Related papers: Variable Stiffness & Dynamic Force Sensor for Tiss…
Recently, fiber optic sensors such as fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) have been widely investigated for shape reconstruction and force estimation of flexible surgical robots. However, most existing approaches need precise model parameters of…
Compared to traditional rigid robotics, soft robotics has attracted increasing attention due to its advantages as compliance, safety, and low cost. As an essential part of soft robotics, the soft robotic gripper also shows its superior…
Viscous fingering (VF) is an interfacial instability that occurs in a narrow confinement or porous medium when a less-viscous fluid pushes a more viscous one, producing finger-like patterns. Controlling the VF instability is essential to…
We propose, implement and evaluate a natural human-machine control interface for a variable stiffness transradial hand prosthesis that achieves tele-impedance control through surface electromyography (sEMG) signals. This interface, together…
Survivors of central nervous system injury commonly present with spastic hypertonia. The affected muscles are hyperexcitable and can display involuntary static muscle tone and an exaggerated stretch reflex. These symptoms affect posture and…
A sensor-fused wearable assistance prototype for upper-limb function (triceps brachii and extensor pollicis brevis) is presented. The device integrates surface electromyography (sEMG), an inertial measurement unit (IMU), and flex/force…
Measuring the blood pressure waveform is becoming a more frequently studied area. The development of sensor technologies opens many new ways to be able to measure high-quality signals. The development of such an aim-specific sensor can be…
Human skin can accurately sense the self-decoupled normal and shear forces when in contact with objects of different sizes. Although there exist many soft and conformable tactile sensors on robotic applications able to decouple the normal…
We address the challenge of reliable and accurate proprioception in soft robots, specifically those with tight packaging constraints and relying only on internally embedded sensors. While various sensing approaches with single sensors have…
An interferometric method is implemented in order to accurately assess the thermal fluctuations of a micro-cantilever sensor in liquid environments. The power spectrum density (PSD) of thermal fluctuations together with Sader's model of the…
Muscle contraction is often detected via EMG in prosthetics. However, signal disturbances due to electrode motions can lead to misinterpretations. Therefore, alternative measurement approaches are desired to increase the reliability of the…
Levitated optomechanics is showing potential for precise force measurements. Here, we report a case study, to show experimentally the capacity of such a force sensor. Using an electric field as a tool to detect a Coulomb force applied onto…
For Minimally Invasive Surgical (MIS) robots, accurate haptic interaction force feedback is essential for ensuring the safety of interacting with soft tissue. However, most existing MIS robotic systems cannot facilitate direct measurement…
Collocated tactile sensing is a fundamental enabling technology for dexterous manipulation. However, deformable sensors introduce complex dynamics between the robot, grasped object, and environment that must be considered for fine…
Robotic manipulation has made significant advancements, with systems demonstrating high precision and repeatability. However, this remarkable precision often fails to translate into efficient manipulation of thin deformable objects. Current…
Understanding the physical interaction with wearable robots is essential to ensure safety and comfort. However, this interaction is complex in two key aspects: (1) the motion involved, and (2) the non-linear behaviour of soft tissues.…
Manipulating fragile deformable containers, such as disposable plastic cups filled with liquid, demands real-time grip-force adaptation within an extremely narrow force margin: insufficient force causes slip, while excessive force…
We present a tactile sensing method enabled by the mechanical compliance of soft robots; an externally attachable photoreflective module reads surface deformation of silicone skin to estimate contact force without embedding tactile…
This paper presents an improved tactile sensor using a piezoelectric bimorph able to differentiate soft materials with similar mechanical characteristics. The final aim is to develop intelligent surgical tools for brain tumour resection…
Regulating grasping force to reduce slippage during dynamic object interaction remains a fundamental challenge in robotic manipulation, especially when objects are manipulated by multiple rolling contacts, have unknown properties (such as…