Related papers: Building the next pyramid
We investigate the drag forces acting on large objects moving through a granular packing immersed in water. In this aim, we conducted uplift experiments involving pulling out horizontal plates at a prescribed velocity vertically. During…
We describe the construction of a new family of developable rollers based on the Platonic solids. In this way kinetic sculptures may be realised, with the Platonic solids quite literally in their heart. We also describe the strong way in…
To deflect impact-trajectory of massive km^3 and spinning asteroid by a few terrestrial radius one need a large momentum exchange. The dragging of huge spinning bodies in space by external engine seems difficult or impossible. Our solution…
We present a planning and control framework for physics-based manipulation under uncertainty. The key idea is to interleave robust open-loop execution with closed-loop control. We derive robustness metrics through contraction theory. We use…
We investigate the migration of particles of different geometrical shapes and sizes in a scaled-up model of a gravity-driven deterministic lateral displacement (g-DLD) device. Specifically, particles move through a square array of…
We propose a learning-based system for enabling quadrupedal robots to manipulate large, heavy objects using their whole body. Our system is based on a hierarchical control strategy that uses the deep latent variable embedding which captures…
Experiments on the formation of spiraling hexagons (350 - 1000 nm in width) from a solution of nanoparticles are presented. Transmission electron microscopy images of the reaction products of chemically synthesized cadmium nanocrystals…
Climbing Robots are being developed for applications ranging from cleaning to the inspection of difficult to reach constructions. Climbing robots should be capable of carrying a light payload and climbing on vertical surfaces with ability…
On perfectly vertical surfaces, rolling is conventionally deemed impossible without external torque. While various species like geckos and spiders exhibit vertical locomotion, they cannot achieve rolling; instead, they fall. In this study,…
Ring, or cyclic, polymers have unique properties compared to linear polymers, due to their topologically closed structure that has no beginning or end. Experimental measurements on molecular ring polymers are challenging due to their…
In this paper, nonlinear time-history dynamic analyses of selected earthquake ground motions are conducted on designated wood-frame podium buildings and the resulting inter-story drifts are analyzed. We aim to construct a reliable region…
Generalizable manipulation requires that robots be able to interact with novel objects and environment. This requirement makes manipulation extremely challenging as a robot has to reason about complex frictional interaction with uncertainty…
Design of robots at the small scale is a trial-and-error based process, which is costly and time-consuming. There are no good dynamic simulation tools to predict the motion or performance of a microrobot as it moves against a substrate. At…
Design of robots at the small scale is a trial-and-error based process, which is costly and time-consuming. There are few dynamic simulation tools available to accurately predict the motion or performance of untethered microrobots as they…
We present the first free-floating autonomous underwater construction system capable of using active ballasting to transport cement building blocks efficiently. It is the first free-floating autonomous construction robot to use a paired set…
In this paper, we present a solution that uses the least number of hexahedra to build a pyramid, which is the key block required for one type of automatic hex-meshing method to be successful. When the initial result of a hex-meshing program…
We describe a series of experiments involving the creation of cylindrical packings of star-shaped particles, and an exploration of the stability of these packings. The stars cover a broad range of arm sizes and frictional properties. We…
Recent advancements with trapped nano- and micro-particles have enabled the exploration of motional states on unprecedented scales. Rotational degrees of freedom stand out due to their intrinsic non-linearity and their coupling with…
The rolling motion of a rigid cylinder on an inclined flat viscous surface is investigated and the nonlinear resistance force against rolling, $F_R(v)$, is derived. For small velocities $F_R(v)$ increases with velocity due to increasing…
The conditions are investigated under which a row of increasing dominoes is able to keep tumbling over. The analysis is restricted to the simplest case of frictionless dominoes that only can topple not slide. The model is scale invariant,…