Related papers: Energy-efficient tunable-stiffness soft robots usi…
There is a growing interest in social robots to be considered in the therapy of children with autism due to their effectiveness in improving the outcomes. However, children on the spectrum exhibit challenging behaviors that need to be…
This paper presents a novel soft tactile skin (STS) technology operating with sound waves. In this innovative approach, the sound waves generated by a speaker travel in channels embedded in a soft membrane and get modulated due to a…
We create a mechanism inspired by bacterial swimmers, featuring two flexible flagella with individual control over rotation speed and direction in viscous fluid environments. Using readily available materials, we design and fabricate…
An impedance-based control scheme is introduced for cooperative manipulators grasping a rigid load. The position and orientation of the load are to be maintained close to a desired trajectory, trading off tracking accuracy by low energy…
Energy consumption optimization of a two-link planar robotic arm is considered with the system's efficiency being the target for optimization. A new formulation of thermodynamic principles within the framework of dynamical systems is used.…
We propose a novel mechanism that propagates vibration through soft twisted beams, taking advantage of dynamically-coupled anisotropic stiffness to simplify the actuation of walking robots. Using dynamic simulation and experimental…
The ability to adapt and conform to angular and uneven surfaces improves the suction cup's performance in grasping and manipulation. However, in most cases, the adaptation costs lack of required stiffness for manipulation after surface…
Understanding efficient fish locomotion offers insights for biomechanics, fluid dynamics, and engineering. Traditional studies often miss the link between neuromuscular control and whole-body movement. To explore energy transfer in…
It is well known that tuna fish in the ocean can dynamically morph their median fins to achieve optimal hydrodynamic performance, e.g. linear acceleration and maneuverability. In this study, based on the previous studies about the median…
Traditional control methods effectively manage robot operations using models like motion equations but face challenges with issues of contact and friction, leading to unstable and imprecise controllers that often require manual tweaking.…
A control technique is developed via Reinforcement Learning that allows arbitrary controlling of the position of an acoustic cavitation bubble in a dual-frequency standing acoustic wave field. The agent must choose the optimal pressure…
Soft robots have demonstrated superior flexibility and functionality than conventional rigid robots. These versatile devices can respond to a wide range of external stimuli (including light, magnetic field, heat, electric field, etc.), and…
Robots built from soft materials will inherently apply lower environmental forces than their rigid counterparts, and therefore may be more suitable in sensitive settings with unintended contact. However, these robots' applied forces result…
Active contour models based on local region fitting energy can segment images with intensity inhomogeneity effectively, but their segmentation results are easy to error if the initial contour is inappropriate. In this paper, we present a…
Motion planning failures during autonomous navigation often occur when safety constraints are either too conservative, leading to deadlocks, or too liberal, resulting in collisions. To improve robustness, a robot must dynamically adapt its…
As the length scales of the smallest technology continue to advance beyond the micron scale it becomes increasingly important to equip robotic components with the means for intelligent and autonomous decision making with limited…
We present OpenFish: an open source soft robotic fish which is optimized for speed and efficiency. The soft robotic fish uses a combination of an active and passive tail segment to accurately mimic the thunniform swimming mode. Through the…
Purpose of Review: This review provides an overview of the state of the art in bioinspired soft robotics with by examining advancements in actuation, functionality, modeling, and control. Recent Findings: Recent research into actuation…
Antagonistic artificial muscles can decouple joint torque and stiffness, but contact transients often degrade this independence. We present a unified real-time framework applicable across pneumatic, electrohydraulic, and dielectric…
Recent developments in machine-learning algorithms have led to impressive performance increases in many traditional application scenarios of artificial intelligence research. In the area of deep reinforcement learning, deep learning…