Related papers: Constrained motion design with distinct actuators …

This paper proposes a reinforcement learning framework for performance-driven structural design that combines bottom-up design generation with learned strategies to efficiently search large combinatorial design spaces. Motivated by the…

Compliant robotics have seen successful applications in energy efficient locomotion and cyclic manipulation. However, exploitation of variable physical impedance for energy efficient sequential movements has not been extensively addressed.…

The aim of this work is to study the dynamics and stability of soft shape-morphing configurations and specifically the modes of interaction between the front and rear airfoil segments. Initially we present several steady-state solutions,…

Drops on a vibrating substrate can experience a variety of motion regimes, including directional motion and climbing. The key ingredient to elicit these regimes is simultaneously activating the in-plane and out-of-plane degrees of freedom…

We consider the problem of cooperative motion coordination for multiple heterogeneous mobile vehicles subject to various constraints. These include nonholonomic motion constraints, constant speed constraints, holonomic coordination…

Deformations of conventional solids are described via elasticity, a classical field theory whose form is constrained by translational and rotational symmetries. However, flexible metamaterials often contain an additional approximate…

We present an efficient spacetime optimization method to automatically generate animations for a general volumetric, elastically deformable body. Our approach can model the interactions between the body and the environment and automatically…

Unlike conventional mechanisms, compliant mechanisms produce the desired deformations by exploiting elastic strain and do not need, therefore, moving parts. The number of degrees of freedom of a conventional mechanism, also called mobility,…

Robots built from soft materials can alter their shape and size in a particular profile. This shape-changing ability could be extremely helpful for rescue robots and those operating in unknown terrains and environments. In changing shape,…

While modern deep networks have demonstrated remarkable versatility, their training dynamics remain poorly understood--often driven more by empirical tweaks than architectural insight. This paper investigates how internal structural choices…

In the present work, a new computational framework for structural topology optimization based on the concept of moving deformable components is proposed. Compared with the traditional pixel or node point-based solution framework, the…

Bone adapts in response to its mechanical environment. This evolution of bone density is one of the most important mechanisms for developing fracture resistance. A finite element framework for simulating bone adaptation, commonly called…

Hierarchical (first-order) structured deformations are studied from the variational point of view. The main contributions of the present research are the first steps, at the theoretical level, to establish a variational framework to…

The design of compliant mechanisms is crucial in several technologies and relies on the availability of solutions for nonlinear structural problems. One of these solutions is given and experimentally validated in the present article for a…

Urban mobility systems are composed multiple elements with strong interactions, i.e. their future is co-determined by the state of other elements. Thus, studying components in isolation, i.e. using a reductionist approach, is inappropriate.…

This work addresses the problem of predicting the motion trajectories of dynamic objects in the environment. Recent advances in predicting motion patterns often rely on machine learning techniques to extrapolate motion patterns from…

Many applications of porous media research involves high pressures and, correspondingly, exchange of thermal energy between the fluid and the matrix. While the system is relatively well understood for the case of non-moving porous media,…

Air-land bimodal vehicles provide a promising solution for navigating complex environments by combining the flexibility of aerial locomotion with the energy efficiency of ground mobility. However, planning dynamically feasible, smooth,…

Harnessing the rich nonlinear dynamics of highly-deformable materials has the potential to unlock the next generation of functional smart materials and devices. However, unlocking such potential requires effective strategies to spatially…

A remarkable property of nastic, shape changing plants is their complete fusion between actuators and structure. This is achieved by combining a large number of cells whose geometry, internal pressures and material properties are optimized…