Aiming to solve the steering instability and hysteresis of agricultural robots in the process of movement,a fusion PID control method of particle swarm optimization(PSO)and genetic algorithm(GA)was proposed.The fusion...Aiming to solve the steering instability and hysteresis of agricultural robots in the process of movement,a fusion PID control method of particle swarm optimization(PSO)and genetic algorithm(GA)was proposed.The fusion algorithm took advantage of the fast optimization ability of PSO to optimize the population screening link of GA.The Simulink simulation results showed that the convergence of the fitness function of the fusion algorithm was accelerated,the system response adjustment time was reduced,and the overshoot was almost zero.Then the algorithm was applied to the steering test of agricultural robot in various scenes.After modeling the steering system of agricultural robot,the steering test results in the unloaded suspended state showed that the PID control based on fusion algorithm reduced the rise time,response adjustment time and overshoot of the system,and improved the response speed and stability of the system,compared with the artificial trial and error PID control and the PID control based on GA.The actual road steering test results showed that the PID control response rise time based on the fusion algorithm was the shortest,about 4.43 s.When the target pulse number was set to 100,the actual mean value in the steady-state regulation stage was about 102.9,which was the closest to the target value among the three control methods,and the overshoot was reduced at the same time.The steering test results under various scene states showed that the PID control based on the proposed fusion algorithm had good anti-interference ability,it can adapt to the changes of environment and load and improve the performance of the control system.It was effective in the steering control of agricultural robot.This method can provide a reference for the precise steering control of other robots.展开更多
Single-cell biomechanics and electrophysiology measuring tools have transformed biological research over the last few decades,which enabling a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of cellular behavior and function....Single-cell biomechanics and electrophysiology measuring tools have transformed biological research over the last few decades,which enabling a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of cellular behavior and function.Despite their high-quality information content,these single-cell measuring techniques suffer from laborious manual processing by highly skilled workers and extremely low throughput(tens of cells per day).Recently,numerous researchers have automated the measurement of cell mechanical and electrical signals through robotic localization and control processes.While these efforts have demonstrated promising progress,critical challenges persist,including human dependency,learning complexity,in-situ measurement,and multidimensional signal acquisition.To identify key limitations and highlight emerging opportunities for innovation,in this review,we comprehensively summarize the key steps of robotic technologies in single-cell biomechanics and electrophysiology.We also discussed the prospects and challenges of robotics and automation in biological research.By bridging gaps between engineering,biology,and data science,this work aims to stimulate interdisciplinary research and accelerate the translation of robotic single-cell technologies into practical applications in the life sciences and medical fields.展开更多
Wing design is a critical factor in the aerodynamic performance of flapping-wing(FW)robots.Inspired by the natural wing structures of insects,bats,and birds,we explored how bio-mimetic wing vein morphologies,combined ...Wing design is a critical factor in the aerodynamic performance of flapping-wing(FW)robots.Inspired by the natural wing structures of insects,bats,and birds,we explored how bio-mimetic wing vein morphologies,combined with a bio-inspired double wing clap-and-fling mechanism,affect thrust generation.This study focused on increasing vertical force and payload capacity.Through systematic experimentation with various vein configurations and structural designs,we developed innovative wings optimized for thrust production.Comprehensive tests were conducted to measure aerodynamic forces,power consumption,and wing kinematics across a range of flapping frequencies.Additionally,wings with different aspect ratios,a key factor in wing design,were fabricated and extensively evaluated.The study also examined the role of bio-inspired vein layouts on wing flexibility,a critical component in improving flight efficiency.Our findings demonstrate that the newly developed wing design led to a 20%increase in thrust,achieving up to 30 g-force(gf).This research sheds light on the clap-and-fling effect and establishes a promising framework for bio-inspired wing design,offering significant improvements in both performance and payload capacity for FW robots.展开更多
Underwater pipeline inspection plays a vital role in the proactive maintenance and management of critical marine infrastructure and subaquatic systems.However,the inspection of underwater pipelines presents a challeng...Underwater pipeline inspection plays a vital role in the proactive maintenance and management of critical marine infrastructure and subaquatic systems.However,the inspection of underwater pipelines presents a challenge due to factors such as light scattering,absorption,restricted visibility,and ambient noise.The advancement of deep learning has introduced powerful techniques for processing large amounts of unstructured and imperfect data collected from underwater environments.This study evaluated the efficacy of the You Only Look Once(YOLO)algorithm,a real-time object detection and localization model based on convolutional neural networks,in identifying and classifying various types of pipeline defects in underwater settings.YOLOv8,the latest evolution in the YOLO family,integrates advanced capabilities,such as anchor-free detection,a cross-stage partial network backbone for efficient feature extraction,and a feature pyramid network+path aggregation network neck for robust multi-scale object detection,which make it particularly well-suited for complex underwater environments.Due to the lack of suitable open-access datasets for underwater pipeline defects,a custom dataset was captured using a remotely operated vehicle in a controlled environment.This application has the following assets available for use.Extensive experimentation demonstrated that YOLOv8 X-Large consistently outperformed other models in terms of pipe defect detection and classification and achieved a strong balance between precision and recall in identifying pipeline cracks,rust,corners,defective welds,flanges,tapes,and holes.This research establishes the baseline performance of YOLOv8 for underwater defect detection and showcases its potential to enhance the reliability and efficiency of pipeline inspection tasks in challenging underwater environments.展开更多
Strategically coupling nanoparticle hybrids and internal thermosensitive molecular switches establishes an innovative paradigm for constructing micro/nanoscale-reconfigurable robots,facilitating energyefficient CO_(2)...Strategically coupling nanoparticle hybrids and internal thermosensitive molecular switches establishes an innovative paradigm for constructing micro/nanoscale-reconfigurable robots,facilitating energyefficient CO_(2) management in life-support systems of confined space.Here,a micro/nano-reconfigurable robot is constructed from the CO_(2) molecular hunters,temperature-sensitive molecular switch,solar photothermal conversion,and magnetically-driven function engines.The molecular hunters within the molecular extension state can capture 6.19 mmol g^(−1) of CO_(2) to form carbamic acid and ammonium bicarbonate.Interestingly,the molecular switch of the robot activates a molecular curling state that facilitates CO_(2) release through nano-reconfiguration,which is mediated by the temperature-sensitive curling of Pluronic F127 molecular chains during the photothermal desorption.Nano-reconfiguration of robot alters the amino microenvironment,including increasing surface electrostatic potential of the amino group and decreasing overall lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy level.This weakened the nucleophilic attack ability of the amino group toward the adsorption product derivatives,thereby inhibiting the side reactions that generate hard-to-decompose urea structures,achieving the lowest regeneration temperature of 55℃ reported to date.The engine of the robot possesses non-contact magnetically-driven micro-reconfiguration capability to achieve efficient photothermal regeneration while avoiding local overheating.Notably,the robot successfully prolonged the survival time of mice in the sealed container by up to 54.61%,effectively addressing the issue of carbon suffocation in confined spaces.This work significantly enhances life-support systems for deep-space exploration,while stimulating innovations in sustainable carbon management technologies for terrestrial extreme environments.展开更多
At present,energy consumption is one of the main bottlenecks in autonomous mobile robot development.To address the challenge of high energy consumption in path planning for autonomous mobile robots navigating unknown ...At present,energy consumption is one of the main bottlenecks in autonomous mobile robot development.To address the challenge of high energy consumption in path planning for autonomous mobile robots navigating unknown and complex environments,this paper proposes an Attention-Enhanced Dueling Deep Q-Network(ADDueling DQN),which integrates a multi-head attention mechanism and a prioritized experience replay strategy into a Dueling-DQN reinforcement learning framework.A multi-objective reward function,centered on energy efficiency,is designed to comprehensively consider path length,terrain slope,motion smoothness,and obstacle avoidance,enabling optimal low-energy trajectory generation in 3D space from the source.The incorporation of a multihead attention mechanism allows the model to dynamically focus on energy-critical state features—such as slope gradients and obstacle density—thereby significantly improving its ability to recognize and avoid energy-intensive paths.Additionally,the prioritized experience replay mechanism accelerates learning from key decision-making experiences,suppressing inefficient exploration and guiding the policy toward low-energy solutions more rapidly.The effectiveness of the proposed path planning algorithm is validated through simulation experiments conducted in multiple off-road scenarios.Results demonstrate that AD-Dueling DQN consistently achieves the lowest average energy consumption across all tested environments.Moreover,the proposed method exhibits faster convergence and greater training stability compared to baseline algorithms,highlighting its global optimization capability under energy-aware objectives in complex terrains.This study offers an efficient and scalable intelligent control strategy for the development of energy-conscious autonomous navigation systems.展开更多
An end-effector for a flexible drilling robot is designed, and a novel four-point algorithm of normal attitude regulation for this end-effector is presented. Four non-coplanar points can define a unique sphere tangent...An end-effector for a flexible drilling robot is designed, and a novel four-point algorithm of normal attitude regulation for this end-effector is presented. Four non-coplanar points can define a unique sphere tangent to them in spatial geometry, and the center point of the sphere and the radius can be calculated. The shape of a workpiece surface in the machining area is approximately regarded as such a sphere. A vector from the machining point to the center point is thus approximately regarded as a normal vector to the workpiece surface. By this principle, the algorithm first measures four coordinates on the curve in the drilling region using four sensors and calculates the normal vector at the drilling point, then calculates the error between the normal vector and the axis of the spindle. According to this error, the algorithm further figures out the angles of two revolving axes on the end- effector and the displacements of three linear axes on the robot main body, thus it implements the function of adjusting the spindle to be perpendicular to the curve at the drilling point. Simulation results of two kinds of curved surfaces show that accuracy and efficiency can be realized using the proposed algorithm.展开更多
The most widely adopted method for diagnosing respiratory infectious diseases is to conduct polymerase chain reaction(PCR)assays on patients’respiratory specimens,which are collected through either nasal or oropharyn...The most widely adopted method for diagnosing respiratory infectious diseases is to conduct polymerase chain reaction(PCR)assays on patients’respiratory specimens,which are collected through either nasal or oropharyngeal swabs.The manual swab sampling process poses a high risk to the examiner and may cause false-negative results owing to improper sampling.In this paper,we propose a pneumatically actuated soft end-effector specifically designed to achieve all of the tasks involved in swab sampling.The soft end-effector utilizes circumferential instability to ensure grasping stability,and exhibits several key properties,including high load-to-weight ratio,error tolerance,and variable swab-tip stiffness,leading to successful automatic robotic oropharyngeal swab sampling,from loosening and tightening the transport medium tube cap,holding the swab,and conducting sampling,to snapping off the swab tail and sterilizing itself.Using an industrial collaborative robotic arm,we integrated the soft end-effector,force sensor,camera,lights,and remote-control stick,and developed a robotic oropharyngeal swab sampling system.Using this swab sampling system,we conducted oropharyngeal swab-sampling tests on 20 volunteers.Our Digital PCR assay results(RNase P RNA gene absolute copy numbers for the samples)revealed that our system successfully collected sufficient numbers of cells from the pharyngeal wall for respiratory disease diagnosis.In summary,we have developed a pharyngeal swab-sampling system based on an“enveloping”soft actuator,studied the sampling process,and imple-mented whole-process robotic oropharyngeal swab-sampling.展开更多
BACKGROUND De-afferentation or non-weight bearing induces rapid cortical and spinalα-motor neuron excitability.Author supposed that an end-effector type gait robot(EEGR)could provide patients with a training conditio...BACKGROUND De-afferentation or non-weight bearing induces rapid cortical and spinalα-motor neuron excitability.Author supposed that an end-effector type gait robot(EEGR)could provide patients with a training condition that was specific enough to activate rapid cortical/spinal neuroplasticity,leading to immediate muscle strengthening.The electromyographic and biomechanical comparisons were conducted.AIM To compare the electromyographic activities of the thigh and shank muscles and isometric peak torque(PT)before and after walking training on a floor or in the end-effector gait robot.METHODS Twelve outpatients without ambulatory dysfunction were recruited.Order of two interventions(5-min training on a floor at a comfortable pace or training in an EEGR with non-weight bearing on their feet and 100%guidance force at 2.1 km/h)were randomly chosen.Isometric PT,maximal ratio of torque development,amplitude of compound motor action potential(CMAP),and area under the curve(AUC)were evaluated before and 10 min after both interventions.RESULTS The degree of PT improvement of the dominant knee flexors was larger in the EEGR than on the floor(9.6±22.4 Nm/BW,P<0.01).The EEGR-trained patients had greater PT improvement of the dominant knee extensors than those who trained on the floor(4.5±28.1 Nm/BW,P<0.01).However,all electromyographic activities of the thigh and shank muscles(peak CMAP,mean and peak AUC)were significantly lower for the use of the EEGR than walking on the floor.CONCLUSION Immediate strengthening of the knee flexors and extensors was induced after the 5-min EEGR training,despite reduced muscular use.展开更多
All-position robots are widely applied in the welding of complicated parts.Welding of intersecting pipes is one of the most typical tasks.The welding seam is a complicated saddle-like space curve,which puts a great ch...All-position robots are widely applied in the welding of complicated parts.Welding of intersecting pipes is one of the most typical tasks.The welding seam is a complicated saddle-like space curve,which puts a great challenge to the pose planning of end-effector.The special robots designed specifically for this kind of tasks are rare in China and lack sufficient theoretical research.In this paper,a systematic research on the pose planning for the end-effectors of robot in the welding of intersecting pipes is conducted.First,the intersecting curve of pipes is mathematically analyzed.The mathematical model of the most general intersecting curve of pipes is derived,and several special forms of this model in degraded situations are also discussed.A new pose planning approach of bisecting angle in main normal plane(BAMNP)for the welding-gun is proposed by using differential geometry and the comparison with the traditional bisecting angle in axial rotation plane(BAARP)method is also analytically conducted.The optimal pose of the welding-gun is to make the orientation posed at the center of the small space formed by the two cylinders and the intersecting curve to help the welding-pool run smoothly.The BAMNP method can make sure the pose vertical to the curve and center between the two cylinders at the same time,therefore its performance in welding-technique is superior to the BAARP method.By using the traditional BAARP method,the robot structure can become simpler and easier to be controlled,because one degree of freedom(DOF)of the robot can be reduced.For the special case of perpendicular intersecting,an index is constructed to evaluate the quality of welding technique in the process of welding.The effect of different combination of pipe size on this index is also discussed.On the basis of practical consideration,selection principle for BAARP and BAMNP is described.The simulations of those two methods for a serial joint-type robot are made in MATLAB,and the simulation results are consistent to the analysis.The mathematical model and the proposed new pose-planning method will lay a solid foundation for future researches on the control and design of all-position welding robots.展开更多
High harvesting success rate is part of the key technologies for robotic cherry tomato harvesting,which is closely related to the structural design of the end-effector.To obtain a high success rate of fruit harvesting...High harvesting success rate is part of the key technologies for robotic cherry tomato harvesting,which is closely related to the structural design of the end-effector.To obtain a high success rate of fruit harvesting,this paper presents a compliant end-effector with bio-inspired tarsus compliant gripper inspired by the structure and mechanics of the tarsal chain in the Serica orientalis Motschulsky.Response Surface Methodology(RSM)based on Box Behnken Design(BBD)technique has been used to optimize the key structural parameters of the bionic compliant end-effector for achieving the expected results in pulling pattern for robotic cherry tomato harvesting.Experiments were designed by maintaining three levels of four process parameters—Length of the Offset Segment Tarsomere(OSTL),Angle of the Inclined Segment Tarsomere(ISTA),Thickness of the Extended Segment Tarsomere(ESTT)and Length of the Extended Segment Tarsomere(ESTL).According to the optimization analysis results,the best parameter combination is OSTL 23 mm,ISTA 14°,ESTT 5.0 mm,ESTL 23 mm.Besides,the harvesting performance of the optimized bionic compliant end-effector was verified by experiments.The results indicated the harvesting success rate of fruits with different equatorial diameters was not less than 76%.展开更多
Excess materials are left inside aircraft wings due to manual operation errors,and the removal of excess materials is very crucial.To increase removal efficiency,a continuum robot(CR)with a removal end-effector and a ...Excess materials are left inside aircraft wings due to manual operation errors,and the removal of excess materials is very crucial.To increase removal efficiency,a continuum robot(CR)with a removal end-effector and a stereo camera is used to remove excess objects.The size and weight characteristics of excess materials in aircraft wings are analyzed.A novel negative pressure end-effector and a two-finger gripper are designed based on the CR.The negative pressure end-effector aims to remove nuts,small rivets,and small volumes of aluminum shavings.A two-finger gripper is designed to remove large volumes of aluminum shavings.A stereo camera is used to achieve automatic detection and localization of excess materials.Due to poor lighting conditions in the aircraft wing compartment,supplementary lighting devices are used to improve environmental lighting.Then,You Only Look Once(YOLO)v5 is used to classify and detect excess objects,and two training data sets of excess objects in two wings are constructed.Due to the limited texture features inside the aircraft wings,this paper adopts an image-matching method based on the results of YOLO v5 detection.This matching method avoids the performance instability problem based on Oriented Fast and Rotated BRIEF feature point matching.Experimental verification reveals that the detection accuracy of each type of excess exceeds 90%,and the visual localization error is less than 2 mm for four types of excess objects.Results show the two end-effectors can work well for the task of removing excess material from the aircraft wings using a CR.展开更多
This study investigates the necessity for space robots to independently exchange their end-effectors due to the contradiction that exists between the requirements of various robots in space missions and the payload ca...This study investigates the necessity for space robots to independently exchange their end-effectors due to the contradiction that exists between the requirements of various robots in space missions and the payload capacity limits of rockets. The results of this study summarize the system requirements for a new end-effector exchange mechanism, including compact size, misalignment tolerance, and regolith tolerance. This is followed by the development of a prototype model with a set of test apparatus. Then the function of the prototype is verified, the prototype is optimized, and the relation between docking force and misalignment is examined through operation tests.展开更多
Robotic drilling technology for aircraft flexible assembly is challenging and is under active investigation.In this work,a feed system for robotic drilling end-effector is modeled.Two control algorithms with different...Robotic drilling technology for aircraft flexible assembly is challenging and is under active investigation.In this work,a feed system for robotic drilling end-effector is modeled.Two control algorithms with different computational complexity are proposed and compared.Based on reduced-order state observer,a pole placement controller is proposed firstly,and then a model reference adaptive controller is designed.An experiment platform is established in Matlab xPC environment to validate the effect of the two controllers.The experiment results show that the model reference adaptive controller delivers a higher tracking accuracy after the adaptive transient procedure than the pole placement controller does.展开更多
文摘Aiming to solve the steering instability and hysteresis of agricultural robots in the process of movement,a fusion PID control method of particle swarm optimization(PSO)and genetic algorithm(GA)was proposed.The fusion algorithm took advantage of the fast optimization ability of PSO to optimize the population screening link of GA.The Simulink simulation results showed that the convergence of the fitness function of the fusion algorithm was accelerated,the system response adjustment time was reduced,and the overshoot was almost zero.Then the algorithm was applied to the steering test of agricultural robot in various scenes.After modeling the steering system of agricultural robot,the steering test results in the unloaded suspended state showed that the PID control based on fusion algorithm reduced the rise time,response adjustment time and overshoot of the system,and improved the response speed and stability of the system,compared with the artificial trial and error PID control and the PID control based on GA.The actual road steering test results showed that the PID control response rise time based on the fusion algorithm was the shortest,about 4.43 s.When the target pulse number was set to 100,the actual mean value in the steady-state regulation stage was about 102.9,which was the closest to the target value among the three control methods,and the overshoot was reduced at the same time.The steering test results under various scene states showed that the PID control based on the proposed fusion algorithm had good anti-interference ability,it can adapt to the changes of environment and load and improve the performance of the control system.It was effective in the steering control of agricultural robot.This method can provide a reference for the precise steering control of other robots.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China[62525301,62127811,62433019]the New Cornerstone Science Foundation through the XPLORER PRIZEthe financial support by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation[GZB20240797].
文摘Single-cell biomechanics and electrophysiology measuring tools have transformed biological research over the last few decades,which enabling a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of cellular behavior and function.Despite their high-quality information content,these single-cell measuring techniques suffer from laborious manual processing by highly skilled workers and extremely low throughput(tens of cells per day).Recently,numerous researchers have automated the measurement of cell mechanical and electrical signals through robotic localization and control processes.While these efforts have demonstrated promising progress,critical challenges persist,including human dependency,learning complexity,in-situ measurement,and multidimensional signal acquisition.To identify key limitations and highlight emerging opportunities for innovation,in this review,we comprehensively summarize the key steps of robotic technologies in single-cell biomechanics and electrophysiology.We also discussed the prospects and challenges of robotics and automation in biological research.By bridging gaps between engineering,biology,and data science,this work aims to stimulate interdisciplinary research and accelerate the translation of robotic single-cell technologies into practical applications in the life sciences and medical fields.
基金Nguyen Tat Thanh University,Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam for supporting this study。
文摘Wing design is a critical factor in the aerodynamic performance of flapping-wing(FW)robots.Inspired by the natural wing structures of insects,bats,and birds,we explored how bio-mimetic wing vein morphologies,combined with a bio-inspired double wing clap-and-fling mechanism,affect thrust generation.This study focused on increasing vertical force and payload capacity.Through systematic experimentation with various vein configurations and structural designs,we developed innovative wings optimized for thrust production.Comprehensive tests were conducted to measure aerodynamic forces,power consumption,and wing kinematics across a range of flapping frequencies.Additionally,wings with different aspect ratios,a key factor in wing design,were fabricated and extensively evaluated.The study also examined the role of bio-inspired vein layouts on wing flexibility,a critical component in improving flight efficiency.Our findings demonstrate that the newly developed wing design led to a 20%increase in thrust,achieving up to 30 g-force(gf).This research sheds light on the clap-and-fling effect and establishes a promising framework for bio-inspired wing design,offering significant improvements in both performance and payload capacity for FW robots.
文摘Underwater pipeline inspection plays a vital role in the proactive maintenance and management of critical marine infrastructure and subaquatic systems.However,the inspection of underwater pipelines presents a challenge due to factors such as light scattering,absorption,restricted visibility,and ambient noise.The advancement of deep learning has introduced powerful techniques for processing large amounts of unstructured and imperfect data collected from underwater environments.This study evaluated the efficacy of the You Only Look Once(YOLO)algorithm,a real-time object detection and localization model based on convolutional neural networks,in identifying and classifying various types of pipeline defects in underwater settings.YOLOv8,the latest evolution in the YOLO family,integrates advanced capabilities,such as anchor-free detection,a cross-stage partial network backbone for efficient feature extraction,and a feature pyramid network+path aggregation network neck for robust multi-scale object detection,which make it particularly well-suited for complex underwater environments.Due to the lack of suitable open-access datasets for underwater pipeline defects,a custom dataset was captured using a remotely operated vehicle in a controlled environment.This application has the following assets available for use.Extensive experimentation demonstrated that YOLOv8 X-Large consistently outperformed other models in terms of pipe defect detection and classification and achieved a strong balance between precision and recall in identifying pipeline cracks,rust,corners,defective welds,flanges,tapes,and holes.This research establishes the baseline performance of YOLOv8 for underwater defect detection and showcases its potential to enhance the reliability and efficiency of pipeline inspection tasks in challenging underwater environments.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22168008,22378085)the Guangxi Natural Science Foundation(2024GXNSFDA010053)+1 种基金the Technology Development Project of Guangxi Bossco Environmental Protection Technology Co.,Ltd(202100039)Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education(YCBZ2024065).
文摘Strategically coupling nanoparticle hybrids and internal thermosensitive molecular switches establishes an innovative paradigm for constructing micro/nanoscale-reconfigurable robots,facilitating energyefficient CO_(2) management in life-support systems of confined space.Here,a micro/nano-reconfigurable robot is constructed from the CO_(2) molecular hunters,temperature-sensitive molecular switch,solar photothermal conversion,and magnetically-driven function engines.The molecular hunters within the molecular extension state can capture 6.19 mmol g^(−1) of CO_(2) to form carbamic acid and ammonium bicarbonate.Interestingly,the molecular switch of the robot activates a molecular curling state that facilitates CO_(2) release through nano-reconfiguration,which is mediated by the temperature-sensitive curling of Pluronic F127 molecular chains during the photothermal desorption.Nano-reconfiguration of robot alters the amino microenvironment,including increasing surface electrostatic potential of the amino group and decreasing overall lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy level.This weakened the nucleophilic attack ability of the amino group toward the adsorption product derivatives,thereby inhibiting the side reactions that generate hard-to-decompose urea structures,achieving the lowest regeneration temperature of 55℃ reported to date.The engine of the robot possesses non-contact magnetically-driven micro-reconfiguration capability to achieve efficient photothermal regeneration while avoiding local overheating.Notably,the robot successfully prolonged the survival time of mice in the sealed container by up to 54.61%,effectively addressing the issue of carbon suffocation in confined spaces.This work significantly enhances life-support systems for deep-space exploration,while stimulating innovations in sustainable carbon management technologies for terrestrial extreme environments.
文摘At present,energy consumption is one of the main bottlenecks in autonomous mobile robot development.To address the challenge of high energy consumption in path planning for autonomous mobile robots navigating unknown and complex environments,this paper proposes an Attention-Enhanced Dueling Deep Q-Network(ADDueling DQN),which integrates a multi-head attention mechanism and a prioritized experience replay strategy into a Dueling-DQN reinforcement learning framework.A multi-objective reward function,centered on energy efficiency,is designed to comprehensively consider path length,terrain slope,motion smoothness,and obstacle avoidance,enabling optimal low-energy trajectory generation in 3D space from the source.The incorporation of a multihead attention mechanism allows the model to dynamically focus on energy-critical state features—such as slope gradients and obstacle density—thereby significantly improving its ability to recognize and avoid energy-intensive paths.Additionally,the prioritized experience replay mechanism accelerates learning from key decision-making experiences,suppressing inefficient exploration and guiding the policy toward low-energy solutions more rapidly.The effectiveness of the proposed path planning algorithm is validated through simulation experiments conducted in multiple off-road scenarios.Results demonstrate that AD-Dueling DQN consistently achieves the lowest average energy consumption across all tested environments.Moreover,the proposed method exhibits faster convergence and greater training stability compared to baseline algorithms,highlighting its global optimization capability under energy-aware objectives in complex terrains.This study offers an efficient and scalable intelligent control strategy for the development of energy-conscious autonomous navigation systems.
基金National Science and Technology Major Project(No.2009ZX04014-023)
文摘An end-effector for a flexible drilling robot is designed, and a novel four-point algorithm of normal attitude regulation for this end-effector is presented. Four non-coplanar points can define a unique sphere tangent to them in spatial geometry, and the center point of the sphere and the radius can be calculated. The shape of a workpiece surface in the machining area is approximately regarded as such a sphere. A vector from the machining point to the center point is thus approximately regarded as a normal vector to the workpiece surface. By this principle, the algorithm first measures four coordinates on the curve in the drilling region using four sensors and calculates the normal vector at the drilling point, then calculates the error between the normal vector and the axis of the spindle. According to this error, the algorithm further figures out the angles of two revolving axes on the end- effector and the displacements of three linear axes on the robot main body, thus it implements the function of adjusting the spindle to be perpendicular to the curve at the drilling point. Simulation results of two kinds of curved surfaces show that accuracy and efficiency can be realized using the proposed algorithm.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.52222502,92048302,and 51975306)Research Project of State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration of China(Grant No.MSV201904)Emergency Research Project for COVID-19 from Institute for Precision Medicine of Tsinghua University of China.
文摘The most widely adopted method for diagnosing respiratory infectious diseases is to conduct polymerase chain reaction(PCR)assays on patients’respiratory specimens,which are collected through either nasal or oropharyngeal swabs.The manual swab sampling process poses a high risk to the examiner and may cause false-negative results owing to improper sampling.In this paper,we propose a pneumatically actuated soft end-effector specifically designed to achieve all of the tasks involved in swab sampling.The soft end-effector utilizes circumferential instability to ensure grasping stability,and exhibits several key properties,including high load-to-weight ratio,error tolerance,and variable swab-tip stiffness,leading to successful automatic robotic oropharyngeal swab sampling,from loosening and tightening the transport medium tube cap,holding the swab,and conducting sampling,to snapping off the swab tail and sterilizing itself.Using an industrial collaborative robotic arm,we integrated the soft end-effector,force sensor,camera,lights,and remote-control stick,and developed a robotic oropharyngeal swab sampling system.Using this swab sampling system,we conducted oropharyngeal swab-sampling tests on 20 volunteers.Our Digital PCR assay results(RNase P RNA gene absolute copy numbers for the samples)revealed that our system successfully collected sufficient numbers of cells from the pharyngeal wall for respiratory disease diagnosis.In summary,we have developed a pharyngeal swab-sampling system based on an“enveloping”soft actuator,studied the sampling process,and imple-mented whole-process robotic oropharyngeal swab-sampling.
基金Supported by the Research Project of Future Growth Engine Flagship Project,No:CN16040)by Minister of Science,ICT and Future Planningthe National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korea government(Ministry of Science,ICT and Future Planning),No.NRF-2017R1A2B4011478
文摘BACKGROUND De-afferentation or non-weight bearing induces rapid cortical and spinalα-motor neuron excitability.Author supposed that an end-effector type gait robot(EEGR)could provide patients with a training condition that was specific enough to activate rapid cortical/spinal neuroplasticity,leading to immediate muscle strengthening.The electromyographic and biomechanical comparisons were conducted.AIM To compare the electromyographic activities of the thigh and shank muscles and isometric peak torque(PT)before and after walking training on a floor or in the end-effector gait robot.METHODS Twelve outpatients without ambulatory dysfunction were recruited.Order of two interventions(5-min training on a floor at a comfortable pace or training in an EEGR with non-weight bearing on their feet and 100%guidance force at 2.1 km/h)were randomly chosen.Isometric PT,maximal ratio of torque development,amplitude of compound motor action potential(CMAP),and area under the curve(AUC)were evaluated before and 10 min after both interventions.RESULTS The degree of PT improvement of the dominant knee flexors was larger in the EEGR than on the floor(9.6±22.4 Nm/BW,P<0.01).The EEGR-trained patients had greater PT improvement of the dominant knee extensors than those who trained on the floor(4.5±28.1 Nm/BW,P<0.01).However,all electromyographic activities of the thigh and shank muscles(peak CMAP,mean and peak AUC)were significantly lower for the use of the EEGR than walking on the floor.CONCLUSION Immediate strengthening of the knee flexors and extensors was induced after the 5-min EEGR training,despite reduced muscular use.
基金supported by National Nautural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.50775002)Key Science and Technology Research Program of Beijing Municipal Commission of Education of China(Grant No.KZ200910005003)
文摘All-position robots are widely applied in the welding of complicated parts.Welding of intersecting pipes is one of the most typical tasks.The welding seam is a complicated saddle-like space curve,which puts a great challenge to the pose planning of end-effector.The special robots designed specifically for this kind of tasks are rare in China and lack sufficient theoretical research.In this paper,a systematic research on the pose planning for the end-effectors of robot in the welding of intersecting pipes is conducted.First,the intersecting curve of pipes is mathematically analyzed.The mathematical model of the most general intersecting curve of pipes is derived,and several special forms of this model in degraded situations are also discussed.A new pose planning approach of bisecting angle in main normal plane(BAMNP)for the welding-gun is proposed by using differential geometry and the comparison with the traditional bisecting angle in axial rotation plane(BAARP)method is also analytically conducted.The optimal pose of the welding-gun is to make the orientation posed at the center of the small space formed by the two cylinders and the intersecting curve to help the welding-pool run smoothly.The BAMNP method can make sure the pose vertical to the curve and center between the two cylinders at the same time,therefore its performance in welding-technique is superior to the BAARP method.By using the traditional BAARP method,the robot structure can become simpler and easier to be controlled,because one degree of freedom(DOF)of the robot can be reduced.For the special case of perpendicular intersecting,an index is constructed to evaluate the quality of welding technique in the process of welding.The effect of different combination of pipe size on this index is also discussed.On the basis of practical consideration,selection principle for BAARP and BAMNP is described.The simulations of those two methods for a serial joint-type robot are made in MATLAB,and the simulation results are consistent to the analysis.The mathematical model and the proposed new pose-planning method will lay a solid foundation for future researches on the control and design of all-position welding robots.
基金This work was supported by Anhui Provincial Major Science and Technology Project(Project No.202203a06020002)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(No.BC210202084).
文摘High harvesting success rate is part of the key technologies for robotic cherry tomato harvesting,which is closely related to the structural design of the end-effector.To obtain a high success rate of fruit harvesting,this paper presents a compliant end-effector with bio-inspired tarsus compliant gripper inspired by the structure and mechanics of the tarsal chain in the Serica orientalis Motschulsky.Response Surface Methodology(RSM)based on Box Behnken Design(BBD)technique has been used to optimize the key structural parameters of the bionic compliant end-effector for achieving the expected results in pulling pattern for robotic cherry tomato harvesting.Experiments were designed by maintaining three levels of four process parameters—Length of the Offset Segment Tarsomere(OSTL),Angle of the Inclined Segment Tarsomere(ISTA),Thickness of the Extended Segment Tarsomere(ESTT)and Length of the Extended Segment Tarsomere(ESTL).According to the optimization analysis results,the best parameter combination is OSTL 23 mm,ISTA 14°,ESTT 5.0 mm,ESTL 23 mm.Besides,the harvesting performance of the optimized bionic compliant end-effector was verified by experiments.The results indicated the harvesting success rate of fruits with different equatorial diameters was not less than 76%.
基金supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.U1813221).
文摘Excess materials are left inside aircraft wings due to manual operation errors,and the removal of excess materials is very crucial.To increase removal efficiency,a continuum robot(CR)with a removal end-effector and a stereo camera is used to remove excess objects.The size and weight characteristics of excess materials in aircraft wings are analyzed.A novel negative pressure end-effector and a two-finger gripper are designed based on the CR.The negative pressure end-effector aims to remove nuts,small rivets,and small volumes of aluminum shavings.A two-finger gripper is designed to remove large volumes of aluminum shavings.A stereo camera is used to achieve automatic detection and localization of excess materials.Due to poor lighting conditions in the aircraft wing compartment,supplementary lighting devices are used to improve environmental lighting.Then,You Only Look Once(YOLO)v5 is used to classify and detect excess objects,and two training data sets of excess objects in two wings are constructed.Due to the limited texture features inside the aircraft wings,this paper adopts an image-matching method based on the results of YOLO v5 detection.This matching method avoids the performance instability problem based on Oriented Fast and Rotated BRIEF feature point matching.Experimental verification reveals that the detection accuracy of each type of excess exceeds 90%,and the visual localization error is less than 2 mm for four types of excess objects.Results show the two end-effectors can work well for the task of removing excess material from the aircraft wings using a CR.
文摘This study investigates the necessity for space robots to independently exchange their end-effectors due to the contradiction that exists between the requirements of various robots in space missions and the payload capacity limits of rockets. The results of this study summarize the system requirements for a new end-effector exchange mechanism, including compact size, misalignment tolerance, and regolith tolerance. This is followed by the development of a prototype model with a set of test apparatus. Then the function of the prototype is verified, the prototype is optimized, and the relation between docking force and misalignment is examined through operation tests.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51765031)Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province(No.20JR5RA457).
文摘Robotic drilling technology for aircraft flexible assembly is challenging and is under active investigation.In this work,a feed system for robotic drilling end-effector is modeled.Two control algorithms with different computational complexity are proposed and compared.Based on reduced-order state observer,a pole placement controller is proposed firstly,and then a model reference adaptive controller is designed.An experiment platform is established in Matlab xPC environment to validate the effect of the two controllers.The experiment results show that the model reference adaptive controller delivers a higher tracking accuracy after the adaptive transient procedure than the pole placement controller does.
