To rationalize the relatively high investment that industrial automation systems entail, research in the field of intelligent machines should target high value functions such as fettling, die-finishing, deburring, and fixtureless manufacturing. For achieving this goal, past work has concentrated on force control algorithms at the system level with limited focus on performance expansion at the actuator level. We present a comprehensive literature review on robot force control, including algorithms, specialized actuators, and robot control software. A robot force control testbed was developed using Schunk's PowerCube 6-DOF Arm and a six-axis ATI force/torque sensor. Using parameter identification experiments, manipulator module inertias and the motor torque constant were estimated. Experiments were conducted to study the practical issues involved in implementing stable contact transitions and programmable endpoint impedance. Applications to human augmentation, virtual fixtures, and teleoperation are discussed. These experiments are used as a vehicle to understand the performance improvement achievable at the actuator level. The approach at UTRRG has been to maximize the choices within the actuator to enhance its intelligence. Drawing on this 20-year research history in electromechanical actuator architecture, we propose a new concept that mixes two inputs, distinct in their velocity ratios, within the same dual actuator called a Force/Motion Actuator (FMA). Detailed kinematic and dynamic models of this dual actuator are developed. The actuator performance is evaluated using simulations with an output velocity specification and resolving input trajectories using a minimum-norm solution. It is shown that a design choice of 14:1 motion scaling between the two inputs results in good sensitivity to output force disturbances without compromising velocity tracking performance.
Assistive robotic device: evaluation of intelligent algorithms
Université Laval(拉瓦尔大学);Centre for interdisciplinary research in rehabilitation and social integration, CIUSSS de la Capitale-National(首都国家综合卫生与社会服务中心 康复与社会融合跨学科研究中心);Centre for interdisciplinary research in rehabilitation of Greater Montreal, Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de Laval(拉瓦尔综合卫生与社会服务中心 大蒙特利尔康复跨学科研究中心);McGill University(麦吉尔大学)
MORPH Wheel: A Passive Variable-Radius Wheel Embedding Mechanical Behavior Logic for Input-Responsive Transformation
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology(土木与环境工程系,韩国科学技术院);Department of Aerospace Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology(航空航天工程系,韩国科学技术院)
Magnetic Tactile-Driven Soft Actuator for Intelligent Grasping and Firmness Evaluation
Soft BioRobotics Perception Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT)(软生物机器人感知实验室,意大利技术研究院);The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA)(生物机器人研究所,圣安娜高等学院);Department of Haptic Intelligence, CVTE Guangzhou Shiyuan Electronics Co., Ltd(触觉智能部门,广州世渊电子有限公司);Università degli Studi di Genova (UniGe)(热那亚大学)