Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Stein Crispel, Pablo Lopez Garcia, Anand Varadharajan, Amin Khorasani, Elias Saerens, Dirk Lefeber, Tom Verstraten
Summary: The electrification of mobile applications has increased the need for carrying batteries, but low-efficient actuators limit the range and performance of such devices. To address this challenge, parallel and series elastic actuators have been adopted to increase safety and energy efficiency.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2023)
Article
Robotics
Vishnu Dev Amara, Jorn Malzahn, Wesley Roozing, Nikos Tsagarakis
Summary: This study explores and validates two methods for enhancing the explosive motion capabilities of series elastic actuated robots during standing jumps. By combining field weakening control and energy-efficient parallel elastic actuators, a significant performance increase of up to 54% in jump height is achieved, demonstrating the effectiveness of the approach in improving the explosive capabilities of these robots.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Robotics
Andrea Calanca, Tom Verstraten
Summary: This paper proposes an analytical approach to characterize the energetic advantages of elastic actuators, focusing on the energy consumption during resonant motion. A novel efficiency index is introduced to generalize the energy consumption based on inherent actuator parameters. The analysis is validated through simulations and experiments, showing consistency with analytical results.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Atsushi Kakogawa, Taihei Kawabata, Shugen Ma
Summary: The study proposes a design methodology for improving the movement efficiency of planar snake robots using a plate-springed parallel elastic actuator (PSPEA). By designing the appropriate plate spring stiffness, verifying through testing, and obtaining optimal stiffness combinations through simulation, it was demonstrated that the proposed PSPEA can improve energy efficiency by up to 50% in experiments.
IEEE-ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS
(2021)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Jiyuan Song, Aibin Zhu, Yao Tu, Xiaodong Zhang, Guangzhong Cao
Summary: This research introduces a novel crank-slider series elastic actuator (CS-SEA) for lower-limb exoskeleton joint module. Compared to traditional designs, it has better torque effect and transparency. The precise force control performance is verified through experiments, and it is successfully applied in a knee exoskeleton prototype.
IEEE-ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Guillaume Giombini, Joachim Mathiesen, Christophe D'Angelo, Mederic Argentina, Christophe Raufaste, Franck Celestini
Summary: Elasticity can be used to accelerate objects and improve mechanical energy transfer efficiency by tuning the properties of elastic elements. Adding a soft layer matched to the ejection frequency of a rigid projectile can significantly enhance throwing efficiency.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Ruizhou Wang, Heng Wu
Summary: This paper proposes a new nanopositioning stage using PEAs and CPMs with multiple spatial DOFs. The mechanism design includes a 6-RRRR CPM with a two-in-one structure for fabrication feasibility. Finite-element modeling approaches and simulations validate the mechanical performance, while experiments verify the kinematics of the proposed NPS.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Hamed Toubar, Mohammad I. Awad, Mohamed N. Boushaki, Zhenwei Niu, Kinda Khalaf, Irfan Hussain
Summary: This paper presents a new Clutched Elastic Actuator (CEA) called SEADAS, which allows for discrete adjustment of stiffness. The paper discusses the working principle, design and development, as well as control methods for accurate and adaptive joint position control.
Article
Robotics
Chase W. Mathews, David J. Braun
Summary: This article introduces a parallel variable stiffness actuator (PVSA) consisting of a direct-drive motor connected in parallel to a variable stiffness spring. PVSA amplifies the torque and power of the motor over a range of oscillation frequencies while retaining torque control characteristics. The compact design is suitable for mobile robots and wearable devices.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ROBOTICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Bernhard Penzlin, Lukas Bergmann, Yinbo Li, Linhong Ji, Steffen Leonhardt, Chuong Ngo
Summary: The study focused on the lower limb exoskeleton providing support for the knee and hip, with parallel elastic actuators improving energy efficiency during gait. The experiments showed that compliant actuation of the hip in gait trials was more effective, reducing peak torque by up to 31% and RMS power by up to 36%.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Emre Sariyildiz, Rahim Mutlu, Jon Roberts, Chin-Hsing Kuo, Barkan Ugurlu
Summary: This article presents the design and control of a new variable stiffness series elastic actuator (VSSEA). By employing a modular mechanical design approach, the stiffness modulation characteristics and power density of the actuator are effectively optimized. The proposed VSSEA features a wide range of stiffness modulation, low-energy-cost modulation, compact design, high torque density, and high-speed modulation. These features can enhance the safety and performance of advanced robotic systems and enable various control tasks without the need for complex motion control systems.
IEEE-ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS
(2023)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Andrea Calanca, Enrico Sartori, Bogdan Maris
Summary: This paper analyzes the challenges of lightweight series elastic systems in force control applications and proposes a control methodology to enhance the performance robustness of existing disturbance observers. The approach is experimentally validated and successfully compared to basic control solutions and state of the art DOB approaches.
ROBOTICS AND AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Tangbin Xia, Guojin Si, Guo Shi, Kaigan Zhang, Lifeng Xi
Summary: This paper investigates the application of an energy-oriented selective maintenance policy in manufacturing systems. By building system energy efficiency and optimization models, the most suitable maintenance actions during each break can be found under limited resources, leading to improved energy efficiency.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Alexandra Velasco Vivas, Antonello Cherubini, Manolo Garabini, Paolo Salaris, Antonio Bicchi
Summary: This article focuses on reducing the energy consumption of compliant electro-mechanical systems in robotics. By deriving performance indices and proposing a method to determine the optimal compliant actuation parameters and link trajectories, the energy consumption can be minimized. Simulations and experimental validations on a two-link compliant manipulator platform show that using compliant actuators and optimizing their parameters can lead to a 62% energy saving compared to rigid actuation. Additionally, simultaneous optimization of compliant parameters and link trajectories provides an additional 20% energy saving.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SYSTEMS MAN CYBERNETICS-SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Omid Mohseni, Majid Abedinzadeh Shahri, Ayoob Davoodi, Majid Nili Ahmadabadi
Summary: The paper introduces a parallel compliance adaptation method for systems with rotary motion mechanisms to achieve energy efficiency. By designing a variable parallel elastic actuator and proposing two design approaches, stiffness adjustment is achieved to demonstrate stability and efficiency in increasing energy efficiency.
ROBOTICS AND AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Industrial
Sander De Bock, Toon Ampe, Marco Rossini, Bruno Tassignon, Dirk Lefeber, Carlos Rodriguez-Guerrero, Bart Roelands, Joost Geeroms, Romain Meeusen, Kevin De Pauw
Summary: Physical fatigue affects task performance during overhead work, but the support provided by the occupational passive shoulder exoskeleton (PSE) can mitigate changes in shoulder joint kinematics and muscle activity, reducing the negative effects of fatigue.
APPLIED ERGONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Dianbiao Dong, Chi Ma, Miao Wang, Huong Thi Vu, Bram Vanderborght, Yuanxi Sun
Summary: This paper proposes a recognition system framework based on multi-source information fusion for the recognition of human gait patterns and phases. The framework utilizes multi-channel low-cost sensors to obtain human motion information and processes the raw signals into a valid recognition vector. The experimental results show that the proposed framework achieves high recognition accuracy for gait phases and patterns, proving its effectiveness.
ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Julie Legrand, Ellen Roels, Bram Vanderborght
Summary: To simplify the integration of soft tactile sensors, a new type of soft tactile array sensor is proposed, featuring sensitive keys made of different self-healing Diels-Alder (DA) conductive polymers. The optimization of key positions in the sensor array maximizes accuracy in detecting pressed key positions while minimizing the number of required wires. The use of reversible covalent bonds in the DA polymers allows for reconfiguration of the keys, enabling tailored tactile sensors for different applications.
IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Ivan Raguz, Michael Berer, Mathias Fleisch, Clemens Holzer, Joost Brancart, Bram Vanderborght, Sandra Schloegl
Summary: This paper presents a soft dielectric actuator fully produced by fused filament fabrication, which offers the potential for the production of personalized dielectric actuators. The 3D printed prototypes are characterized in terms of the maximum displacement depending on the electrode printing direction. A soft dielectric gripper made of two 3D printed actuators, achieving a maximum displacement of 42%, is developed as a showcase example.
POLYMERS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Aleix Costa Cornella, Seyedreza Kashef Tabrizian, Pasquale Ferrentino, Ellen Roels, Bram Vanderborght, Seppe Terryn, Guy Van Assche, Joost Brancart
Summary: Self-healing polymers improve sustainability by recovering their properties, and can be recycled. However, there are still sustainability issues, including the use of fossil-derived materials and hazardous chemicals.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mohsen Omidi, Greet van de Perre, Roshan Kumar Hota, Hoang-Long Cao, Jelle Saldien, Bram Vanderborght, Ilias El Makrini
Summary: In this work, a method using the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is proposed to optimize human posture during human-robot collaboration. The robot's end-effector is positioned to minimize the distance between the optimized human posture and their current posture. A user study in a virtual reality environment validates the effectiveness of the proposed method, showing a 66% improvement in ergonomics.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Arnau Dillen, Fakhreddine Ghaffari, Olivier Romain, Bram Vanderborght, Uros Marusic, Sidney Grospretre, Ann Nowe, Romain Meeusen, Kevin De Pauw
Summary: Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can enable individuals to interact with devices based on their brain activity. However, the high costs associated with research-grade electroencephalogram (EEG) acquisition devices make them impractical for everyday use. This study demonstrates that decoding movement intention from a limited number of sensors is feasible, opening up the possibility of using commercial sensor devices for BCI control.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2023)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Tom Verstraten, Md Sazzad Hosen, Maitane Berecibar, Bram Vanderborght
Summary: Untethered robots rely on battery packs for power supply, and this paper proposes criteria to evaluate the suitability of different battery technologies for robotic applications. It evaluates and compares the capabilities of relevant battery technologies, discusses current limitations and new technological developments, and highlights opportunities for interdisciplinary research between battery technology and robotics.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Huaijin Chen, Kevin Langlois, Joost Brancart, Ellen Roels, Tom Verstraten, Bram Vanderborght
Summary: A sensorized physical human-robot interface was proposed based on electrical impedance tomography (EIT), allowing continuous pressure measurement over a large area for wearable robots. The reconstruction method using convolutional neural network-enhanced Tikhonov regularization achieved accurate localization and size estimation of compressed areas, as well as distinguishing multiple compressed areas. The experimental results validated the suitability of the EIT pressure sensor for physical interfaces.
IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Cybernetics
Shirley A. Elprama, Sander De Bock, Romain Meeusen, Kevin De Pauw, Bram Vanderborght, An Jacobs
Summary: Occupational exoskeletons are not widely used at work, and previous research has identified several factors that contribute to this lack of adoption. However, there is a lack of specific requirements for improving exoskeletons. This research aimed to formulate concrete requirements for the design and implementation of exoskeletons, based on input from multiple stakeholders. The findings indicate that potential future users of exoskeletons believe that improvements should be made to enhance comfort and flexibility. The study has formulated 49 requirements and validated and extended an existing framework for occupational exoskeletons, with the aim of encouraging improved design.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Ali Safaei, Joost Brancart, Zhanwei Wang, Sogol Yazdani, Bram Vanderborght, Guy Van Assche, Seppe Terryn
Summary: By adjusting the off-stoichiometric ratio of maleimide-to-furan in the polymer network, we demonstrate the ability of Diels-Alder polymers to heal macroscopic damages at room temperature and restore their mechanical properties within a few hours. Immediate partial recovery is observed mere minutes after reuniting the fractured surfaces. The influence of crosslink density on self-healing and material performance was investigated through an extensive study of seven different Diels-Alder polymers.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Huijiang Wang, Seppe Terryn, Zhanwei Wang, Guy Van Assche, Fumiya Iida, Bram Vanderborght
Summary: Flexible, soft materials are increasingly used for the fabrication of soft robots, as the inherent compliance and shock-absorbance protect the robot from mechanical impact. Soft universal grippers take full advantage of this adaptability, facilitating effective and safe grasping of various objects. However, due to their predominantly soft material composition, these grippers have limited lifetimes, especially when operating in unstructured and unfamiliar environments. The self-healing universal gripper (SHUG) is proposed, which can grasp various objects and recover from substantial realistic damages autonomously.
ADVANCED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Zhanwei Wang, Seppe Terryn, Huijiang Wang, Julie Legrand, Ali Safaei, Joost Brancart, Guy Van Assche, Bram Vanderborght
Summary: In this article, a comprehensive approach to address the environmental impact of energy waste in vacuum grippers is presented. The approach involves the development of a self-closing, multi-material, and self-healing system based on reversible elastomers. The system effectively prevents energy waste, achieves versatility and stability, and enables self-repair within a short period of time.
ADVANCED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Greet van de Perre, Thierry Hubert, Tom Verstraten, Bram Vanderborght
Summary: One of the main restrictions of commercial cobots is their limited payload to mass ratios. This paper investigates the potential benefits of using flexible links in collaborative robotics. The study explores the theoretical potential of flexible links to increase the payload to mass ratio and proposes a control strategy based on strain measurements to counteract the undesired side effects of flexible designs.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Yentl Joos, Peter Sergeant, Hendrik Vansompel, Tom Verstraten
Summary: Powered prosthesis actuation is a challenging field that requires high energy efficiency and low mass. Combining high torque at low speed and low torque at high speed in a single electric motor is difficult. One possible solution is to use an oversized direct-drive motor, but this results in a heavy and inefficient system. A common practice is to combine a smaller electric motor with a gear reduction system. In this study, we compare multiple electrical actuation systems with different motor-gearbox combinations, and a double-stator, single-rotor electric motor with a gearbox shows the most promising overall performance.
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Antonella Castellano, Pietro Stano, Umberto Montanaro, Marco Cammalleri, Aldo Sorniotti
Summary: This paper proposes a new control strategy for hybrid electric vehicles, called Model Predictive Control (MPC), and considers the losses in transmission gears. Through a case study on Chevrolet Volt, the results show that the simplified internal model has a minor impact on fuel consumption performance.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Rui Peng, Gregory S. Chirikjian
Summary: This article introduces a method of designing morphable thick-panel origami structures using reconfigurable linkages, which improves the potential of origami techniques for different tasks and solves the limitations of one-DOF and multiple-DOF folding structures.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Gaohan Zhu, Weizhong Guo, Yinghui Li, Youcheng Han
Summary: Comprehensive and accurate performance evaluation is crucial for profile synthesis and analysis of higher pair mechanisms. This paper proposes evaluation indices and methods for the transmission performance of planar higher pair mechanisms from different perspectives. It subdivides the transmission performance into element-based performance and joint-based performance and develops novel indices specific to higher pair mechanisms. A graphical mapping method based on element-based performance is also proposed for intuitive analysis. Practical examples validate the effectiveness of the proposed indices and methods for evaluating the performance of higher pair mechanisms.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Ke Wu, Gang Zheng, Guimin Chen, Shorya Awtar
Summary: Researchers proposed a new modeling method, namely Body-frame Beam Constraint Model (BBCM), to predict and optimize the design of high-precision compliant mechanisms (CMs).
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Youcheng Han, Weizhong Guo, Changjie Zhao, Ziyue Li, Ze Fu, Yinghui Li
Summary: This study proposes a structural synthesis methodology that considers motion, force, and energy characteristics simultaneously to design efficient mechanisms.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Cristian Enrico Capalbo, Daniel De Gregoriis, Tommaso Tamarozzi, Giuseppe Carbone, Domenico Mundo
Summary: This study proposes a novel flexible multibody formulation that enables efficient updating of models while maintaining small size and high accuracy. Numerical validation demonstrates its wide applicability across various materials and mechanisms, showing promising results in terms of accuracy.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Weihao Zhao, Junbei Liao, Wei Qian, Haoyong Yu, Zhao Guo
Summary: This paper presents a newly designed compliant actuator using a tensile springs array to address the challenges in achieving linear and consistent elastic properties, low friction, minor hysteresis, and good compliance in series elastic actuators (SEA). The unique geometry of the spring array enables the SEA to have consistent rotary stiffness with minimal friction and hysteresis. The device's performance is evaluated using PID and sliding mode control, demonstrating its constant low rotary stiffness and torque tracking bandwidth, making it suitable for human-robot interaction requirements.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Mohui Jin, Yukang Luo, Xing Xu, Bowei Xie, Weisheng Wang, Zewei Li, Zhou Yang
Summary: This paper presents a method for evaluating the contact interaction between compliant mechanisms and external objects. By establishing a numerical model and introducing contact springs to describe the contact forces, the deformation and normal contact force/stress can be accurately calculated. The static equilibrium configuration and contact force/stress can be obtained by minimizing the total potential energy function of the system.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Alejandro G. Gallardo, Martin A. Pucheta
Summary: This paper presents a method for the synthesis of parallel flexure systems using Screw Theory and Linear Algebra. The method is validated through three case studies and offers a simple and precise design with decoupled actuators.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Xiao Wang, Chenglin Liu, Haoxiang Sun, Hanwen Song
Summary: This paper presents a new decomposition mode for robot-world calibration, which decomposes the Ad(SE(3)) equation using Chasles' motion. A two-step method based on point set matching is proposed. The superiority of this method is verified through simulations and experiments.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Yanlin Chen, Xianmin Zhang, Yanjiang Huang, Yanbin Wu, Jun Ota
Summary: This study establishes an error model for a 3-RRR+UR spherical parallel mechanism and analyzes the sensitivity of error parameters. A design structure is proposed to reduce input errors based on the analysis. Experimental results show that the multiloop circuit incremental method provides more accurate results.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Vu Linh Nguyen, Chin-Hsing Kuo, Po Ting Lin
Summary: This paper presents a method for analyzing the performance of gravity-balanced serial robotic manipulators under dynamic loads and uses a three-degree-of-freedom planar serial manipulator as a case study. The significance of this method is demonstrated by evaluating the impact of dynamic loads on gravity-balanced performance and proposing a step-by-step design procedure to improve it.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Shifeng Rong, Jiange Zhang, Xing Zhang, Keliang Li, Kaibin Rong, Zhenyu Zhou, Han Ding
Summary: This article proposes a data-driven dry cutting tool collaborative optimization model to improve the economic and environmental attributes of facehobbing hypoid gears. An innovative ease-off tooth contact analysis method is introduced to establish accurate relations between ease-off flank and loaded contact performance evaluations. The proposed model significantly improves sustainability in terms of economic and environmental assessments.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Kemal Eren, Soley Ersoy, Ettore Pennestri
Summary: This research investigates the instantaneous kinematics of the terminal link of a planar two-link open chain using the complex-number technique and higher-order instantaneous invariants.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Bo Han, Zhantu Yuan, Jiachuan Zhang, Yundou Xu, Jiantao Yao, Yongsheng Zhao
Summary: This paper proposes novel deployable mechanism units with self-limiting position function, and constructs ring truss deployable mechanisms. The degrees of freedom (DOF) of deployable units are analyzed and it is proved that the constructed ring truss deployable mechanisms have only one DOF. The dynamic model of the deployable mechanism unit with passive actuation is established and verified by simulation. The deployable mechanism units proposed in this paper have the advantages of good scalability and stability, and have broad application prospects.
MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY
(2024)
