Article
Ergonomics
Jennifer M. Lincoln, K. C. Elliott
Summary: Various factors are driving the development of robotics and automation in the agriculture industry, providing occupational safety and health researchers an opportunity to mitigate risks and benefit agriculture workers' health and safety.
JOURNAL OF SAFETY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Jingjing Wan, Lechen Sun, Tianhao Du
Summary: Compared with rigid robots, soft robots have the advantages of strong environmental adaptability, good human-robot interaction, and simple control systems. This study focuses on the development and application of three kinds of pneumatic soft actuators. The experimental testing and simulation show that these actuators have excellent performance, fast response, high stability, and large driving force. The research also designs a soft robot for pipe crawling and a soft robotic arm, demonstrating their potential in various industrial applications.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Amit Bhaya
Summary: Rio de Janeiro is a popular tourist destination and home to the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). The UFRJ's Graduate School of Engineering, specifically the Control, Automation, and Robotics (CAR) group in the Electrical Engineering Department, is known for its excellence in engineering research. The CAR group will host the 2025 IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, with Joao Carlos Basilio as general cochair.
IEEE CONTROL SYSTEMS MAGAZINE
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Ian de Medeiros Esper, Pal J. From, Alex Mason
Summary: Meat has long been a significant protein source for human nutrition, with an increasing consumption rate prompting the need for automation in abattoirs and meat factories. Various robotic systems have been developed for the meat industry, focusing on automating slaughterhouse processes, but further research is needed to improve the dexterity required for deboning and fine cuts. The implementation of new processing methods in slaughterhouses can lead to innovation and smarter systems, creating opportunities for smaller producers.
TRENDS IN FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Automation & Control Systems
Yao Guo, Weidong Chen, Jie Zhao, Guang-Zhong Yang
Summary: Medical robotics is rapidly evolving discipline that is driving innovation and development in healthcare. China has made significant progress in research and commercial developments in medical robotics in recent years, supported by funding from National Key Research and Development Programs.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF CONTROL ROBOTICS AND AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sairoel Amertet, Girma Gebresenbet, Hassan Mohammed Alwan, Kochneva Olga Vladmirovna
Summary: Smart mechatronics systems in agriculture have been developed since the mid-1980s for automated fruit harvesting. This study aims to review the current applications of smart mechatronics in agriculture, including modules and networks used in processing agricultural products. Limited use of sophisticated mechatronics in the agricultural industry has been found, despite the declining production rates and reliability of the global food supply. Smart mechatronics systems have the potential to address these issues in different agricultural enterprises.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Kerstin Thurow
Summary: Analytical measurement methods are used in various fields for production and quality control, diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and research applications. Automation is beneficial for increasing throughput and improving result quality, but its implementation is challenging in (bio)analytical laboratories due to the complexity of processes and sample matrices. Different automation strategies, such as liquid handler-based systems and systems with central robots, can be used depending on the process complexity. The development of collaborative robots presents opportunities for more flexible automation in the future.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Robotics
Amal Gunatilake, Sarath Kodagoda, Karthick Thiyagarajan
Summary: Condition assessment of underground infrastructures is important for aging cities. Robotic technologies have been used in pipe network assessment, but accurate localization remains a challenge. In this study, a novel UHF-RFID technology with dual antenna system and Gaussian process and Particle filter algorithms is proposed to achieve millimeter level localization accuracy. Experiments on a water pipe section validate the results.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Robotics
Marco Destefano, Hrishik Mishra, Alessandro M. Giordano, Roberto Lampariello, Christian Ott
Summary: This letter introduces a novel method for on-ground simulation of a space robotic mission using robotic hardware-in-the-loop facility. The approach enables simulating the motion of large satellites by replicating simulated dynamics defined with respect to a nominal motion. Stability of the method is analyzed and its effectiveness is demonstrated through experiments on capturing Envisat, a free-tumbling satellite and the largest space debris in Low-Earth-Orbit, using the OOS-Sim facility.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nataliya Nechyporenko, Antonio Morales, Enric Cervera, Angel P. del Pobil
Summary: Commercially viable automated picking in unstructured environments using a robot arm remains challenging, but this paper presents a practical solution using a novel approach called the centroid normal approach (CNA) with a cost-effective dual-arm robotic system. By matching objects identified in the scene point cloud to grasping techniques and grippers, success rates are maximized, providing valuable insights into reasons for success and failure in the process.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
S. Jimenez, D. Bookless, R. Nath, W. J. Leong, J. Kotaniemi, P. Tikka
Summary: Future fusion power plants need to minimize maintenance shutdowns, leading to the exploration of automated maintenance as a solution. The European DEMO project is researching automated maintenance feasibility to meet availability targets.
FUSION ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Alessandro Fascetti, Pierre Latteur, Shen Hin Lim
Summary: This manuscript presents an automated robotic system for the deployment of block-based structures, utilizing a universal building component called droxel. The paper describes the design of mechanical components, experimental setup, software tools, and presents results of experiments on various structures constructed by a robotic arm. The stability of the structures under construction and capability of deploying full scale versions of different structural systems are discussed, along with conclusions and recommendations.
AUTOMATION IN CONSTRUCTION
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Chen Ouyang, Emiko Hatsugai, Ikuko Shimizu
Summary: This paper presents an automatic tomato disease monitoring system that uses a modular and extendable mobile robot to monitor and locate diseased tomatoes. The system consists of a robot and a server running a disease detection program. The robot collects image data and the server detects diseases using a two-level detection model. Experimental results show that the system has a low rate of false positives and false negatives and is an effective and deployable approach.
Article
Biology
Richard D. Smith, Ilya Kolb, Shinsuke Tanaka, Albert K. Lee, Timothy D. Harris, Mladen Barbic
Summary: This study presents a remote-controlled micropositioning approach using phase-change material-filled resistive heater micro-grippers for precise positioning of multiple probes. The technology enables micrometer-precision independent positioning of arbitrarily shaped probes and has significant implications for multi-probe applications in neuroscience and other fields.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Eider Aldalur, Alfredo Suarez, David Curiel, Fernando Veiga, Pedro Villanueva
Summary: The automation of welding processes using automated systems and equipment offers numerous advantages in the industry and is an important aspect in meeting customer requirements. By automating the welding process using sensors and control algorithms, the quality of the parts can be ensured and errors can be prevented.
