scholarly journals BIOMIMETIC DESIGN OF LOW STIFFNESS ACTUATOR SYSTEMS FOR PROSTHETIC LIMBS

Author(s):  
D. L. Russell ◽  
M. McTavish

The various relationships that are possible between the mechanical properties of single actuators and the overall mechanism (in this case a human arm with or without a prosthetic elbow) are discussed. Graphical and analytical techniques for describing the range of overall limb stiffnesses that are achievable and for characterizing the overall limb stiffness have been developed. Using a biomimetic approach and, considering energetic costs, stability and complexity, the implications of choosing passive or active implementations of stiffness are discussed. These techniques and approaches are particularly applicable with redundant (agonist - antagonist) actuators and multiple degrees of freedom. Finally, a novel biomimetic approach for control is proposed.

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianjun Meng ◽  
Shuying Zhang ◽  
Angeliki Bekyo ◽  
Jaron Olsoe ◽  
Bryan Baxter ◽  
...  

Abstract Brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies aim to provide a bridge between the human brain and external devices. Prior research using non-invasive BCI to control virtual objects, such as computer cursors and virtual helicopters, and real-world objects, such as wheelchairs and quadcopters, has demonstrated the promise of BCI technologies. However, controlling a robotic arm to complete reach-and-grasp tasks efficiently using non-invasive BCI has yet to be shown. In this study, we found that a group of 13 human subjects could willingly modulate brain activity to control a robotic arm with high accuracy for performing tasks requiring multiple degrees of freedom by combination of two sequential low dimensional controls. Subjects were able to effectively control reaching of the robotic arm through modulation of their brain rhythms within the span of only a few training sessions and maintained the ability to control the robotic arm over multiple months. Our results demonstrate the viability of human operation of prosthetic limbs using non-invasive BCI technology.


Author(s):  
W. W. Davison ◽  
R. C. Buchanan

Yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) has become a significant technological material due to its high ionic conductivity, chemical inertness, and good mechanical properties. Temperatures on the order of 1700°C are required, however, to densify YSZ to the degree necessary for good electrical and mechanical properties. A technique for lowering the densification temperature is the addition of small amounts of material which facilitate the formation of a liquid phase at comparatively low temperatures. In this study, sintered microstructures obtained from the use of Al2O3 as a sintering aid were examined with scanning, transmission, and scanning transmission microscopy (SEM, TEM, and STEM).


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.


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


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.


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

1995 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 582-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. N. Virgin ◽  
T. F. Walsh ◽  
J. D. Knight

This paper describes the results of a study into the dynamic behavior of a magnetic bearing system. The research focuses attention on the influence of nonlinearities on the forced response of a two-degree-of-freedom rotating mass suspended by magnetic bearings and subject to rotating unbalance and feedback control. Geometric coupling between the degrees of freedom leads to a pair of nonlinear ordinary differential equations, which are then solved using both numerical simulation and approximate analytical techniques. The system exhibits a variety of interesting and somewhat unexpected phenomena including various amplitude driven bifurcational events, sensitivity to initial conditions, and the complete loss of stability associated with the escape from the potential well in which the system can be thought to be oscillating. An approximate criterion to avoid this last possibility is developed based on concepts of limiting the response of the system. The present paper may be considered as an extension to an earlier study by the same authors, which described the practical context of the work, free vibration, control aspects, and derivation of the mathematical model.


Author(s):  
SD Yu ◽  
BC Wen

This article presents a simple procedure for predicting time-domain vibrational behaviors of a multiple degrees of freedom mechanical system with dry friction. The system equations of motion are discretized by means of the implicit Bozzak–Newmark integration scheme. At each time step, the discontinuous frictional force problem involving both the equality and inequality constraints is successfully reduced to a quadratic mathematical problem or the linear complementary problem with the introduction of non-negative and complementary variable pairs (supremum velocities and slack forces). The so-obtained complementary equations in the complementary pairs can be solved efficiently using the Lemke algorithm. Results for several single degree of freedom and multiple degrees of freedom problems with one-dimensional frictional constraints and the classical Coulomb frictional model are obtained using the proposed procedure and compared with those obtained using other approaches. The proposed procedure is found to be accurate, efficient, and robust in solving non-smooth vibration problems of multiple degrees of freedom systems with dry friction. The proposed procedure can also be applied to systems with two-dimensional frictional constraints and more sophisticated frictional models.


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