Bio-inspired soft robots have already shown the ability to handle uncertainty and adapt to unstructured environments.However,their availability is partially restricted by time-consuming,costly,and highly supervised de...Bio-inspired soft robots have already shown the ability to handle uncertainty and adapt to unstructured environments.However,their availability is partially restricted by time-consuming,costly,and highly supervised design-fabrication processes,often based on resource-intensive iterative workflows.Here,we propose an integrated approach targeting the design and fabrication of pneumatic soft actuators in a single casting step.Molds and sacrificial water-soluble hollow cores are printed using fused filament fabrication.A heated water circuit accelerates the dissolution of the core’s material and guarantees its complete removal from the actuator walls,while the actuator’s mechanical operability is defined through finite element analysis.This enables the fabrication of actuators with non-uniform cross-sections under minimal supervision,thereby reducing the number of iterations necessary during the design and fabrication processes.Three actuators capable of bending and linear motion were designed,fabricated,integrated,and demonstrated as 3 different bio-inspired soft robots,an earthworm-inspired robot,a 4-legged robot,and a robotic gripper.We demonstrate the availability,versatility,and effectiveness of the proposed methods,contributing to accelerating the design and fabrication of soft robots.This study represents a step toward increasing the accessibility of soft robots to people at a lower cost.展开更多
Capture is a key component for on?orbit service and space debris clean. The current research of capture on?orbit focuses on using special capture devices or full?actuated space arms to capture cooperative targets. How...Capture is a key component for on?orbit service and space debris clean. The current research of capture on?orbit focuses on using special capture devices or full?actuated space arms to capture cooperative targets. However, the structures of current capture devices are complex, and both space debris and abandoned spacecraft are non?cooperative targets. To capture non?cooperative targets in space, a lightweight, less driven under?actuated robotic hand is proposed in this paper, which composed by tendon?pulley transmission and double?stage mechanisms, and always driven by only one motor in process of closing finger. Because of the expandability, general grasping model is constructed. The equivalent joint driving forces and general grasping force are analyzed based on the model and the principle of virtual work. Which reveal the relationship among tendon driving force, joint driving forces and grasping force. In order to configure the number of knuckles of finger, a new analysis method which takes the maximum grasping space into account, is proposed. Supposing the maximum grasped object is an envelope circle with diameter of 2.5m. In the condition, a finger grasping maximum envelope circle with different knuckles is modeled. And the finger lengths with corresponding knuckles are calculated out. The finger length which consists of three knuckles is the shortest among under?actuated fingers consists of not more than five knuckles. Finally, the principle prototype and prototype robotic hand which consists of two dingers are designed and assembled. Experiments indicate that the under?actuated robotic hand can satisfy the grasp requirements.展开更多
Pulmonary rehabilitation through invasive ventilation involves the insertion of an endotracheal tube into the trachea of a sedated patient to control breathing via a ventilating machine.Invasive ventilation offers ben...Pulmonary rehabilitation through invasive ventilation involves the insertion of an endotracheal tube into the trachea of a sedated patient to control breathing via a ventilating machine.Invasive ventilation offers benefits such as greater control over oxygen supply,higher efficiency in supporting patient respiration,and the ability to manage airway secretions.However,this method also poses treatment challenges like ventilator-induced pneumonia,airway injury,long recovery times,and ventilator dependence.Here,we explore an alternative invasive ventilation technique using soft robotic actuators to mimic the biological function of the diaphragm for augmenting and assisting ventilation.We investigated two actuator geometries,each at two locations superior to the diaphragm.These actuators were tested on a bespoke ex vivo testbed that accurately simulated key diaphragmatic characteristics throughout the respiratory cycle.From this,we have been able to drive intrathoracic pressures greater than the 5 cmH_(2)O required for ventilation in a human male.Additionally,by optimising the placement and geometry of these soft robotic actuators we have been able to generate maximum intrathoracic pressures of(6.81±0.39)cmH_(2)O.展开更多
Measuring the magnetic field is a common practice in industrial processes. We can cite the voltage measurements through PTs （potential transformers）. This is a classic example of inductive field measuring, predictin...Measuring the magnetic field is a common practice in industrial processes. We can cite the voltage measurements through PTs （potential transformers）. This is a classic example of inductive field measuring, predicting to be measured quantity is of oscillatory nature, with the circuit instrumentation scaled and calibrated for a typical frequency of 50/60 Hz. For a long time, only the binary information： ＂this field＂ and ＂missing field＂ is needed. For example, only with this information can we identify the frequency of the rotating shaft. Currently, new technologies employ magnetic sensors for measuring positions （distances, angles, etc.） from the intensity of the magnetic field. Inductive sensors are inefficient on measurements of static fields, such as magnets, opening spaces for new linear Hall effect sensors, and static which deal with these situations without difficulty. The present study examines the behavior of the Hall sensor, making the measurement of the intensity of the static magnetic field of the rotating magnet and the same, verifying the effect of the speed at which the magnet passes the sensor in some way alter the measurement. The results are favorable manda and the versatility of these sensors in many different applications.展开更多
The development of the magnetic manipulating system is essential for applications of magnetically actuated miniature robots in biomedical practice,such as targeted therapy and precise surgery.However,the workspaces of...The development of the magnetic manipulating system is essential for applications of magnetically actuated miniature robots in biomedical practice,such as targeted therapy and precise surgery.However,the workspaces of existing magnetic manipulating systems for miniature robots are mostly insufficient to manipulate miniature robots inside human bodies.The present study proposes an innovative electromagnets-based manipulating system,TrinityMag,which can produce dynamic three-dimensional(3D)magnetic fields in a human-scale spherical workspace with a 2.6 m diameter.The magnetic field of a single electromagnet is simulated,and a new calibration technic is designed based on deep learning networks.Then,the arrangement of three electromagnets is optimized to produce maximal 3D arbitrary magnetic fields with limited currents.Moreover,a target-tracking algorithm is developed so that the TrinityMag can track the miniature robot in real time.Finally,the TrinityMag is validated in experiments to manipulate a soft millirobot to move in human-scale tortuous tracks with two types of locomotions.The maximum speed of the soft millirobot reaches 11.05 body length/s.Our work contributes to a significant increment in the workspace of the electromagnets-based manipulating system for miniature robots.We further expect that the TrinityMag could push the applications of miniature robots from laboratory to clinical practice.展开更多
基金supported by Portuguese national funds through FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia,[grant numbers UIDB/00285/2020,LA/P/0112/2020,and 2022.13512.BD].
文摘Bio-inspired soft robots have already shown the ability to handle uncertainty and adapt to unstructured environments.However,their availability is partially restricted by time-consuming,costly,and highly supervised design-fabrication processes,often based on resource-intensive iterative workflows.Here,we propose an integrated approach targeting the design and fabrication of pneumatic soft actuators in a single casting step.Molds and sacrificial water-soluble hollow cores are printed using fused filament fabrication.A heated water circuit accelerates the dissolution of the core’s material and guarantees its complete removal from the actuator walls,while the actuator’s mechanical operability is defined through finite element analysis.This enables the fabrication of actuators with non-uniform cross-sections under minimal supervision,thereby reducing the number of iterations necessary during the design and fabrication processes.Three actuators capable of bending and linear motion were designed,fabricated,integrated,and demonstrated as 3 different bio-inspired soft robots,an earthworm-inspired robot,a 4-legged robot,and a robotic gripper.We demonstrate the availability,versatility,and effectiveness of the proposed methods,contributing to accelerating the design and fabrication of soft robots.This study represents a step toward increasing the accessibility of soft robots to people at a lower cost.
基金Supported by Joint Funds of National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.U1613201)Shenzhen Research Funds(JCYJ20170413104438332)
文摘Capture is a key component for on?orbit service and space debris clean. The current research of capture on?orbit focuses on using special capture devices or full?actuated space arms to capture cooperative targets. However, the structures of current capture devices are complex, and both space debris and abandoned spacecraft are non?cooperative targets. To capture non?cooperative targets in space, a lightweight, less driven under?actuated robotic hand is proposed in this paper, which composed by tendon?pulley transmission and double?stage mechanisms, and always driven by only one motor in process of closing finger. Because of the expandability, general grasping model is constructed. The equivalent joint driving forces and general grasping force are analyzed based on the model and the principle of virtual work. Which reveal the relationship among tendon driving force, joint driving forces and grasping force. In order to configure the number of knuckles of finger, a new analysis method which takes the maximum grasping space into account, is proposed. Supposing the maximum grasped object is an envelope circle with diameter of 2.5m. In the condition, a finger grasping maximum envelope circle with different knuckles is modeled. And the finger lengths with corresponding knuckles are calculated out. The finger length which consists of three knuckles is the shortest among under?actuated fingers consists of not more than five knuckles. Finally, the principle prototype and prototype robotic hand which consists of two dingers are designed and assembled. Experiments indicate that the under?actuated robotic hand can satisfy the grasp requirements.
基金the financial support from the Royal Society research grant(RGS\R2\222342)support extended by the University of York in the form of an internal grant(EPSRC IAA)Special thanks to the School of PET and York Venables internship support.
文摘Pulmonary rehabilitation through invasive ventilation involves the insertion of an endotracheal tube into the trachea of a sedated patient to control breathing via a ventilating machine.Invasive ventilation offers benefits such as greater control over oxygen supply,higher efficiency in supporting patient respiration,and the ability to manage airway secretions.However,this method also poses treatment challenges like ventilator-induced pneumonia,airway injury,long recovery times,and ventilator dependence.Here,we explore an alternative invasive ventilation technique using soft robotic actuators to mimic the biological function of the diaphragm for augmenting and assisting ventilation.We investigated two actuator geometries,each at two locations superior to the diaphragm.These actuators were tested on a bespoke ex vivo testbed that accurately simulated key diaphragmatic characteristics throughout the respiratory cycle.From this,we have been able to drive intrathoracic pressures greater than the 5 cmH_(2)O required for ventilation in a human male.Additionally,by optimising the placement and geometry of these soft robotic actuators we have been able to generate maximum intrathoracic pressures of(6.81±0.39)cmH_(2)O.
文摘Measuring the magnetic field is a common practice in industrial processes. We can cite the voltage measurements through PTs （potential transformers）. This is a classic example of inductive field measuring, predicting to be measured quantity is of oscillatory nature, with the circuit instrumentation scaled and calibrated for a typical frequency of 50/60 Hz. For a long time, only the binary information： ＂this field＂ and ＂missing field＂ is needed. For example, only with this information can we identify the frequency of the rotating shaft. Currently, new technologies employ magnetic sensors for measuring positions （distances, angles, etc.） from the intensity of the magnetic field. Inductive sensors are inefficient on measurements of static fields, such as magnets, opening spaces for new linear Hall effect sensors, and static which deal with these situations without difficulty. The present study examines the behavior of the Hall sensor, making the measurement of the intensity of the static magnetic field of the rotating magnet and the same, verifying the effect of the speed at which the magnet passes the sensor in some way alter the measurement. The results are favorable manda and the versatility of these sensors in many different applications.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2023YFB4705300)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.U22A2064)+2 种基金Shenzhen Science and Technology Program(Grant Nos.JCYJ20220818101611025,RCJC20231-211085926038)the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(Grant No.2022B1515120010)the SIAT-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Robotics and Intelligent Systems。
文摘The development of the magnetic manipulating system is essential for applications of magnetically actuated miniature robots in biomedical practice,such as targeted therapy and precise surgery.However,the workspaces of existing magnetic manipulating systems for miniature robots are mostly insufficient to manipulate miniature robots inside human bodies.The present study proposes an innovative electromagnets-based manipulating system,TrinityMag,which can produce dynamic three-dimensional(3D)magnetic fields in a human-scale spherical workspace with a 2.6 m diameter.The magnetic field of a single electromagnet is simulated,and a new calibration technic is designed based on deep learning networks.Then,the arrangement of three electromagnets is optimized to produce maximal 3D arbitrary magnetic fields with limited currents.Moreover,a target-tracking algorithm is developed so that the TrinityMag can track the miniature robot in real time.Finally,the TrinityMag is validated in experiments to manipulate a soft millirobot to move in human-scale tortuous tracks with two types of locomotions.The maximum speed of the soft millirobot reaches 11.05 body length/s.Our work contributes to a significant increment in the workspace of the electromagnets-based manipulating system for miniature robots.We further expect that the TrinityMag could push the applications of miniature robots from laboratory to clinical practice.
