Model ◽  
Soft Materials ◽  
Robotic Hand ◽  
Complex Environments ◽  
Surface Geometry ◽  
Robotic Hands ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Enhancement Method ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Rigid robotic hands are generally fast, precise and capable of exerting large forces, whereas soft robotic hands are compliant, safe and adaptive to complex environments. It is valuable and challenging to develop soft-rigid robotic hands that have both types of capabilities. The paper aims to address the challenge through developing a paradigm to achieve the behaviors of soft and rigid robotic hands adaptively. Design/methodology/approach The design principle of a two-joint finger is proposed. A kinematic model and a stiffness enhancement method are proposed and discussed. The manufacturing process for the soft-rigid finger is presented. Experiments are carried out to validate the accuracy of the kinematic model and evaluate the performance of the flexible body of the finger. Finally, a robotic hand composed of two soft-rigid fingers is fabricated to demonstrate its grasping capacities. Findings The kinematic model can capture the desired distal deflection and comprehensive shape accurately. The stiffness enhancement method guarantees stable grasp of the robotic hand, without sacrificing its flexibility and adaptability. The robotic hand is lightweight and practical. It can exhibit different grasping capacities. Practical implications It can be applied in the field of industrial grasping, where the objects are varied in materials and geometry. The hand’s inherent characteristic removes the need to detect and react to slight variations in surface geometry and makes the control strategies simple. Originality/value This work proposes a novel robotic hand. It possesses three distinct characteristics, i.e. high compliance, exhibiting discrete or continuous kinematics adaptively, lightweight and practical structures.

Development and analysis of a bio-inspired wire-driven variable stiffness double spring based tapered multi-section flexible robot

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alok Ranjan Sahoo ◽  
Pavan Chakraborty
Keyword(s):  
Inverse Kinematics ◽  
Kinematic Model ◽  
Variable Stiffness ◽  
Radius Of Curvature ◽  
Flexible Robot ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cluttered Environments ◽  
Collapsed Buildings ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Robot Body

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a tendon actuated variable stiffness double spring based continuously tapered multi-section flexible robot and study its capability to achieve the desired bending and compression for inspection in cluttered environments. Design/methodology/approach Spring-based continuum manipulators get compressed while actuated for bending. This property can be used for the advantage in cluttered environments if one is able to control both bending and compression. Here, this paper uses a mechanics based model to achieve the desired bending and compression. Moreover, this study tries to incorporate the tapered design to help in independent actuation of the distal sections with minimal effects on proximal sections. This study is also trying to incorporate the double spring based design to minimize the number of spacers in the robot body. Findings The model was able to produce desired curvature at the tip section with less than 4.62% error. The positioning error of the manipulator is nearly 3.5% which is at par with the state-of-the-art manipulators for search and rescue operations. It was also found that the use of double spring can effectively reduce the number of spacers required. It can be helpful in smooth robot to outer world interaction without any kink. From the experiments, it has been found that the error of the kinematic model decreases as one moves from high radius of curvature to low radius of curvature. Error is maximum when the radius of curvature is infinity. Practical implications The proposed manipulator can be used for search operations in cluttered environments such as collapsed buildings and maintenance of heavy machineries in industries. Originality/value The novelty of this paper lies in the design and the proposed kinematics inverse kinematics for a spring-based continuously tapered multi-section manipulator.

Moving past sporadic eruptions, discursive killing, and running amok: recognizing the convergence of the serial and spree killer

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 138-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enzo Yaksic
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategies ◽  
Gun Control ◽  
The Other ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Limited Mobility ◽  
Rapid Sequence ◽  
Clear Delineation ◽  
Serial Murderers ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Rapid sequence homicide offenders (RSHOs), formerly spree killers, are an understudied population due to the confusion surrounding their classification in relation to serial murderers. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory, comparative analysis of 56 RSHOs and 60 serial murderers was conducted on US-based data from 2014 to 2018 derived from the Consolidated Serial Homicide Offender Database to determine similarities and differences between the cohorts. Findings RSHOs and serial murderers are similar in that they often kill their victims using a singular method, have limited mobility, kill a similar number of victims both known and unknown to them and are both supremely motivated by domestic anger. There is an inverse relationship between serial murderers and RSHOs: as one group increases in prevalence the other decreases. Practical implications In order to divert men into more pro-social activities, attention must be dedicated to increasing mental health services that provide them with the tools to diffuse their hatred and couple that with effective gun control strategies and ways to enhance the compromised anger management skills of a generation of volatile men. Originality/value Academicians have been hesitant to juxtapose these offenders but based this conclusion on surface-level differences. A reimagining of these categorical structures is needed. The once clear delineation between these cohorts may continue to shrink and synchronize until one subsumes the other.

Automated Design of Robotic Hands for In-Hand Manipulation Tasks

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
pp. 1950029
Author(s):  
Christopher Hazard ◽  
Nancy Pollard ◽  
Stelian Coros
Keyword(s):  
Kinematic Model ◽  
Automated Design ◽  
Robotic Hand ◽  
Motion Synthesis ◽  
Robotic Hands ◽  
Dexterous Manipulation ◽  
Grasp Planning ◽  
User Input ◽  
High Level

Grasp planning and motion synthesis for dexterous manipulation tasks are traditionally done given a pre-existing kinematic model for the robotic hand. In this paper, we introduce a framework for automatically designing hand topologies best suited for manipulation tasks given high-level objectives as input. Our pipeline is capable of building custom hand designs around specific manipulation tasks based on high-level user input. Our framework comprises of a sequence of trajectory optimizations chained together to translate a sequence of objective poses into an optimized hand mechanism along with a physically feasible motion plan involving both the constructed hand and the object. We demonstrate the feasibility of this approach by synthesizing a series of hand designs optimized to perform specified in-hand manipulation tasks of varying difficulty. We extend our original pipeline 32 to accommodate the construction of hands suitable for multiple distinct manipulation tasks as well as provide an in depth discussion of the effects of each non-trivial optimization term.

Design of a novel dexterous robotic gripper for in-hand twisting and positioning within assembly automation

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Chen ◽  
Luca Carbonari ◽  
Carlo Canali ◽  
Mariapaola D'Imperio ◽  
Ferdinando Cannella
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Mechanical Analysis ◽  
Robotic Hand ◽  
Hand Posture ◽  
Robotic Hands ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Electronic Manufacturing ◽  
Electronic Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Gripping Force ◽  
Assembly Tasks

Purpose – This paper aims to design a novel jaw gripper with human-sized anthropomorphic features to be suitable for precise in-hand posture transitions, such as twisting and re-positioning. The growing demand from traditional high-mix low-volume and new massive customized manufacturing industry requires the robot with configurability and flexibility. In the electronic manufacturing industry particularly, the design of the robotic hand with sufficient dexterity and configuration is important for the robot to accomplish the assembly task reliably and robustly. It is important for the robot to be able to grasp and manipulate a large number of assembly parts or tools. Design/methodology/approach – In this research, a novel jaw-like gripper with human-sized anthropomorphic features is designed for online in-hand precise positioning and twisting. It retains the simplicity feature of traditional industrial grippers and dexterity features of dexterous robotic hands. Findings – The gripper is able to apply suitable gripping force on assembly parts and performs reliable twisting movement within limited time to meet the industrial requirements. Manipulating several cylindrical assembly parts by robot, as an experimental case in this paper, is studied to evaluate its performance. The effectiveness of proposed gripper design and mechanical analysis is proved by the simulation and experimental results. Originality/value – The main originality of this research is that a novel jaw gripper with human-sized anthropomorphic features is designed to be suitable for precise in-hand posture transitions, such as twisting and re-positioning. With this gripper, the robotic system will be sufficiently flexible to deal with various assembly tasks.

Facing the challenge of improvisation in project management: a critical review

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Malucelli ◽  
Marcos T.J. Barbosa ◽  
Marly Monteiro de Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Complex Environments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Face ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose When plans fail, the form of making it happen leads to improvisation in practice, which is not sufficiently approached yet in the project management (PM) field. The main reason for the lack of research is that improvisation is predominantly seemed in a negative perspective. Due to the relevance of improvisation in the PM field, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how and why improvisation is applied in the PM context. This research address two questions: which are the key topics and studies linked with improvisation in the PM context?: how do the origin factors and the purpose influence improvisation in PM context? Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was carried out through the merging of bibliometric analysis and content analysis. The systematic literature review aims to identify and synthesize the research on the theme, applying structured, transparent and replicable procedures for each phase of the process. These studies focus mainly on the identification of literature standards based on publication reviews. The sampling process follows the flow summarized in Figure 1. The searching process was based on two selected databases, the Web of Science and Scopus. The search strings applied were: (improvisation OR bricolage) AND “project management.” Findings The evolution of publications has shown the existence of a growing interest in the articles relating to improvisation and PM in recent years. The literature on improvisation in the PM context, allows to identify the key related constructs, origin factors and purposes. It also identifies the core relation among these constructs. The understanding of the effect of origin factors on the key related constructs was achieved. Improvisation appears not only as a strategy for adapting when dealing with urgent demands, but also as a team skill. Research limitations/implications As a limitation related to the research methods adopted, their exploratory nature is acknowledged, implying some subjectivity in the content analysis of the surveyed sample. The databases, search strings and selection criteria may also have narrowed the research sample. This study shows a lack of research on knowledge management, experience and resilience that can be a drive for future research. Other interesting insights for future research are that some origin factors are more related with some related constructs than others. Practical implications As practical implications, project practitioners can better understand how improvisation is related to PM. The results can bring insights to professionals such as to explore improvisation in uncertainty and complex environments, and to improve aspects like adaptation, intuition and innovation needs. Improvisation can be understood as a way to improve project results considering that it is a mechanism of management in the face of the inherent environment pressure and is related to ones who have experience and is not necessarily a consequence of lack of planning. Originality/value This paper contributes to the current literature in two ways. First, there is in-depth understanding of the literature on improvisation in the PM context, which allows to identify the key related constructs, origin factors and purposes. Moreover, it identifies the core relation among these constructs. Second, understanding of the effect of origin factors on the key related constructs was achieved.

Co-leadership: public sector case studies using reciprocal expectations

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-15
Author(s):  
Mike Donnelly ◽  
Wayne Graham
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Complex Environments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governance Practice ◽  
The Government ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The paper aims to introduce the reciprocal expectations (RE) approach to co-leadership and outlines the complex environments within which public services operate. Design/methodology/approach A case study of two government departments is undertaken to apply the RE approach within a public services context. Findings The application of the RE approach to co-leadership resulted in the mending of broken relationships, thereby providing the basis for stable, effective government, and restoring Ministerial confidence in the government departments. Practical implications Strong and effective co-leadership can be achieved when attributes of trust, honesty, and clear expectations are facilitated and mutually adopted. Originality/value The organizational context of elected and professional leaders in government is complex, unique, and requires special attention. The RE approach is original, and the case studies contribute to the knowledge of co-leadership and the benefits of the RE approach to good governance practice.

scholarly journals Service employee adaptiveness

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil Sahadev ◽  
Keyoor Purani ◽  
Tapan Kumar Panda
Keyword(s):  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Role Stress ◽  
Call Centre ◽  
Managerial Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Setting ◽  
Significant Negative Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between managerial control strategies, role-stress and employee adaptiveness among call centre employees. Design/methodology/approach Based on a conceptual model, a questionnaire-based survey methodology is adopted. Data were collected from call centre employees in India and the data were analysed through PLS methodology. Findings The study finds that outcome control and activity control increase role-stress while capability control does not have a significant impact. The interaction between outcome control and activity control also tends to impact role-stress of employees. Role-stress felt by employees has significant negative impact on employee adaptiveness. Research limitations/implications The sampling approach was convenience based affecting the generalisability of the results. Practical implications The paper provides guidelines for utilising managerial control approaches in a service setting. Originality/value The paper looks at managerial control approaches in a service setting – a topic not quite researched before.

Understanding value co-creation in complex services with many actors

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 470-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelson Pinho ◽  
Gabriela Beirão ◽  
Lia Patrício ◽  
Raymond P. Fisk
Keyword(s):  
Complex Environments ◽  
Health Records ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Project ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Data Platform ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Service Managers ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Multiple Actors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of value co-creation in complex value networks with many actors. Electronic health records (EHRs) are innovations that warrant deep study to properly introduce such a complex system. Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes a qualitative study based on Grounded Theory to understand value co-creation from multiple actors’ perspectives in a National EHR Service Project: the Portuguese Health Data Platform. Findings – Study results enabled further development of the value co-creation concept in complex environments with multiple actors. More specifically they allowed: operationalizing the value co-creation concept by identifying its factors and outcomes, understanding how value co-creation factors and outcomes are interconnected, and understanding of how value co-creation for each actor depends on his/her own actions and the actions of other actors, in a complex set of interactions and interdependencies. Practical implications – The findings have implications for service managers seeking to understand how actors participating in the network integrate resources and interact to co-create value. The study highlights the need for designing and managing services to co-create value, not only by enabling dyadic interactions between the customer and the service provider, but also by supporting and enabling value co-creation interactions among different actors in the network. Originality/value – This study responds to the need for empirical research on value co-creation in many-to-many contexts and for operationalizing the value co-creation concept.

A united kinematic calibration method for a dual-machine system

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Zhao ◽  
Yunbo Bi ◽  
Yinglin Ke
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Optimization Problem ◽  
Kinematic Model ◽  
Calibration Method ◽  
Machining Accuracy ◽  
Kinematic Calibration ◽  
Kinematic Parameters ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Machine System ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to propose a united kinematic calibration method for a dual-machine system in automatic drilling and riveting. The method takes both absolute and relative pose accuracy into account, which will largely influence the machining accuracy of the dual-machine system and assembly quality. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive kinematic model of the dual-machine system is established by the superposition of sub-models with pose constraints, which involves base frame parameters, kinematic parameters and tool frame parameters. Based on the kinematic model and the actual pose error data measured by a laser tracker, the parameters of coordinated machines are identified by the Levenberg–Marquardt method as a multi-objective nonlinear optimization problem. The identified parameters of the coordinated machines will be used in the control system. Findings A new calibration method for the dual-machine system is developed, including a comprehensive kinematic model and an efficient parameter identification method. The experiment results show that with the proposed method, the pose accuracy of the dual-machine system was remarkably improved, especially the relative position and orientation errors. Practical implications This method has been used in an aircraft assembly project. The calibrated dual-machine system shows a good performance on system coordination and machining accuracy. Originality/value This paper proposes a new method with high accuracy and efficiency for the dual-machine system calibration. The research can be extended to multi-machine and multi-robot fields to improve the system precision.

On docility: a research note on Herbert Simon’s social learning theory

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles J. McMillan
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Thought Processes ◽  
Complex Environments ◽  
Administrative Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Organizational Literature

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the core concept of docility in Simon’s learning theories and elaborate docility as a missing link in organizational performance structures. In his book, Administrative Behavior, first published in 1947 with three subsequent editions, Herbert A. Simon introduced a new concept to the emerging field of organizational theory, docility. Design/methodology/approach – In Administrative Behavior, Herbert A. Simon introduced to management and organization theorists the concept of docility. Simon adopted the concept and meaning from E.C. Tolman’s (1932) classic work, Purposive Behavior in Animals and Men, and his novel views on learning processes and key concepts like purpose (goals), thought processes (cognitive psychology) and cognitive maps. This paper elaborates on docility mechanisms and the implications for social learning in organizations. Findings – This paper addresses this lacuna in the organizational literature, and the implications for current theories of organizations and organizational learning. Practical implications – Docility is a tool to link individual learning with organizational learning in complex environments and changing technologies. Originality/value – The paper traces origins of Simon’s docility and learning theories.

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