Research on Biologically Inspired Hexapod Robot's Gait and Path Planning

Realistically there are many robot joints in the biologically inspired hexapod robot, so they will generate many complexities in the calculations of the gait and the path planning and the control variables. The software Solidworks and MSC. ADAMS are adopted to simulate and analyze the prototype model of the robot. By the simulations used in our design, the applicability of the tripod gait is validated, and the scheme which uses cubic spline curve as the endpoint of foot＇s path is feasible. The principles, methods, and processes of the simulation of hexapod robot are illustrated. A methodology is proposed to get the robot inverse solution in ADAMS, and to simplify the theoretical calculation, and further more to improve the efficiency of the design.

A Variable Stiffness Soft Gripper Using Granular Jamming and Biologically Inspired Pneumatic Muscles

As the domains, in which robots operate change the objects a robot may be required to grasp and manipulate, are likely to vary sig- nificantly and often. Furthermore there is increasing likelihood that in the future robots will work collaboratively alongside people. There has therefore been interest in the development of biologically inspired robot designs which take inspiration from nature. This paper pre- sents the design and testing of a variable stiffness, three fingered soft gripper, which uses pneumatic muscles to actuate the fingers and granular jamming to vary their stiffness. This gripper is able to adjust its stiffness depending upon how fragile/deformable the object being grasped is. It is also lightweight and low inertia, making it better suited to operation near people. Each finger is formed from a cylindrical rubber bladder filled with a granular material. It is shown how decreasing the pressure inside the finger increases the jamming effect and raises finger stiffness. The paper shows experimentally how the finger stiffness can be increased from 21 N·m^-1 to 71 N·m^-1. The paper also describes the kinematics of the fingers and demonstrates how they can be position-controlled at a range of different stiffness values.

A Design Concept and Kinematic Model for a Soft Aquatic Robot with Complex Bio-mimicking Motion

Fish mortality assessments for turbine passages are currently performed by live-animal testing with up to a hundred thousand fish per year in Germany.A propelled sensor device could act as a fish surrogate.In this context,the study presented here investigates the state of the art via a thorough literature review on propulsion systems for aquatic robots.An evaluation of propulsion performance,weight,size and complexity of the motion achievable allows for the selection of an optimal concept for such a fish mimicking device carrying the sensors.In the second step,the design of a bioinspired soft robotic fish driven by an unconventional drive system is described.It is based on piezoceramic actuators,which allow for motion with five degrees of freedom(DOF)and the creation of complex bio-mimicking body motions.A kinematic model for the motion’s characteristics is developed,to achieve accurate position feedback with the use of strain gauges.Optical measurements validate the complex deformation of the body and deliver the basis for the calibration of the kinematic model.Finally,it can be shown,that the calibrated model presented allows the tracking of the deformation of the entire body with an accuracy of 0.1 mm.

Design and analysis of an untethered micro flapping robot which can glide on the water

Flapping-wing flying insects possess various advantages,such as high agility and efficiency.The design and manufacture of insect-scale flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle(FWMAV)have attracted increasing attention in recent decades.Due to the limitations of size and weight,the FWMAV with an onboard battery which can fully mimic insect flight has not been achieved.In this work,we design and fabricate a highly integrated flapping-wing microrobot named Robomoth.The Robomoth consists of a carbon chassis,customized power and control devices,and two piezoelectric ceramic actuators symmetrically distributed in the thorax and controlled individually.It weighs 2.487 g,spans 5.9 cm in length,possesses 9 cm of wingspan,and carries a 0.355 g rechargeable lithium battery.We demonstrate the mobility of the Robomoth through untethered gliding and making turns on the water surface.A simplified dynamic model of the flapping system is proposed to explain the relationship between the driving frequency and the flapping amplitude.The Robomoth is one new untethered bioinspired flapping-wing robot that can perform stable water surface motion,which holds potential applications such as search and rescue on the water.The robot can also provide insight for designing insect-scale flying vehicles.

Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal System and Its Biomimetic Implications： A Review

Biological musculoskeletal system （MSK）, composed of numerous bones, cartilages, skeletal muscles, tendons, ligaments etc., provides form, support, movement and stability for human or animal body. As the result of million years of selection and evolution, the biological MSK evolves to be a nearly perfect mechanical mechanism to support and transport the human or animal body, and would provide enormously rich resources to inspire engineers to innovate new technology and methodology to develop robots and mechanisms as effective and economical as the biological systems. This paper provides a general review of the current status of musculoskeletal biomechanics studies using both experimental and computational methods. This includes the use of the latest three-dimensional motion analysis systems, various medical imaging modalities, and also the advanced rigid-body and continuum mechanics musculoskeletal modelling techniques. Afterwards, several representative biomimetic studies based on ideas and concepts inspired from the structures and biomechanical functions of the biological MSK are dis- cussed. Finally, the major challenges and also the future research directions in musculoskeletal biomechanics and its biomimetic studies are proposed.

Bio-inspired design of alternate rigid-flexible segments to improve the stiffness of a continuum manipulator

Intrinsic flexible structures enable a continuum manipulator to exhibit attractive dexterity and intrinsic compliance over traditional hyper-redundant robots.However,its insufficient stiffness makes the performance of continuum manipulators unsatisfactory and thus limits the applications in many fields.A significant challenge is how to make a trade-off among dexterity,compliance and stiffness.From an evolutionary perspective,this paper compares several biological structures that enable the continuum manipulator function,and intends to reveal the mechanism on how the biological structures can improve the stiffness.The notochord and the vertebral column with acoelous centra are abstracted and physically implemented.A fundamental roddriven continuum manipulator is also introduced as a comparison.The stiffness models of these three continuum manipulators are proposed,and comparative experiments are conducted to verify their stiffness properties.Our results demonstrate that the rigid-flexible segmental structure can improve the stiffness properties of a continuum manipulator.