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Special Issue on Advances in Bio-Inspired Robots

by TaeWon Seo, Dongwon Yun and Gwang-Pil Jung

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8492; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11188492 - 13 Sep 2021

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Bio-inspiration is a good starting point of designing innovative mechanical systems, including robots [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bio-Inspired Robots)

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14 pages, 5398 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bioinspired Divide-and-Conquer Design Methodology for a Multifunctional Contour of a Curved Lever

by Jehyeok Kim, Junyoung Moon, Jaewook Ryu and Giuk Lee

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 6015; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11136015 - 28 Jun 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1655

Abstract

In this study, we propose a bioinspired design methodology for a multifunctional lever based on the morphological principle of the lever mechanism in the Salvia pratensis flower. The proposed divide-and-conquer contour design methodology does not treat a lever contour as a single curve [...] Read more.

In this study, we propose a bioinspired design methodology for a multifunctional lever based on the morphological principle of the lever mechanism in the Salvia pratensis flower. The proposed divide-and-conquer contour design methodology does not treat a lever contour as a single curve that satisfies multiple functions. Rather, the lever contour combines partial contours to achieve its assigned subfunction. This approach can simplify the complex multifunctional problem in lever design. We include a case study of a lever utilized in a compact variable gravity compensator (CVGC) to explain the methodology in more detail. In the case study, four partial contours were designed to satisfy three types of functional requirements. The final design for the lever contour was manufactured and verified with visual measurement experiments. The experimental result shows that each partial contour successfully achieved its subfunctions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bio-Inspired Robots)

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17 pages, 6604 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Soft Jumping Robot Using Soft Morphing and the Yield Point of Magnetic Force

by Gang-Hyun Jeon and Yong-Jai Park

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 5891; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11135891 - 24 Jun 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2339

Abstract

In this paper, soft-morphing, deformation control by fabric structures and soft-jumping mechanisms using magnetic yield points are studied. The durability and adaptability of existing rigid-base jumping mechanisms are improved by a soft-morphing process that employs the residual stress of a polymer. Although rigid [...] Read more.

In this paper, soft-morphing, deformation control by fabric structures and soft-jumping mechanisms using magnetic yield points are studied. The durability and adaptability of existing rigid-base jumping mechanisms are improved by a soft-morphing process that employs the residual stress of a polymer. Although rigid body-based jumping mechanisms are used, they are driven by multiple components and complex structures. Therefore, they have drawbacks in terms of shock durability and fatigue accumulation. To improve these problems, soft-jumping mechanisms are designed using soft polymer materials and soft-morphing techniques with excellent shock resistance and environmental adaptability. To this end, a soft jumping mechanism is designed to store energy using the air pressure inside the structure, and the thickness of the polymer layer is adjusted based on the method applied for controlling the polymer freedom and residual stress deformation. The soft jumping mechanism can transfer energy more efficiently and stably using an energy storage and release mechanism and the rounded ankle structure designed using soft morphing. Therefore, the soft morphing and mechanisms of energy retention and release were applied to fabricate a soft robot prototype that can move in the desired direction and jump; the performance experiment was carried out. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bio-Inspired Robots)

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12 pages, 28396 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Control Strategy for Direct Teaching of Non-Mechanical Remote Center Motion of Surgical Assistant Robot with Force/Torque Sensor

by Minhyo Kim, Youqiang Zhang and Sangrok Jin

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4279; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11094279 - 09 May 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2737

Abstract

This paper presents a control strategy that secures both precision and manipulation sensitivity of remote center motion with direct teaching for a surgical assistant robot. Remote center motion is an essential function of conventional laparoscopic surgery, and the most intuitive way a surgeon [...] Read more.

This paper presents a control strategy that secures both precision and manipulation sensitivity of remote center motion with direct teaching for a surgical assistant robot. Remote center motion is an essential function of conventional laparoscopic surgery, and the most intuitive way a surgeon manipulates a robot is through direct teaching. The surgical assistant robot must maintain the position of the insertion port in three-dimensional space during the four-degree-of-freedom motions such as pan, tilt, spin, and forward/backward. In addition, the robot should move smoothly when controlling it with the hands during the surgery. In this study, a six-degree-of-freedom collaborative robot performs the cone-shaped trajectory with pan and tilt motion of an end-effector keeping the position of the remote center. Instead of the bulky mechanically constrained remote center motion mechanism, a conventional collaborative robot is used to mimic the wrist movement of a scrub nurse. A force/torque sensor that is attached between the robot and end-effector estimates the surgeon’s intention. A direct teaching control strategy based on position control is applied to guarantee precise remote center position maintenance performance. A motion generation algorithm is designed to generate motion by utilizing a force/torque sensor value. The parameters of the motion generation algorithm are optimized so that the robot can be operated with uniform sensitivity in all directions. The precision of remote center motion and the torque required for direct teaching are analyzed through pan and tilt motion experiments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bio-Inspired Robots)

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19 pages, 11331 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Type of Wall-Climbing Robot with a Gear Transmission System Arm and Adhere Mechanism Inspired by Cicada and Gecko

by Shiyuan Bian, Feng Xu, Yuliang Wei and Deyi Kong

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4137; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11094137 - 30 Apr 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3098

Abstract

To support the inspections of different contact walls (rough and smooth), a novel type of wall-climbing robot was proposed. Its design embodied a new gear transmission system arm and an adherence mechanism inspired by cicadas and geckos. The actuating structure consisted of a [...] Read more.

To support the inspections of different contact walls (rough and smooth), a novel type of wall-climbing robot was proposed. Its design embodied a new gear transmission system arm and an adherence mechanism inspired by cicadas and geckos. The actuating structure consisted of a five-bar link and a gear transmission for the arm stretching, which was driven by the servos. The linkers and gears formed the palm of this robot for climbing on a line. Moreover, the robot’s adherence method for the rough surfaces used bionic spine materials inspired by the cicada. For smooth surface, a bionic adhesion material was proposed inspired by the gecko. To assess the adherence mechanism of the cicada and gecko, the electron microscope images of the palm of the cicada and gecko were obtained by an electron microscope. The 3D printing technology and photolithography technology were utilized to manufacture the robot’s structures. The adherence force experiments demonstrated the bionic spines and bionic materials achieved good climbing on cloth, stones, and glass surfaces. Furthermore, a new gait for the robot was designed to ensure its stability. The dynamic characteristics of the robot’s gear transmission were obtained. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bio-Inspired Robots)

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15 pages, 5854 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Empirical Modeling of 2-Degree-of-Freedom Azimuth Underwater Thruster Using a Signal Compression Method

by Cheol-Su Jeong, Gunwoo Kim, Inwon Lee and Sangrok Jin

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(8), 3517; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11083517 - 14 Apr 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1788

Abstract

This paper presents an empirical modeling of a 2-Degree-of-Freedom (DoF) azimuth thruster using the signal compression method. The thruster has a gimbal mechanism with two servo motors and generates thrust in arbitrary directions. This mechanism can reduce the number of thrusters in an [...] Read more.

This paper presents an empirical modeling of a 2-Degree-of-Freedom (DoF) azimuth thruster using the signal compression method. The thruster has a gimbal mechanism with two servo motors and generates thrust in arbitrary directions. This mechanism can reduce the number of thrusters in an underwater robot and contribute to compact design. When an underwater robot is controlled with azimuth thrusters, the influence from the rotational motion of the thruster has to be considered, and a dynamic model of the azimuth thruster is needed. It is difficult to derive an analytical model because the system model depends on complicated fluid dynamics. In this study, empirical models of force and moment for rotational motion were derived for practical use through frequency analysis. A signal compression method can effectively extract the system model in the frequency domain from just the mechanically constrained frequency response. Experiments were carried out using a force/torque sensor that was connected to a cantilever in a water tank. The system model was analyzed with Bode plots, and the model coefficients were derived through curve fitting. The derived model was verified by a validation experiment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bio-Inspired Robots)

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12 pages, 7032 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Miniature Flapping Mechanism Using an Origami-Based Spherical Six-Bar Pattern

by Seung-Yong Bae, Je-Sung Koh and Gwang-Pil Jung

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1515; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11041515 - 08 Feb 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2904

Abstract

In this paper, we suggest a novel transmission for the DC motor-based flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles (FWMAVs). Most DC motor-based FWMAVs employ linkage structures, such as a crank-rocker or a crank-slider, which are designed to transmit the motor’s rotating motion to the wing’s [...] Read more.

In this paper, we suggest a novel transmission for the DC motor-based flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles (FWMAVs). Most DC motor-based FWMAVs employ linkage structures, such as a crank-rocker or a crank-slider, which are designed to transmit the motor’s rotating motion to the wing’s flapping motion. These transmitting linkages have shown successful performance; however, they entail the possibility of mechanical wear originating from the friction between relative moving components and require an onerous assembly process owing to several tiny components. To reduce the assembly process and wear problems, we present a geometrically constrained and origami-based spherical six-bar linkage. The origami-based fabrication method reduces the number of the relative moving components by replacing rigid links and pin joints with facets and folding joints, which shortens the assembly process and reduces friction between components. The constrained spherical six-bar linkage enables us to change the motor’s rotating motion to the linear reciprocating motion. Due to the property that every axis passes through a single central point, the motor’s rotating motion is filtered at the spherical linkage and does not transfer to the flapping wing. Only linear motion, therefore, is passed to the flapping wing. To show the feasibility of the idea, a prototype is fabricated and analyzed by measuring the flapping angle, the wing rotation angle and the thrust. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bio-Inspired Robots)

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17 pages, 2001 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cable Tension Analysis Oriented the Enhanced Stiffness of a 3-DOF Joint Module of a Modular Cable-Driven Human-Like Robotic Arm

by Kaisheng Yang, Guilin Yang, Chi Zhang, Chinyin Chen, Tianjiang Zheng, Yuguo Cui and Tehuan Chen

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(24), 8871; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10248871 - 11 Dec 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2279

Abstract

Inspired by the structure of human arms, a modular cable-driven human-like robotic arm (CHRA) is developed for safe human–robot interaction. Due to the unilateral driving properties of the cables, the CHRA is redundantly actuated and its stiffness can be adjusted by regulating the [...] Read more.

Inspired by the structure of human arms, a modular cable-driven human-like robotic arm (CHRA) is developed for safe human–robot interaction. Due to the unilateral driving properties of the cables, the CHRA is redundantly actuated and its stiffness can be adjusted by regulating the cable tensions. Since the trajectory of the 3-DOF joint module (3DJM) of the CHRA is a curve on Lie group SO(3), an enhanced stiffness model of the 3DJM is established by the covariant derivative of the load to the displacement on SO(3). In this paper, we focus on analyzing the how cable tension distribution problem oriented the enhanced stiffness of the 3DJM of the CHRA for stiffness adjustment. Due to the complexity of the enhanced stiffness model, it is difficult to solve the cable tensions from the desired stiffness analytically. The problem of stiffness-oriented cable tension distribution (SCTD) is formulated as a nonlinear optimization model. The optimization model is simplified using the symmetry of the enhanced stiffness model, the rank of the Jacobian matrix and the equilibrium equation of the 3DJM. Since the objective function is too complicated to compute the gradient, a method based on the genetic algorithm is proposed for solving this optimization problem, which only utilizes the objective function values. A comprehensive simulation is carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bio-Inspired Robots)

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18 pages, 13963 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Snake Robot with Driving Assistant Mechanism

by Junseong Bae, Myeongjin Kim, Bongsub Song, Maolin Jin and Dongwon Yun

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(21), 7478; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10217478 - 24 Oct 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4638

Abstract

Snake robots are composed of multiple links and joints and have a high degree of freedom. They can perform various motions and can overcome various terrains. Snake robots need additional driving algorithms and sensors that acquire terrain data in order to overcome rough [...] Read more.

Snake robots are composed of multiple links and joints and have a high degree of freedom. They can perform various motions and can overcome various terrains. Snake robots need additional driving algorithms and sensors that acquire terrain data in order to overcome rough terrains such as grasslands and slopes. In this study, we propose a driving assistant mechanism (DAM), which assists locomotion without additional driving algorithms and sensors. In this paper, we confirmed that the DAM prevents a roll down on a slope and increases the locomotion speed through dynamic simulation and experiments. It was possible to overcome grasslands and a 27 degrees slope without using additional driving controllers. In conclusion, we expect that a snake robot can conduct a wide range of missions well, such as exploring disaster sites and rough terrain, by using the proposed mechanism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bio-Inspired Robots)

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12 pages, 2998 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy-Efficient Hip Joint Offsets in Humanoid Robot via Taguchi Method and Bio-inspired Analysis

by Jihun Kim, Jaeha Yang, Seung Tae Yang, Yonghwan Oh and Giuk Lee

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(20), 7287; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10207287 - 18 Oct 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2648

Abstract

Although previous research has improved the energy efficiency of humanoid robots to increase mobility, no study has considered the offset between hip joints to this end. Here, we optimized the offsets of hip joints in humanoid robots via the Taguchi method to maximize [...] Read more.

Although previous research has improved the energy efficiency of humanoid robots to increase mobility, no study has considered the offset between hip joints to this end. Here, we optimized the offsets of hip joints in humanoid robots via the Taguchi method to maximize energy efficiency. During optimization, the offsets between hip joints were selected as control factors, and the sum of the root-mean-square power consumption from three actuated hip joints was set as the objective function. We analyzed the power consumption of a humanoid robot model implemented in physics simulation software. As the Taguchi method was originally devised for robust optimization, we selected turning, forward, backward, and sideways walking motions as noise factors. Through two optimization stages, we obtained near-optimal results for the humanoid hip joint offsets. We validated the results by comparing the root-mean-square (RMS) power consumption of the original and optimized humanoid models, finding that the RMS power consumption was reduced by more than 25% in the target motions. We explored the reason for the reduction of power consumption through bio-inspired analysis from human gait mechanics. As the distance between the left and right hip joints in the frontal plane became narrower, the amplitude of the sway motion of the upper body was reduced. We found that the reduced sway motion of the upper body of the optimized joint configuration was effective in improving energy efficiency, similar to the influence of the pathway of the body’s center of gravity (COG) on human walking efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bio-Inspired Robots)

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