To improve the grasping power of soft robots,inspired by the scene of intertwined and interdependent vine branches safely clinging to habitats in a violent storm and the phenomenon of large grasping force after being ...To improve the grasping power of soft robots,inspired by the scene of intertwined and interdependent vine branches safely clinging to habitats in a violent storm and the phenomenon of large grasping force after being entangled by aquatic plants,this paper proposes a soft robotic gripper with multi-stem twining.The proposed robotic gripper can realize a larger contact area of surrounding or containing object and more layers of a twining object than the current twining gripping methods.It not only retains the adaptive advantages of twining grasping but also improves the grasping force.First,based on the mechanical characteristics of the multi-stem twining of the gripper,the twining grasping model is developed.Then,the force on the fiber is deduced by using the twining theory,and the axial force of the gripper is analyzed based on the equivalent model of the rubber ring.Finally,the torsion experiments of fibers and the grasping experiments of the gripper are designed and conducted.The torsion experiment of fibers verifies the influence of a different number of fiber ropes and fiber torque on the grasping force,and the grasping experiment reflects the large load of the gripper and the high adaptability and practicability under different tasks.展开更多
Aims Multi-stemming supports plants’resilience to disturbances and then contributes to soil stabilization and forest function,especially in mountain habitats.Many questions remain about(i)the ontogenetic phase at whi...Aims Multi-stemming supports plants’resilience to disturbances and then contributes to soil stabilization and forest function,especially in mountain habitats.Many questions remain about(i)the ontogenetic phase at which multiple stems can occur,(ii)how habitat drivers affect multi-stemming and(iii)whether ontogenetic phase and habitat drivers interact.We asked these questions for Quercus glauca(ring-cupped oak),the dominant species and sprouter across large warm-temperate areas of Asia;its multi-stemmed trees reflect individual survival,population regeneration and forest ecosystem stability.Methods In a 5-ha permanent plot of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in eastern China,we examined the temporal patterns and spatial distribution of multi-stemmed trees of Q.glauca within 99 quadrats of 20 m×20 m.Important Findings There were three temporal modes for multi-stemming among the Q.glauca trees and most of them appeared to produce multiple stems from an early stage.Environmental disturbances related to slope convexity appear to be the main drivers of multi-stemming of Q.glauca.Moreover,the closer to the ridge,the earlier the multi-stemming occurs.Thus,also for other woody species in other forests and climate zones,ontogeny and environmental drivers promoting disturbance(not only geomorphology,but also extreme weather events,soil drought,fire),as well as soil fertility,need to be considered in combination to better understand multi-stemming and its consequences for community structure.展开更多
Acer is an important genus in temperate forests in Northeast China.Individual Acer trees can re-sprout from the root collar and can occur in clonal units,either as a single-stemmed or multi-stemmed tree.However,the fa...Acer is an important genus in temperate forests in Northeast China.Individual Acer trees can re-sprout from the root collar and can occur in clonal units,either as a single-stemmed or multi-stemmed tree.However,the factors that induce multiple-stems in Acer remain only partly understood.In this study,we determined the relative importance of abiotic and biotic variables in driving the production of multiple-stems in this genus,within a 25-hm^2experimental forest dynamics plot in Changbaishan(CBS)temperate forest.We used generalized linear mixed models to perform analyses at two levels(community-and specieslevel).We found seven Acer species in total within the plot,where they form a key part of the forest community.Our results show that abiotic factors play a more important role in producing multi-stemmed trees at the community level in CBS.At the species level,the relative importance of different factors varied among species.Shrub species tended to have a higher frequency of multi-stemmed trees under stressful conditions,whereas tree species tended to have more multi-stemmed trees in more suitable habitat.Our results indicate that the relative importance of different factors influencing the frequency of multi-stemmed individuals in Acer differs at the community and species level in the temperate forest.展开更多
基金supported in part by Natural Science Foundation Key projects of Hebei Province under Grant E2021203125in part by the Joint fund of the Science&Technology Department of Liaoning Province and State Key Laboratory of Robotics,China under Grant 2021KF2206+1 种基金in part by Local science and technology development fund projects guided by the central government under Grant 206Z1807Gin part by Hebei Province Graduate Innovation Funding Project under Grant CXZZBS2022127.
文摘To improve the grasping power of soft robots,inspired by the scene of intertwined and interdependent vine branches safely clinging to habitats in a violent storm and the phenomenon of large grasping force after being entangled by aquatic plants,this paper proposes a soft robotic gripper with multi-stem twining.The proposed robotic gripper can realize a larger contact area of surrounding or containing object and more layers of a twining object than the current twining gripping methods.It not only retains the adaptive advantages of twining grasping but also improves the grasping force.First,based on the mechanical characteristics of the multi-stem twining of the gripper,the twining grasping model is developed.Then,the force on the fiber is deduced by using the twining theory,and the axial force of the gripper is analyzed based on the equivalent model of the rubber ring.Finally,the torsion experiments of fibers and the grasping experiments of the gripper are designed and conducted.The torsion experiment of fibers verifies the influence of a different number of fiber ropes and fiber torque on the grasping force,and the grasping experiment reflects the large load of the gripper and the high adaptability and practicability under different tasks.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province(LY17C030001)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31971426).
文摘Aims Multi-stemming supports plants’resilience to disturbances and then contributes to soil stabilization and forest function,especially in mountain habitats.Many questions remain about(i)the ontogenetic phase at which multiple stems can occur,(ii)how habitat drivers affect multi-stemming and(iii)whether ontogenetic phase and habitat drivers interact.We asked these questions for Quercus glauca(ring-cupped oak),the dominant species and sprouter across large warm-temperate areas of Asia;its multi-stemmed trees reflect individual survival,population regeneration and forest ecosystem stability.Methods In a 5-ha permanent plot of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in eastern China,we examined the temporal patterns and spatial distribution of multi-stemmed trees of Q.glauca within 99 quadrats of 20 m×20 m.Important Findings There were three temporal modes for multi-stemming among the Q.glauca trees and most of them appeared to produce multiple stems from an early stage.Environmental disturbances related to slope convexity appear to be the main drivers of multi-stemming of Q.glauca.Moreover,the closer to the ridge,the earlier the multi-stemming occurs.Thus,also for other woody species in other forests and climate zones,ontogeny and environmental drivers promoting disturbance(not only geomorphology,but also extreme weather events,soil drought,fire),as well as soil fertility,need to be considered in combination to better understand multi-stemming and its consequences for community structure.
基金supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China(31100447)the Forestry Public Welfare Project(201204309-1)
文摘Acer is an important genus in temperate forests in Northeast China.Individual Acer trees can re-sprout from the root collar and can occur in clonal units,either as a single-stemmed or multi-stemmed tree.However,the factors that induce multiple-stems in Acer remain only partly understood.In this study,we determined the relative importance of abiotic and biotic variables in driving the production of multiple-stems in this genus,within a 25-hm^2experimental forest dynamics plot in Changbaishan(CBS)temperate forest.We used generalized linear mixed models to perform analyses at two levels(community-and specieslevel).We found seven Acer species in total within the plot,where they form a key part of the forest community.Our results show that abiotic factors play a more important role in producing multi-stemmed trees at the community level in CBS.At the species level,the relative importance of different factors varied among species.Shrub species tended to have a higher frequency of multi-stemmed trees under stressful conditions,whereas tree species tended to have more multi-stemmed trees in more suitable habitat.Our results indicate that the relative importance of different factors influencing the frequency of multi-stemmed individuals in Acer differs at the community and species level in the temperate forest.