Related papers: Motion Rectification for an Homeostasis-Enabling W…
The field of bio-inspired robotics seeks to create mechanical systems that mimic the designs and concepts used by biological systems. One of the more challenging biological concepts to imitate in mechanical systems is the ability to create…
There is this old, eternal question: Why don't animals have wheels? In this perspective we show that they actually do. And they do so in a physically extraordinary way -- by combining incompatible elasticity, differential geometry and…
Animals achieve robust locomotion by offloading regulation from the brain to physical couplings within the body. In contrast, locomotion in artificial systems often depends on centralized processors. We introduce a rapid and autonomous…
An asymmetric two-link robot supported atop a flat platform by wheels that roll and pivot freely, but do not slip laterally, will develop forward momentum if the joint between the links is actuated internally. In particular, oscillations in…
Homeostasis keeps animals alive; it is a fundamental process that allows animals to adapt quickly to their environment. Artificial homeostasis can be used to help robots adapt to changing environments. Previous attempts at developing…
"Dynamic compensation" is a robustness property where a perturbed biological circuit maintains a suitable output [Karin O., Swisa A., Glaser B., Dor Y., Alon U. (2016). Mol. Syst. Biol., 12: 886]. In spite of several attempts, no fully…
We analyse the classical problem of the stability of bicycles when moving quickly and upright. Developing a lean causes the front wheel to turn thereby setting the bicycle instantaneously into circular motion. The centripetal force…
Combining off-the-shelf components with 3D-printing, the Wheelbot is a symmetric reaction wheel unicycle that can jump onto its wheels from any initial position. With non-holonomic and under-actuated dynamics, as well as two coupled…
In systems where one coordinate undergoes periodic oscillation, the net displacement in any other coordinate over a single period is shown to be given by differentiation of the action integral associated with the oscillating coordinate.…
In this short work we present a low cost exoskeleton with actuated wheels that allows movements as well as skating-like steps. The simple structure and the actuated wheels allows to minimize the use of motors for locomotion. The structure…
This paper discusses the image processing and computer vision algorithms for real time detection and tracking of a sample wheel of a vehicle. During the manual tyre changing process, spinal and other muscular injuries are common and even…
Mechanisms of locomotion in microscopic systems are of great interest not only for technological applications, but also for the sake of understanding, and potentially harnessing, processes far from thermal equilibrium. Down-scaling is a…
Humanoid robots may require a degree of compliance at the joint level for improving efficiency, shock tolerance, and safe interaction with humans. The presence of joint elasticity, however, complexifies the design of balancing and walking…
A typical model for a gyrating engine consists of an inertial wheel powered by an energy source that generates an angle-dependent torque. Examples of such engines include a pendulum with an externally applied torque, Stirling engines, and…
Responding mechanically to environmental requests, muscles show a surprisingly large variety of functions. The studies of in vivo cycling muscles qualified skeletal muscles into four principal locomotor patterns: motor, brake, strut, and…
Automated vehicles will allow occupants to engage in non-driving tasks, but limited visual cues will make them vulnerable to unexpected movements. These unpredictable perturbations create a "surprise factor," forcing the central nervous…
Elongate limbless robots have the potential to locomote through tightly packed spaces for applications such as search-and-rescue and industrial inspections. The capability to effectively and robustly maneuver elongate limbless robots is…
This paper presents a novel modular robot system that can self-reconfigure to achieve omnidirectional movements for collaborative object transportation. Each robotic module is equipped with a steerable omni-wheel for navigation and is…
To reproduce natural standing-up motion, recent studies have emphasized the importance of coordination between the assisting robot and the human. However, many non-wearable assistive devices have struggled to replicate natural motion…
In the problem of cylinder rolling without slipping on a horizontal floor, both the cylinder and floor are generally treated as rigid bodies in normal textbooks. When the air resistance is ignored, the equation of motion has a solution with…