The wrist unit is crucial in humanoid robots,determining their operational dexterity and precision.To address current challenges such as excessive size,limited Degrees of Freedom(DoFs),and insufficient load capacity,w...The wrist unit is crucial in humanoid robots,determining their operational dexterity and precision.To address current challenges such as excessive size,limited Degrees of Freedom(DoFs),and insufficient load capacity,we propose a 3-DoF humanoid wrist inspired by the human forearm and wrist anatomy.This paper explores the principles of wrist bionic design and introduces a parallel mechanism actuated by a brushless DC motor(BLDC)-ball screw to achieve flexion/extension(F/E)and radial flexion/ulnar deviation(R/U),as along with pronation/supination(P/S)through an end-coupling design.We conducted an analysis on the inverse kinematic model and singularities of the humanoid wrist.Additionally,the workspace and motion capabilities of the humanoid wrist were evaluated.A prototype based on this design was built to demonstrate its motion and functional performance,verifying the feasibility and practicality of the humanoid wrist.This research provides a more compact design approach for future humanoid wrist development.展开更多
The integration of 3D-printed hydrogels in soft robotics enables the creation of flexible,adaptable,and biocompatible systems.Hydrogels,with their high-water content and responsiveness to stimuli,are suitable for actu...The integration of 3D-printed hydrogels in soft robotics enables the creation of flexible,adaptable,and biocompatible systems.Hydrogels,with their high-water content and responsiveness to stimuli,are suitable for actuators,sensors,and robotic systems that require safe interaction and precise manipulation.Unlike traditional techniques,3D printing offers enhanced capabilities in tailoring structural complexity,resolution,and integrated functionality,enabling the direct fabrication of hydrogel systems with programmed mechanical and functional properties.In this perspective,we explore the evolving role of 3D-printed hydrogels in soft robotics,covering their material composition,fabrication techniques,and diverse applications.We highlight advancements in hydrogel-based actuators,sensors,and robots,emphasizing their ability to perform intricate motions.In addition,we discuss challenges like mechanical robustness,scalability,and integration as well as the potential of hydrogels in soft robotics and explore future directions for their development.展开更多
How to solve the coupling relations in a 6 - DOF parallel robot quickly and accurately within the limits of realtime control is a critical problem. In traditional analytic method, the complicated mathemtical model mus...How to solve the coupling relations in a 6 - DOF parallel robot quickly and accurately within the limits of realtime control is a critical problem. In traditional analytic method, the complicated mathemtical model must first be constructed and then solved by programming.Obviously, this method is not very practical. This paper,therefore, proposes a new way of approach with a new method using 3- D animation for the solving of coupling relations in the 6 - DOF parallel robot. This method is much simpler and its solving accuracy approaches that of the more complicated analytic method.展开更多
Any malfunctions of the actuators of the robots have the potential to destroy the robot’s normal motion,and most of the current actuator fault diagnosis methods are difficult to meet the requirements of simplifying t...Any malfunctions of the actuators of the robots have the potential to destroy the robot’s normal motion,and most of the current actuator fault diagnosis methods are difficult to meet the requirements of simplifying the actuator modeling and solving the difficulty of fault data collection.To solve the problem of real-time diagnosis of actuator faults in the 3-PR(P)S parallel robot,the model of 3-PR(P)S parallel robot and data-driven-based method for the fault diagnosis are presented.Firstly,only the input-output relationship of the actuator is considered for modeling actuator faults,reducing the complexity of fault modeling and reducing the time consumption of parameter identification,thereby meeting the requirements of real-time diagnosis.A Simulink model of the electromechanical actuator(EMA)was constructed to analyze actuator faults.Then the short-term analysis method was employed for collecting the sample data of the slider position on the test platform of the EMA system and feature extraction.Training samples for neural networks are obtained.Furthermore,we optimized the Back Propagation(BP)neural network using the Dung Beetle Optimization Algorithm(DBO),which effectively resolved the weights and thresholds of the BP neural network.Compared to BP and Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO)-BP,the DBO-BP has better convergence,convergence rate,and the best-classifying quality.So,the classification for the different actuator faults is obviously improved.Finally,a fault diagnosis system was designed for the actuator of the 3-PR(P)S parallel robot,and the experimental results demonstrate that this system can detect actuator faults within 0.1 seconds.This work also provides the technical support for the fault-tolerant control of the 3-PR(P)S Parallel robot.展开更多
By selecting any one limb of 3-RSR parallel robot as a research object, the paper establishes a position and orienta- tion relationship matrix between the moving platform and the base by means of Denavit-Hartenberg （...By selecting any one limb of 3-RSR parallel robot as a research object, the paper establishes a position and orienta- tion relationship matrix between the moving platform and the base by means of Denavit-Hartenberg （D-H） transformation matrix. The error mapping model is derived from original error to the error of the platform by using matrix differential method. This model contains all geometric original errors of the robot. The nonlinear implicit function relation between po- sition and orientation error of the platform and the original geometric errors is simplified as a linear explicit function rela- tion. The results provide a basis for further studying error analysis and error compensation.展开更多
This paper presents a 3D simulator used for studying the motion control and autonomous navigation of robotic fish. The simulator’s system structure and computation flow are presented. Simplified kinematics and hydrod...This paper presents a 3D simulator used for studying the motion control and autonomous navigation of robotic fish. The simulator’s system structure and computation flow are presented. Simplified kinematics and hydrodynamics models for a virtual robotic fish are proposed. Many other object models are created for water, obstacles, sonar sensors and a swimming pool. Experimental results show that the simulator provides a realistic and convenient way to develop autonomous navigation algorithms for robotic fish.展开更多
In this study,a machine vision-based pattern matching technique was applied to estimate the location of an autonomous driving robot and perform 3D tunnel mapping in an underground mine environment.The autonomous drivi...In this study,a machine vision-based pattern matching technique was applied to estimate the location of an autonomous driving robot and perform 3D tunnel mapping in an underground mine environment.The autonomous driving robot continuously detects the wall of the tunnel in the horizontal direction using the light detection and ranging(Li DAR)sensor and performs pattern matching by recognizing the shape of the tunnel wall.The proposed method was designed to measure the heading of the robot by fusion with the inertial measurement units sensor according to the pattern matching accuracy;it is combined with the encoder sensor to estimate the location of the robot.In addition,when the robot is driving,the vertical direction of the underground mine is scanned through the vertical Li DAR sensor and stacked to create a 3D map of the underground mine.The performance of the proposed method was superior to that of previous studies;the mean absolute error achieved was 0.08 m for the X-Y axes.A root mean square error of 0.05 m^(2)was achieved by comparing the tunnel section maps that were created by the autonomous driving robot to those of manual surveying.展开更多
The concrete aging problem has gained more attention in recent years as more bridges and tunnels in the United States lack proper maintenance. Though the Federal Highway Administration requires these public concrete s...The concrete aging problem has gained more attention in recent years as more bridges and tunnels in the United States lack proper maintenance. Though the Federal Highway Administration requires these public concrete structures to be inspected regularly, on-site manual inspection by human operators is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Conventional inspection approaches for concrete inspection, using RGB imagebased thresholding methods, are not able to determine metric information as well as accurate location information for assessed defects for conditions. To address this challenge, we propose a deep neural network(DNN) based concrete inspection system using a quadrotor flying robot(referred to as City Flyer) mounted with an RGB-D camera. The inspection system introduces several novel modules. Firstly, a visual-inertial fusion approach is introduced to perform camera and robot positioning and structure 3 D metric reconstruction. The reconstructed map is used to retrieve the location and metric information of the defects.Secondly, we introduce a DNN model, namely Ada Net, to detect concrete spalling and cracking, with the capability of maintaining robustness under various distances between the camera and concrete surface. In order to train the model, we craft a new dataset, i.e., the concrete structure spalling and cracking(CSSC)dataset, which is released publicly to the research community.Finally, we introduce a 3 D semantic mapping method using the annotated framework to reconstruct the concrete structure for visualization. We performed comparative studies and demonstrated that our Ada Net can achieve 8.41% higher detection accuracy than Res Nets and VGGs. Moreover, we conducted five field tests, of which three are manual hand-held tests and two are drone-based field tests. These results indicate that our system is capable of performing metric field inspection,and can serve as an effective tool for civil engineers.展开更多
Three-degree of freedom（3-DOF） translational parallel manipulators（TPMs） have been widely studied both in industry and academia in the past decades. However, most architectures of 3-DOF TPMs are created mainly on ...Three-degree of freedom（3-DOF） translational parallel manipulators（TPMs） have been widely studied both in industry and academia in the past decades. However, most architectures of 3-DOF TPMs are created mainly on designers＇ intuition, empirical knowledge, or associative reasoning and the topology synthesis researches of 3-DOF TPMs are still limited. In order to find out the atlas of designs for 3-DOF TPMs, a topology search is presented for enumeration of 3-DOF TPMs whose limbs can be modeled as 5-DOF serial chains. The proposed topology search of 3-DOF TPMs is aimed to overcome the sensitivities of the design solution of a 3-DOF TPM for a LARM leg mechanism in a biped robot. The topology search, which is based on the concept of generation and specialization in graph theory, is reported as a step-by-step procedure with desired specifications, principle and rules of generalization, design requirements and constraints, and algorithm of number synthesis. In order to obtain new feasible designs for a chosen example and to limit the search domain under general considerations, one topological generalized kinematic chain is chosen to be specialized. An atlas of new feasible designs is obtained and analyzed for a specific solution as leg mechanisms. The proposed methodology provides a topology search for 3-DOF TPMs for leg mechanisms, but it can be also expanded for other applications and tasks.展开更多
The pneumatic muscle actuator(PMA)has many advantages,such as good flexibility,high power/weight ratio,but its nonlinearity makes it difficult to build a static mathematical model with high precision.A new method is p...The pneumatic muscle actuator(PMA)has many advantages,such as good flexibility,high power/weight ratio,but its nonlinearity makes it difficult to build a static mathematical model with high precision.A new method is proposed to establish the model of PMA.The concept of hybrid elastic modulus which is related to the static characteristic of PMA is put forward,and the energy conservation law is used to achieve the expression of the hybrid elastic modulus,which can be fitted out based on experimental data,and the model of PMA can be derived from this expression.At the same time,a 3-DOF parallel mechanism(a new bionic shoulder joint)driven by five PMAs is designed.This bionic shoulder joint adopts the structure of two antagonistic PMAs actualizing a rotation control and three PMAs controlling another two rotations to get better rotation characteristics.The kinematic and dynamic characteristics of the mechanism are analyzed and a new static model of PMA is used to control it.Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of this new static model.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NO.52175069 and NO.52305043).
文摘The wrist unit is crucial in humanoid robots,determining their operational dexterity and precision.To address current challenges such as excessive size,limited Degrees of Freedom(DoFs),and insufficient load capacity,we propose a 3-DoF humanoid wrist inspired by the human forearm and wrist anatomy.This paper explores the principles of wrist bionic design and introduces a parallel mechanism actuated by a brushless DC motor(BLDC)-ball screw to achieve flexion/extension(F/E)and radial flexion/ulnar deviation(R/U),as along with pronation/supination(P/S)through an end-coupling design.We conducted an analysis on the inverse kinematic model and singularities of the humanoid wrist.Additionally,the workspace and motion capabilities of the humanoid wrist were evaluated.A prototype based on this design was built to demonstrate its motion and functional performance,verifying the feasibility and practicality of the humanoid wrist.This research provides a more compact design approach for future humanoid wrist development.
基金supported by Singapore MOE Tier-2 Award MOE-T2EP50123-0015.
文摘The integration of 3D-printed hydrogels in soft robotics enables the creation of flexible,adaptable,and biocompatible systems.Hydrogels,with their high-water content and responsiveness to stimuli,are suitable for actuators,sensors,and robotic systems that require safe interaction and precise manipulation.Unlike traditional techniques,3D printing offers enhanced capabilities in tailoring structural complexity,resolution,and integrated functionality,enabling the direct fabrication of hydrogel systems with programmed mechanical and functional properties.In this perspective,we explore the evolving role of 3D-printed hydrogels in soft robotics,covering their material composition,fabrication techniques,and diverse applications.We highlight advancements in hydrogel-based actuators,sensors,and robots,emphasizing their ability to perform intricate motions.In addition,we discuss challenges like mechanical robustness,scalability,and integration as well as the potential of hydrogels in soft robotics and explore future directions for their development.
文摘How to solve the coupling relations in a 6 - DOF parallel robot quickly and accurately within the limits of realtime control is a critical problem. In traditional analytic method, the complicated mathemtical model must first be constructed and then solved by programming.Obviously, this method is not very practical. This paper,therefore, proposes a new way of approach with a new method using 3- D animation for the solving of coupling relations in the 6 - DOF parallel robot. This method is much simpler and its solving accuracy approaches that of the more complicated analytic method.
文摘Any malfunctions of the actuators of the robots have the potential to destroy the robot’s normal motion,and most of the current actuator fault diagnosis methods are difficult to meet the requirements of simplifying the actuator modeling and solving the difficulty of fault data collection.To solve the problem of real-time diagnosis of actuator faults in the 3-PR(P)S parallel robot,the model of 3-PR(P)S parallel robot and data-driven-based method for the fault diagnosis are presented.Firstly,only the input-output relationship of the actuator is considered for modeling actuator faults,reducing the complexity of fault modeling and reducing the time consumption of parameter identification,thereby meeting the requirements of real-time diagnosis.A Simulink model of the electromechanical actuator(EMA)was constructed to analyze actuator faults.Then the short-term analysis method was employed for collecting the sample data of the slider position on the test platform of the EMA system and feature extraction.Training samples for neural networks are obtained.Furthermore,we optimized the Back Propagation(BP)neural network using the Dung Beetle Optimization Algorithm(DBO),which effectively resolved the weights and thresholds of the BP neural network.Compared to BP and Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO)-BP,the DBO-BP has better convergence,convergence rate,and the best-classifying quality.So,the classification for the different actuator faults is obviously improved.Finally,a fault diagnosis system was designed for the actuator of the 3-PR(P)S parallel robot,and the experimental results demonstrate that this system can detect actuator faults within 0.1 seconds.This work also provides the technical support for the fault-tolerant control of the 3-PR(P)S Parallel robot.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51275486)the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education(No.20111420110005)
文摘By selecting any one limb of 3-RSR parallel robot as a research object, the paper establishes a position and orienta- tion relationship matrix between the moving platform and the base by means of Denavit-Hartenberg （D-H） transformation matrix. The error mapping model is derived from original error to the error of the platform by using matrix differential method. This model contains all geometric original errors of the robot. The nonlinear implicit function relation between po- sition and orientation error of the platform and the original geometric errors is simplified as a linear explicit function rela- tion. The results provide a basis for further studying error analysis and error compensation.
文摘This paper presents a 3D simulator used for studying the motion control and autonomous navigation of robotic fish. The simulator’s system structure and computation flow are presented. Simplified kinematics and hydrodynamics models for a virtual robotic fish are proposed. Many other object models are created for water, obstacles, sonar sensors and a swimming pool. Experimental results show that the simulator provides a realistic and convenient way to develop autonomous navigation algorithms for robotic fish.
基金supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF)grant funded by the Korea government(MSIT)(No.2021R1A2C1011216)。
文摘In this study,a machine vision-based pattern matching technique was applied to estimate the location of an autonomous driving robot and perform 3D tunnel mapping in an underground mine environment.The autonomous driving robot continuously detects the wall of the tunnel in the horizontal direction using the light detection and ranging(Li DAR)sensor and performs pattern matching by recognizing the shape of the tunnel wall.The proposed method was designed to measure the heading of the robot by fusion with the inertial measurement units sensor according to the pattern matching accuracy;it is combined with the encoder sensor to estimate the location of the robot.In addition,when the robot is driving,the vertical direction of the underground mine is scanned through the vertical Li DAR sensor and stacked to create a 3D map of the underground mine.The performance of the proposed method was superior to that of previous studies;the mean absolute error achieved was 0.08 m for the X-Y axes.A root mean square error of 0.05 m^(2)was achieved by comparing the tunnel section maps that were created by the autonomous driving robot to those of manual surveying.
基金supported in part by the U.S.National Science Foundation(IIP-1915721)the U.S.Department of TransportationOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology(USDOTOST-R)(69A3551747126)through INSPIRE University Transportation Center(http//inspire-utc.mst.edu)at Missouri University of Science and Technology。
文摘The concrete aging problem has gained more attention in recent years as more bridges and tunnels in the United States lack proper maintenance. Though the Federal Highway Administration requires these public concrete structures to be inspected regularly, on-site manual inspection by human operators is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Conventional inspection approaches for concrete inspection, using RGB imagebased thresholding methods, are not able to determine metric information as well as accurate location information for assessed defects for conditions. To address this challenge, we propose a deep neural network(DNN) based concrete inspection system using a quadrotor flying robot(referred to as City Flyer) mounted with an RGB-D camera. The inspection system introduces several novel modules. Firstly, a visual-inertial fusion approach is introduced to perform camera and robot positioning and structure 3 D metric reconstruction. The reconstructed map is used to retrieve the location and metric information of the defects.Secondly, we introduce a DNN model, namely Ada Net, to detect concrete spalling and cracking, with the capability of maintaining robustness under various distances between the camera and concrete surface. In order to train the model, we craft a new dataset, i.e., the concrete structure spalling and cracking(CSSC)dataset, which is released publicly to the research community.Finally, we introduce a 3 D semantic mapping method using the annotated framework to reconstruct the concrete structure for visualization. We performed comparative studies and demonstrated that our Ada Net can achieve 8.41% higher detection accuracy than Res Nets and VGGs. Moreover, we conducted five field tests, of which three are manual hand-held tests and two are drone-based field tests. These results indicate that our system is capable of performing metric field inspection,and can serve as an effective tool for civil engineers.
基金supported by the Chinese Scholarship Council(CSC)for his Ph D study and research at LARM in the University of Cassino and South Latium,Italy,during 2013-2015
文摘Three-degree of freedom（3-DOF） translational parallel manipulators（TPMs） have been widely studied both in industry and academia in the past decades. However, most architectures of 3-DOF TPMs are created mainly on designers＇ intuition, empirical knowledge, or associative reasoning and the topology synthesis researches of 3-DOF TPMs are still limited. In order to find out the atlas of designs for 3-DOF TPMs, a topology search is presented for enumeration of 3-DOF TPMs whose limbs can be modeled as 5-DOF serial chains. The proposed topology search of 3-DOF TPMs is aimed to overcome the sensitivities of the design solution of a 3-DOF TPM for a LARM leg mechanism in a biped robot. The topology search, which is based on the concept of generation and specialization in graph theory, is reported as a step-by-step procedure with desired specifications, principle and rules of generalization, design requirements and constraints, and algorithm of number synthesis. In order to obtain new feasible designs for a chosen example and to limit the search domain under general considerations, one topological generalized kinematic chain is chosen to be specialized. An atlas of new feasible designs is obtained and analyzed for a specific solution as leg mechanisms. The proposed methodology provides a topology search for 3-DOF TPMs for leg mechanisms, but it can be also expanded for other applications and tasks.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No. 51405229)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China(Nos. BK20151470,BK20171416)
文摘The pneumatic muscle actuator(PMA)has many advantages,such as good flexibility,high power/weight ratio,but its nonlinearity makes it difficult to build a static mathematical model with high precision.A new method is proposed to establish the model of PMA.The concept of hybrid elastic modulus which is related to the static characteristic of PMA is put forward,and the energy conservation law is used to achieve the expression of the hybrid elastic modulus,which can be fitted out based on experimental data,and the model of PMA can be derived from this expression.At the same time,a 3-DOF parallel mechanism(a new bionic shoulder joint)driven by five PMAs is designed.This bionic shoulder joint adopts the structure of two antagonistic PMAs actualizing a rotation control and three PMAs controlling another two rotations to get better rotation characteristics.The kinematic and dynamic characteristics of the mechanism are analyzed and a new static model of PMA is used to control it.Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of this new static model.
