A scheme is developed for classifying the types of motion perceived by a humanlike robot. It is assumed that the robot receives visual images of the scene using a perspective system model. Equations, theorems, concepts, clues, etc., relating the objects, their positions, and their motion to their images on the focal plane are presented. >

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel2/815/3148/00100651.pdf

Robot vision

Lignocellulosic biomass pyrolysis mechanism: A state-of-the-art review

Continuum robotics has rapidly become a rich and diverse area of research, with many designs and applications demonstrated. Despite this diversity in form and purpose, there exists remarkable similarity in the fundamental simplified kinematic models that have been applied to continuum robots. However, this can easily be obscured, especially to a newcomer to the field, by the different applications, coordinate frame choices, and analytical formalisms employed. In this paper we review several modeling approaches in a common frame and notational convention, illustrating that for piecewise constant curvature, they produce identical results. This discussion elucidates what has been articulated in different ways by a number of researchers in the past several years, namely that constant-curvature kinematics can be considered as consisting of two separate submappings: one that is general and applies to all continuum robots, and another that is robot-specific. These mappings are then developed both for the single-section and for the multi-section case. Similarly, we discuss the decomposition of differential kinematics (the robotâ??s Jacobian) into robot-specific and robot-independent portions. The paper concludes with a perspective on several of the themes of current research that are shaping the future of continuum robotics.

/pdf/design-and-kinematic-modeling-of-constant-curvature-4wrx5stlzx.pdf

Design and Kinematic Modeling of Constant Curvature Continuum Robots: A Review

Traditional robots have rigid underlying structures that limit their ability to interact with their environment. For example, conventional robot manipulators have rigid links and can manipulate objects using only their specialised end effectors. These robots often encounter difficulties operating in unstructured and highly congested environments. A variety of animals and plants exhibit complex movement with soft structures devoid of rigid components. Muscular hydrostats e.g. octopus arms and elephant trunks are almost entirely composed of muscle and connective tissue and plant cells can change shape when pressurised by osmosis. Researchers have been inspired by biology to design and build soft robots. With a soft structure and redundant degrees of freedom, these robots can be used for delicate tasks in cluttered and/or unstructured environments. This paper discusses the novel capabilities of soft robots, describes examples from nature that provide biological inspiration, surveys the state of the art and outlines existing challenges in soft robot design, modelling, fabrication and control.

/pdf/soft-robotics-biological-inspiration-state-of-the-art-and-1esuws0p9g.pdf

Soft robotics: Biological inspiration, state of the art, and future research

In this paper, we describe the state of the art in continuum robot manipulators and systems intended for application to interventional medicine. Inspired by biological trunks, tentacles, and snakes, continuum robot designs can traverse confined spaces, manipulate objects in complex environments, and conform to curvilinear paths in space. In addition, many designs offer inherent structural compliance and ease of miniaturization. After decades of pioneering research, a host of designs have now been investigated and have demonstrated capabilities beyond the scope of conventional rigid-link robots. Recently, we have seen increasing efforts aimed at leveraging these qualities to improve the frontiers of minimally invasive surgical interventions. Several concepts have now been commercialized, which are inspiring and enabling a current paradigm shift in surgical approaches toward flexible access routes, e.g., through natural orifices such as the nose. In this paper, we provide an overview of the current state of this field from the perspectives of both robotics science and medical applications. We discuss relevant research in design, modeling, control, and sensing for continuum manipulators, and we highlight how this work is being used to build robotic systems for specific surgical procedures. We provide perspective for the future by discussing current limitations, open questions, and challenges.

Continuum Robots for Medical Applications: A Survey

The invention discloses a supercritical carbon dioxide boiler cooling wall and a boiler and an application method thereof. The supercritical carbon dioxide boiler cooling wall comprises an upper header, a middle header, a bottom header, a plurality of first cooling pipes and a plurality of second cooling pipes, wherein the upper header, the middle header and the bottom header are sequentially arranged in the vertical direction from top to bottom, the plurality of first cooling pipes are distributed between the upper header and the middle header, the two ends of the first cooling pipes are communicated with the upper header and the middle header respectively, the plurality of second cooling pipes are vertically arranged between the middle header and the bottom header, and the two ends of the middle header and the bottom header are communicated with the middle header and the bottom header respectively. A working medium in the boiler cooling wall is freely distributed according to pressure drop in the first cooling pipes and the second cooling pipes, too much pressure caused by large flow in the cooling wall is reduced, and the operation safety of the boiler is improved.

Supercritical carbon dioxide boiler cooling wall and boiler and application method thereof

The invention discloses an opposed firing device system of a supercritical carbon dioxide coal-fired boiler. The boiler is included and is of a vertically-arranged rectangular structure. First combustors and a plurality of cavity sets arranged up and down at intervals are symmetrically arranged on the two opposite sides of the boiler, the first combustors are arranged above the multiple cavity sets, each first combustor is provided with an air outlet, the position, corresponding to each first combustor, of the boiler is provided with a first notch, and the air outlets in the first combustors communicate with the interior of the boiler through the corresponding first notches. Each cavity set comprises a plurality of additional fuel cavities which are horizontally arranged, and the additional fuel cavities are formed in the boiler at equal intervals in the left-right direction. The opposed firing device system has the advantages that the combustion efficiency is high, and flame stabilityis high.

Opposed firing device system of supercritical carbon dioxide coal-fired boiler

The invention provides a spectral splitting-based condensation pyrolysis catalytic reforming system and method which can perform gradient efficient utilization on condensation solar light with different wavelengths, realize effective conversion of tar, improve condensation pyrolysis catalytic reforming performance and ensure stable and safe operation of the system. The condensation pyrolysis catalytic reforming system is characterized by comprising the following devices of: a condensation device for converging sunlight and utilizing the refractive index difference of light with different wavelengths to form a catalytic region with more concentrated ultraviolet light and a photo-thermal pyrolysis region with more concentrated infrared light and near-infrared light on a condensation side; apyrolysis reactor which comprises a reaction tank, a plurality of gas isolation nozzles and a high-temperature packing auger; a feeding device which comprises a plurality of feeding hoppers and a plurality of conveying augers; a photocatalytic reforming device which is arranged at the upper part of a reaction tank along the axial direction, is positioned above the high-temperature packing auger and is loaded with a photocatalyst; and a collecting device which comprises a gas-phase product collector, a solid-phase product collector and a liquid-phase product collector.

Kai Xu

Papers

Supercritical carbon dioxide boiler cooling wall and boiler and application method thereof

Opposed firing device system of supercritical carbon dioxide coal-fired boiler

Spectral splitting-based condensation pyrolysis catalytic reforming system and method