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A review of shape memory alloy research, applications and opportunities

Soft robots actuated by infl ation of a pneumatic network (a “pneu-net”) of small channels in elastomeric materials are appealing for producing sophisticated motions with simple controls. Although current designs of pneu-nets achieve motion with large amplitudes, they do so relatively slowly (over seconds). This paper describes a new design for pneu-nets that reduces the amount of gas needed for infl ation of the pneu-net, and thus increases its speed of actuation. A simple actuator can bend from a linear to a quasicircular shape in 50 ms when pressurized at Δ P = 345 kPa. At high rates of pressurization, the path along which the actuator bends depends on this rate. When infl ated fully, the chambers of this new design experience only one-tenth the change in volume of that required for the previous design. This small change in volume requires comparably low levels of strain in the material at maximum amplitudes of actuation, and commensurately low rates of fatigue and failure. This actuator can operate over a million cycles without signifi cant degradation of performance. This design for soft robotic actuators combines high rates of actuation with high reliability of the actuator, and opens new areas of application for them.

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Pneumatic Networks for Soft Robotics that Actuate Rapidly

Soft fluidic actuators consisting of elastomeric matrices with embedded flexible materials are of particular interest to the robotics community because they are affordable and can be easily customized to a given application. However, the significant potential of such actuators is currently limited as their design has typically been based on intuition. In this paper, the principle of operation of these actuators is comprehensively analyzed and described through experimentally validated quasi-static analytical and finite-element method models for bending in free space and force generation when in contact with an object. This study provides a set of systematic design rules to help the robotics community create soft actuators by understanding how these vary their outputs as a function of input pressure for a number of geometrical parameters. Additionally, the proposed analytical model is implemented in a controller demonstrating its ability to convert pressure information to bending angle in real time. Such an understanding of soft multimaterial actuators will allow future design concepts to be rapidly iterated and their performance predicted, thus enabling new and innovative applications that produce more complex motions to be explored.

Modeling of Soft Fiber-Reinforced Bending Actuators

In this paper, biomimetic underwater robots built using smart actuators, e.g., a shape memory alloy (SMA), an ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC), lead zirconate titanate (PZT), or a hybrid SMA and IPMC actuator, are reviewed. The effects of underwater environment were also considered because smart actuators are often affected by their external environment. The characteristics of smart actuators are described based on their actuating conditions and motion types. Underwater robots are classified based on different swimming modes. We expanded our classification to non-fish creatures based on their swimming modes. The five swimming modes are body/caudal actuation oscillatory (BCA-O), body/caudal actuation undulatory (BCA-U), median/paired actuation oscillatory (MPA-O), median/paired actuation undulatory (MPA-U), and jet propulsion (JET). The trends of biomimetic underwater robots were analyzed based on robot speed (body length per second, BL/s). For speed per body length, robots using an SMA as an actuator are faster than robots using an IPMC when considering a similar length or weight. Robots using a DC motor are longer while their speeds per body length are similar, which means that robots using smart actuators have an advantage of compactness. Finally, robots (using smart actuators or a motor) were compared with underwater animals according to their speed and different swimming modes. This review will help in setting guidelines for the development of future biomimetic underwater robots, especially those that use smart actuators.

Review of biomimetic underwater robots using smart actuators

This paper describes an improved three-dimensional (3D)-printed, low-cost, multi-functional, high-maneuverability, high-concealment, turtle-inspired mobile amphibious spherical robot for environmental monitoring and data collection. The major challenge in developing such a robot lies in its limited physical size and compact structure that allows for only one type of propulsion system to be used both on land and in water. This paper focuses on the optimization of the kinematic and hydrodynamic model of the amphibious spherical robot, so as to improve the control accuracy and stability of the robot. In order to optimize some kinematic and dynamic modeling parameters of the robot, such as the drag coefficient of robot, the angular velocity and swing angle of each joint, a solid model of the 3D-printed robot was built by SolidWorks. Our simulation results and theoretical calculations confirmed the validity of the virtual model and facilitated identification of key parameters in the design. The correctness of the modeling was demonstrated by the stability of consecutive crawling and underwater movements, providing a basis for driving and controlling methods for this amphibious robot, as well as guidance for the robot's gait trajectory. Combining the robot's crawling mechanism with related simulation results, an optimized prototype of the 3D-printed amphibious spherical robot was constructed. A series of crawling experiments on a common floor were performed with the improved robot prototype, which was also done using the previous robot. The results were evaluated by a novel optical positioning system, NDI Polaris. Moreover, several experiments were carried on land crawling and underwater swimming to verify the performance of the improved amphibious spherical robot. Comparison of experimental and simulation results demonstrated the improved robot had better amphibious motion performance, as well as more potentiality and applicability to the real structures.

Modeling and experimental evaluation of an improved amphibious robot with compact structure

A visual tracking system is essential as a basis for visual servoing, autonomous navigation, path planning, robot-human interaction and other robotic functions. To execute various tasks in diverse and ever-changing environments, a mobile robot requires high levels of robustness, precision, environmental adaptability and real-time performance of the visual tracking system. In keeping with the application characteristics of our amphibious spherical robot, which was proposed for flexible and economical underwater exploration in 2012, an improved RGB-D visual tracking algorithm is proposed and implemented. Given the limited power source and computational capabilities of mobile robots, compressive tracking (CT), which is the effective and efficient algorithm that was proposed in 2012, was selected as the basis of the proposed algorithm to process colour images. A Kalman filter with a second-order motion model was implemented to predict the state of the target and select candidate patches or samples for the CT tracker. In addition, a variance ratio features shift (VR-V) tracker with a Kalman estimation mechanism was used to process depth images. Using a feedback strategy, the depth tracking results were used to assist the CT tracker in updating classifier parameters at an adaptive rate. In this way, most of the deficiencies of CT, including drift and poor robustness to occlusion and high-speed target motion, were partly solved. To evaluate the proposed algorithm, a Microsoft Kinect sensor, which combines colour and infrared depth cameras, was adopted for use in a prototype of the robotic tracking system. The experimental results with various image sequences demonstrated the effectiveness, robustness and real-time performance of the tracking system.

http://www.guolab.org/Papers/2015/SENSORS2015.pdf

A Kinect-Based Real-Time Compressive Tracking Prototype System for Amphibious Spherical Robots

Minimally invasive vascular interventional surgery is widely used and remote-controlled vascular interventional surgery robots (RVIRs) are being developed to reduce the occupational risk of the intervening physician in minimally invasive vascular interventional surgeries. Skilled surgeon performs surgeries mainly depending on the detection of collisions. Inaccurate force feedback will be difficult for surgeons to perform surgeries or even results in medical accidents. In addition, the surgeon cannot quickly and easily distinguish whether the proximal force exceeds the safety threshold of blood vessels or not, and thus it results in damage to the blood vessels. In this paper, we present a novel method comprising compensatory force measurement and multimodal force feedback (MFF). Calibration experiments and performance evaluation experiments were carried out. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method can measure the proximal force of catheter/guidewire accurately and assist surgeons to distinguish the change of proximal force more easily. This novel method is suitable for use in actual surgical operations.

Compensatory force measurement and multimodal force feedback for remote-controlled vascular interventional robot

This paper describes the development of the second-generation Spherical Underwater Robot (SUR-II). The new SUR-II has an improved propulsion system structure, resulting in better performance compared with the original design. This paper focuses on the characteristics of the water-jet thruster and the spherical hull of the SUR-II. To analyse its hydrodynamic characteristics, the main hydrodynamic parameters of the SUR-II were estimated based on two reasonable assumptions and a reasonable dynamic equation was proposed to describe the relationship between force and velocity. Drag coefficients were calculated separately for vertical and horizontal motions due to the fin on the robot's equator and the holes in the robot's hull. The holes had a particularly adverse effect on the horizontal drag coefficient. A hydrodynamic analysis using computational fluid dynamics was then carried out to verify the estimated parameters. The velocity vectors, pressure contours and drag coefficient for each state of mot...

http://www.guolab.org/Papers/2013/20130503Yue.pdf

Hydrodynamic Analysis of the Spherical Underwater Robot SUR-II

We describe the novel, multiply gaited, vectored water-jet, hybrid locomotion-capable, amphibious spherical robot III (termed ASR-III) featuring a wheel-legged, water-jet composite driving system incorporating a lifting and supporting wheel mechanism (LSWM) and mechanical legs with a water-jet thruster. The LSWM allows the ASR-III to support the body and slide flexibly on smooth (flat) terrain. The composite driving system facilitates two on-land locomotion modes (sliding and walking) and underwater locomotion mode with vectored thrusters, improving adaptability to the amphibious environment. Sliding locomotion improves the stability and maneuverability of ASR-III on smooth flat terrain, whereas walking locomotion allows ASR-III to conquer rough terrain. We used both forward and reverse kinematic models to evaluate the walking and sliding gait efficiency. The robot can also realize underwater locomotion with four vectored water-jet thrusters, and is capable of forward motion, heading angle control and depth control. We evaluated LSWM efficiency and the sliding velocities associated with varying extensions of the LSWM. To explore gait stability and mobility, we performed on-land experiments on smooth flat terrain to define the optimal stride length and frequency. We also evaluated the efficacy of waypoint tracking when the sliding gait was employed, using a closed-loop proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control mechanism. Moreover, experiments of forward locomotion, heading angle control and depth control were conducted to verify the underwater performance of ASR-III. Comparison of the previous robot and ASR-III demonstrated the ASR-III had better amphibious motion performance.

Liwei Shi

Papers

Modeling and experimental evaluation of an improved amphibious robot with compact structure

A Kinect-Based Real-Time Compressive Tracking Prototype System for Amphibious Spherical Robots

Compensatory force measurement and multimodal force feedback for remote-controlled vascular interventional robot

Hydrodynamic Analysis of the Spherical Underwater Robot SUR-II

Hybrid Locomotion Evaluation for a Novel Amphibious Spherical Robot