Related papers: Manta Ray Inspired Flapping-Wing Blimp
By the recent spread of machine learning in the robotics field, a humanoid that can act, perceive, and learn in the real world through contact with the environment needs to be developed. In this study, as one of the choices, we propose a…
Aerodynamic ground effect in flapping-wing insect flight is of importance to comparative morphologies and of interest to the micro-air-vehicle (MAV) community. Recent studies, however, show apparently contradictory results of either some…
Controlling of a flapping flight is one of the recent research topics related to the field of Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle (FW MAV). In this work, an adaptive control system for a four-wing FW MAV is proposed, inspired by its advanced…
Deformable substrates such as sand and mud present significant challenges for terrestrial robots due to complex robot-terrain interactions. Inspired by mudskippers, amphibious animals that naturally adjust their tail morphology and movement…
Brachiation is a dynamic, coordinated swinging maneuver of body and arms used by monkeys and apes to move between branches. As a unique underactuated mode of locomotion, it is interesting to study from a robotics perspective since it can…
A pinned-free beam in axial fluid flow, subjected to feedback-based actuation at the pinned end, is investigated. The actuation may be a moment or a prescribed angle and it is proportional to the state (curvature, slope, or displacement) of…
We explore the impact of Fermi-like acceleration of Lyman-alpha (Ly{\alpha}) photons across shock fronts on the observed Ly{\alpha} spectral line shape. We first confirm the result of Neufeld & McKee (1988) that this mechanism gives rise to…
Designing a controllable airship for non-expert users or preemptively evaluating the performance of desired airships has always been a very challenging problem. This paper explores the blimp design parameter space from the aspect of the…
Soft robots, in contrast to their rigid counter parts, have infinite degrees of freedom that are coupled with their interaction with the environment. We consider the locomotion of an untethered robot, in the granular medium, comprised of…
We present a new approach to robot hand design specifically suited for successfully implementing robot learning methods to accomplish tasks in daily human environments. We introduce BaRiFlex, an innovative gripper design that alleviates the…
The objective of this note is to share some reflections of the authors regarding the use of sliding mode designs in control systems. We believe the abundant, and ever increasing, appearance of this kind of works on our scientific…
Flapping-fin underwater vehicle propulsion systems provide an alternative to propeller-driven systems in situations that require involve a constrained environment or require high maneuverability. Testing new configurations through…
This study employs high-fidelity fluid-structure interaction simulations to investigate design optimizations for wave-assisted propulsion (WAP) systems using flapping foils. Building on prior work that identified the leading-edge vortex…
Robot grasping, whether handling isolated objects, cluttered items, or stacked objects, plays a critical role in industrial and service applications. However, current visual grasp detection methods based on Convolutional Neural Networks…
The function and lifetime of moving mechanical assemblies (MMAs) in space depend on the properties of lubricants. MMAs that experience high speeds or high cycles require liquid based lubricants due to their ability to reflow to the point of…
There is evidence that flying animals such as pigeons, goshawks, and bats use optical flow sensing to enable high-speed flight through forest clutter. This paper discusses the elements of a theory of controlled flight through obstacle…
The concept of aerial-aquatic robots has emerged as an innovative solution that can operate both in the air and underwater. Previous research on the design of such robots has been mainly focused on mature technologies such as fixed-wing and…
Sliding mode control of a launch vehicle during its atmospheric flight phase is studied in the presence of unmatched disturbances. Linear time-varying dynamics of the aerospace vehicle is converted into a systematic formula and then dynamic…
Hummingbirds and insects achieve outstanding flight performance by adapting their flapping motion to the flight requirements. Their wing kinematics can change from smooth flapping to highly dynamic waveforms, generating unsteady aerodynamic…
Although wheeled robots have been predominant for planetary exploration, their geometry limits their capabilities when traveling over steep slopes, through rocky terrains, and in microgravity. Legged robots equipped with grippers are a…