Related papers: Soft Pneumatic Grippers: Topology optimization, 3D…
The work explores a specific scenario for structural computational optimization based on the following elements: (a) a relaxed optimization setting considering the ersatz (bi-material) approximation, (b) a treatment based on a nonsmoothed…
Topology optimization is used to systematically design contact-aided thermo-mechanical regulators, i.e. components whose effective thermal conductivity is tunable by mechanical deformation and contact. The thermo-mechanical interactions are…
Robotic grasping of arbitrary objects even in completely known environments still remains a challenging problem. Most previously developed algorithms had focused on fingertip grasp, failing to solve the problem even for fully actuated…
Inflated-beam soft robots, such as tip-everting vine robots, can control curvature by contracting one beam side via pneumatic actuation. This work develops a general finite element modeling approach to characterize their bending. The model…
Orthogonally assembled double-layered corrugated (OADLC) mechanisms are a class of foldable structures that harness origami-inspired methods to enhance the structural stiffness of resulting devices; these mechanisms have extensive…
Modern robots embody power and precision control. Yet, as robots undertake tasks that apply forces on humans, this power brings risk of injury. Soft robotic actuators use deformation to produce smooth, continuous motions and conform to…
Robotic manipulation of deformable objects remains a challenging task. One such task is folding a garment autonomously. Given start and end folding positions, what is an optimal trajectory to move the robotic arm to fold a garment? Certain…
Robotic arms are highly common in various automation processes such as manufacturing lines. However, these highly capable robots are usually degraded to simple repetitive tasks such as pick-and-place. On the other hand, designing an optimal…
Flexible octopus arms exhibit an exceptional ability to coordinate large numbers of degrees of freedom and perform complex manipulation tasks. As a consequence, these systems continue to attract the attention of biologists and roboticists…
This paper presents a passive control method for multiple degrees of freedom in a soft pneumatic robot through the combination of flow resistor tubes with series inflatable actuators. We designed and developed these 3D printed resistors…
Prismatic sandwich panels fabricated from metals offer a compelling alternative to more traditional panels across diverse industries, primarily due to their superior strength-to-weight ratio. Although several core types were proposed in the…
A SPAMM tagged MRI methodology is presented allowing continuous (3.3-3.6 Hz) sampling of 3D dynamic soft tissue deformation using non-segmented 3D acquisitions. The 3D deformation is reconstructed by the combination of 3 mutually orthogonal…
We propose a new algorithm for the design of topologically optimized lightweight structures, under a minimum compliance requirement. The new process enhances a standard level set formulation in terms of computational efficiency, thanks to…
Furniture assembly is a crucial yet challenging task for robots, requiring precise dual-arm coordination where one arm manipulates parts while the other provides collaborative support and stabilization. To accomplish this task more…
Realizing high-performance soft robotic grippers is challenging because of the inherent limitations of the soft actuators and artificial muscles that drive them, including low force output, small actuation range, and poor compactness.…
While soft robot manipulators offer compelling advantages over rigid counterparts, including inherent compliance, safe human-robot interaction, and the ability to conform to complex geometries, accurate forward modeling from low-dimensional…
High-performance closed-loop control of truly soft continuum manipulators has remained elusive. Experimental demonstrations have largely relied on sufficiently stiff, piecewise architectures in which each actuated segment behaves as a…
Granular jamming is a popular soft actuation mechanism that provides high stiffness variability with minimum volume variation. Jamming is particularly interesting from a design perspective, as a myriad of design parameters can potentially…
Many soft-body organisms found in nature flourish underwater. Similarly, soft robots are potentially well-suited for underwater environments partly because the problematic effects of gravity, friction, and harmonic oscillations are less…
An efficient and accurate computational approach is proposed for optimal attitude control of a rigid body. The problem is formulated directly as a discrete time optimization problem using a Lie group variational integrator. Discrete…