Download or read book Soft Material Robotics written by Liyu Wang and published by . This book was released on 2017-04-12 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduces the fundamentals aspects of the topic from history, modelling, control, and system integration. The last decade has witnessed an increasing interest in the more active use of soft materials in robotic systems. Having a soft body like the ones in biological systems can potentially provide a robot with superior capabilities.

Download or read book Soft Robotics written by Alexander Verl and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-03-13 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The research areas as well as the knowledge gained for the practical use of robots are growing and expanding beyond manufacturing and industrial automation, making inroads in sectors such as health care and terrain sensing, as well as general assistive systems working in close interaction with humans. In a situation like this, it is necessary for future robot systems to become less stiff and more specialized by taking inspiration from the mechanical compliance and versatility found in natural materials and organisms. At present, a new discipline is emerging in this area, called »Soft Robotics«. It particularly challenges the traditional thinking of engineers, as the confluence of technologies, ranging from new materials, sensors, actuators and production techniques to new design tools, will make it possible to create new systems whose structures are almost completely made of soft materials, which bring about entirely new functions and behaviors, similar in many ways to natural systems. These Proceedings focus on four main topics: • Soft Actuators and Control • Soft Interactions • Soft Robot Assistants: Potential and Challenges • Human-centered »Soft Robotics«.

Download or read book Biologically Inspired Robotics written by Yunhui Liu and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2011-12-21 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Robotic engineering inspired by biology—biomimetics—has many potential applications: robot snakes can be used for rescue operations in disasters, snake-like endoscopes can be used in medical diagnosis, and artificial muscles can replace damaged muscles to recover the motor functions of human limbs. Conversely, the application of robotics technology to our understanding of biological systems and behaviors—biorobotic modeling and analysis—provides unique research opportunities: robotic manipulation technology with optical tweezers can be used to study the cell mechanics of human red blood cells, a surface electromyography sensing system can help us identify the relation between muscle forces and hand movements, and mathematical models of brain circuitry may help us understand how the cerebellum achieves movement control. Biologically Inspired Robotics contains cutting-edge material—considerably expanded and with additional analysis—from the 2009 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO). These 16 chapters cover both biomimetics and biorobotic modeling/analysis, taking readers through an exploration of biologically inspired robot design and control, micro/nano bio-robotic systems, biological measurement and actuation, and applications of robotics technology to biological problems. Contributors examine a wide range of topics, including: A method for controlling the motion of a robotic snake The design of a bionic fitness cycle inspired by the jaguar The use of autonomous robotic fish to detect pollution A noninvasive brain-activity scanning method using a hybrid sensor A rehabilitation system for recovering motor function in human hands after injury Human-like robotic eye and head movements in human–machine interactions A state-of-the-art resource for graduate students and researchers in the fields of control engineering, robotics, and biomedical engineering, this text helps readers understand the technology and principles in this emerging field.

Download or read book What is Life written by Addy Pross and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2012-09-27 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seventy years ago, Erwin Schrödinger posed a profound question: 'What is life, and how did it emerge from non-life?' This problem has puzzled biologists and physical scientists ever since. Living things are hugely complex and have unique properties, such as self-maintenance and apparently purposeful behaviour which we do not see in inert matter. So how does chemistry give rise to biology? What could have led the first replicating molecules up such a path? Now, developments in the emerging field of 'systems chemistry' are unlocking the problem. Addy Pross shows how the different kind of stability that operates among replicating molecules results in a tendency for chemical systems to become more complex and acquire the properties of life. Strikingly, he demonstrates that Darwinian evolution is the biological expression of a deeper, well-defined chemical concept: the whole story from replicating molecules to complex life is one continuous process governed by an underlying physical principle. The gulf between biology and the physical sciences is finally becoming bridged. This new edition includes an Epilogue describing developments in the concepts of fundamental forms of stability discussed in the book, and their profound implications. Oxford Landmark Science books are 'must-read' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas, and shaped the way we think.

Download or read book Electroactivity in Polymeric Materials written by Lenore Rasmussen and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-03-02 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Electroactivity in Polymeric Materials provides an in-depth view of the theory of electroactivity and explores exactly how and why various electroactive phenomena occur. The book explains the theory behind electroactive bending (including ion-polymer-metal-composites –IPMCs), dielectric elastomers, electroactive contraction, and electroactive contraction-expansion cycles. The book also balances theory with applications – how electroactivity can be used – drawing inspiration from the manmade mechanical world and the natural world around us.

Download or read book Soft and Stiffness controllable Robotics Solutions for Minimally Invasive Surgery The STIFF FLOP Approach written by Konstantinova, Jelizaveta and published by River Publishers. This book was released on 2018-06-07 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soft and Stiffness-controllable Robotics Solutions for Minimally Invasive Surgery presents the results of a research project, funded by European Commission, STIFF-FLOP: STIFFness controllable Flexible and Learn-able manipulator for surgical Operations. In Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS), tools go through narrow openings and manipulate soft organs that can move, deform, or change stiffness. There are limitations on modern laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgical systems due to restricted access through Trocar ports, lack of haptic feedback, and difficulties with rigid robot tools operating inside a confined space filled with organs. Also, many control algorithms suffer from stability problems in the presence of unexpected conditions. Yet biological “manipulators”, like the octopus arm can manipulate objects while controlling the stiffness of selected body parts and being inherently compliant when interacting with objects. STIFF-FLOP robot is an innovative soft robotic arm that can squeeze through a standard MIS, reconfigure itself and stiffen by hydrostatic actuation to perform compliant force control tasks while facing unexpected situations. Technical topics discussed in the book include: Soft actuatorsContinuum soft manipulatorsControl, kinematics and navigation of continuum manipulatorsOptical sensors for force, torque, and curvatureHaptic feedback and human interface for surgical systemsValidation of soft stiffness controllable robots

Download or read book Biology of Behaviour written by D. M. Broom and published by . This book was released on 1981-10-30 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an introduction to studies of the behaviour of a wide variety of animals including man, farm animals and pest species.

Download or read book Theoretical Microfluidics written by Henrik Bruus and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2007-09-27 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Microfluidics is a young and rapidly expanding scientific discipline, which deals with fluids and solutions in miniaturized systems, the so-called lab-on-a-chip systems. It has applications in chemical engineering, pharmaceutics, biotechnology and medicine. As the lab-on-a-chip systems grow in complexity, a proper theoretical understanding becomes increasingly important. The basic idea of the book is to provide a self-contained formulation of the theoretical framework of microfluidics, and at the same time give physical motivation and examples from lab-on-a-chip technology. After three chapters introducing microfluidics, the governing equations for mass, momentum and energy, and some basic flow solutions, the following 14 chapters treat hydraulic resistance/compliance, diffusion/dispersion, time-dependent flow, capillarity, electro- and magneto-hydrodynamics, thermal transport, two-phase flow, complex flow patterns and acousto-fluidics, as well as the new fields of opto- and nano-fluidics. Throughout the book simple models with analytical solutions are presented to provide the student with a thorough physical understanding of order of magnitudes and various selected microfluidic phenomena and devices. The book grew out of a set of well-tested lecture notes. It is with its many pedagogical exercises designed as a textbook for an advanced undergraduate or first-year graduate course. It is also well suited for self-study.

Download or read book How the Body Shapes the Way We Think written by Rolf Pfeifer and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2006-10-27 with total page 419 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exploration of embodied intelligence and its implications points toward a theory of intelligence in general; with case studies of intelligent systems in ubiquitous computing, business and management, human memory, and robotics. How could the body influence our thinking when it seems obvious that the brain controls the body? In How the Body Shapes the Way We Think, Rolf Pfeifer and Josh Bongard demonstrate that thought is not independent of the body but is tightly constrained, and at the same time enabled, by it. They argue that the kinds of thoughts we are capable of have their foundation in our embodiment—in our morphology and the material properties of our bodies. This crucial notion of embodiment underlies fundamental changes in the field of artificial intelligence over the past two decades, and Pfeifer and Bongard use the basic methodology of artificial intelligence—"understanding by building"—to describe their insights. If we understand how to design and build intelligent systems, they reason, we will better understand intelligence in general. In accessible, nontechnical language, and using many examples, they introduce the basic concepts by building on recent developments in robotics, biology, neuroscience, and psychology to outline a possible theory of intelligence. They illustrate applications of such a theory in ubiquitous computing, business and management, and the psychology of human memory. Embodied intelligence, as described by Pfeifer and Bongard, has important implications for our understanding of both natural and artificial intelligence.

Download or read book Experimental Robotics written by Oussama Khatib and published by Springer. This book was released on 2008-01-30 with total page 563 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The International Symposium on Experimental Robotics (ISER) is a series of bi-annual meetings which are organized in a rotating fashion around North America, Europe and Asia/Oceania. The goal of ISER is to provide a forum for research in robotics that focuses on the novelty of theoretical contributions validated by experimental results. This unique reference presents the latest advances in robotics, with ideas that are conceived conceptually and have been explored experimentally.

Download or read book Electroactive Polymers for Robotic Applications written by Kwang J. Kim and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-01-17 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book covers the fundamental properties, modeling, and demonstration of Electroactive polymers in robotic applications. It particularly details artificial muscles and sensors. In addition, the book discusses the properties and uses in robotics applications of ionic polymer–metal composite actuators and dielectric elastomers.

Download or read book Developing Support Technologies written by Athanasios Karafillidis and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-10-30 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book shows the advantages of using different perspectives and scientific backgrounds for developing support technologies that are integrated into daily life. It highlights the interaction between people and technology as a key factor for achieving this integration and discusses relevant methods, concepts, technologies, and applications suitable for interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration. The relationship between humans and technology has become much more inclusive and interdependent. This generates a number of technical, ethical, social, and practical issues. By gathering contributions from scholars from heterogeneous research fields, such as biomechanics, various branches of engineering, the social sciences, information science, psychology, and philosophy, this book is intended to provide answers to the main questions arising when support technologies such as assistance systems, wearable devices, augmented reality, and/or robot-based systems are constructed, implemented, interfaced and/or evaluated across different application contexts.

Download or read book Micro Nanorobots in Nanobiotechnology written by Fengtong Ji and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2024-07-18 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Micro/nanorobots have emerged as functional agents and versatile tools for investigating the complex microenvironments within biological systems. Operating at a scale comparable to cells, these micro/nanorobots offer controllable motion and customizable characteristics, whilst swarming micro/nanorobots exhibit exceptional efficiency, robustness, and adaptivity. As a result, these active particles hold significant potential for interacting with living cells, diseased tissues, and organs, offering viable approaches to uncovering natural principles of development and addressing diseases such as drug-tolerant infections and bacterial self-organization. To tackle these challenges, functionalized micro/nanorobots, through active intervention, can yield substantial effects on the development and treatment of cellular environments, bacterial biofilms, and tissue restoration. In this regard, we are organizing a special issue to delineate the current state of the art of micro/nanorobots in biological contexts and to advance therapeutics by elucidating the underlying mechanisms in living systems. In the contemporary era of advancing nanomedicine, the utilization of micro/nanorobots in clinical therapy is still in its nascent stages within the realm of modern healthcare. Biomedical and biological environments hold immense promise as platforms for these active agents, showcasing remarkable functionalities and efficacy in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo. Micro/nanorobots have the capacity to emulate the behaviors of living cells, particularly bacteria, which play a crucial role in microbial infections, thus impacting public health and medical devices. These active agents possess the potential to overcome biological barriers and enable targeted therapies for various healthcare issues, including the prevention and treatment of diseased tissues and biofilms, which will significantly enhance the minimally invasive operations and remote treatments for the next-generation human healthcare system. The objectives of this research topic are threefold: (1) to investigate the novel functionalities of micro/nanorobots in biological contexts, (2) to unravel the underlying principles of cell, tissue, and organ development, and (3) to innovate active therapeutic approaches for addressing diseased tissues and microbial biofilms

Download or read book Robot Fish written by Ruxu Du and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-05-06 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a comprehensive coverage on robot fish including design, modeling and optimization, control, autonomous control and applications. It gathers contributions by the leading researchers in the area. Readers will find the book very useful for designing and building robot fish, not only in theory but also in practice. Moreover, the book discusses various important issues for future research and development, including design methodology, control methodology, and autonomous control strategy. This book is intended for researchers and graduate students in the fields of robotics, ocean engineering and related areas.

Download or read book Flexures written by Stuart T. Smith and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2000-08-08 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents some basic flexure geometries and the analytic models, which can be assessed for specific design applications. The author then goes beyond this fundamental explanation to explore more sophisticated issues. Specifically, the text discusses integration of these flexure geometries and analytic models to produce useful mechanisms for precise motion control with fast dynamic response. This book will be useful for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, particularly those who hope to acquire competence in experimental and mechanical sciences. Practicing engineers and other scientists currently working in related fields will also benefit from Flexure.

Download or read book Wearable Robots written by José L. Pons and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2008-04-15 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wearable robot is a mechatronic system that is designed around the shape and function of the human body, with segments and joints corresponding to those of the person it is externally coupled with. Teleoperation and power amplification were the first applications, but after recent technological advances the range of application fields has widened. Increasing recognition from the scientific community means that this technology is now employed in telemanipulation, man-amplification, neuromotor control research and rehabilitation, and to assist with impaired human motor control. Logical in structure and original in its global orientation, this volume gives a full overview of wearable robotics, providing the reader with a complete understanding of the key applications and technologies suitable for its development. The main topics are demonstrated through two detailed case studies; one on a lower limb active orthosis for a human leg, and one on a wearable robot that suppresses upper limb tremor. These examples highlight the difficulties and potentialities in this area of technology, illustrating how design decisions should be made based on these. As well as discussing the cognitive interaction between human and robot, this comprehensive text also covers: the mechanics of the wearable robot and it’s biomechanical interaction with the user, including state-of-the-art technologies that enable sensory and motor interaction between human (biological) and wearable artificial (mechatronic) systems; the basis for bioinspiration and biomimetism, general rules for the development of biologically-inspired designs, and how these could serve recursively as biological models to explain biological systems; the study on the development of networks for wearable robotics. Wearable Robotics: Biomechatronic Exoskeletons will appeal to lecturers, senior undergraduate students, postgraduates and other researchers of medical, electrical and bio engineering who are interested in the area of assistive robotics. Active system developers in this sector of the engineering industry will also find it an informative and welcome resource.

Download or read book Soft Actuators written by Kinji Asaka and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-08-28 with total page 722 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the second edition of Soft Actuators, originally published in 2014, with 12 chapters added to the first edition. The subject of this new edition is current comprehensive research and development of soft actuators, covering interdisciplinary study of materials science, mechanics, electronics, robotics, and bioscience. The book includes contemporary research of actuators based on biomaterials for their potential in future artificial muscle technology. Readers will find detailed and useful information about materials, methods of synthesis, fabrication, and measurements to study soft actuators. Additionally, the topics of materials, modeling, and applications not only promote the further research and development of soft actuators, but bring benefits for utilization and industrialization. This volume makes generous use of color figures, diagrams, and photographs that provide easy-to-understand descriptions of the mechanisms, apparatus, and motions of soft actuators. Also, in this second edition the chapters on modeling, materials design, and device design have been given a wider scope and made easier to comprehend, which will be helpful in practical applications of soft actuators. Readers of this work can acquire the newest technology and information about basic science and practical applications of flexible, lightweight, and noiseless soft actuators, which differ from conventional mechanical engines and electric motors. This new edition of Soft Actuators will inspire readers with fresh ideas and encourage their research and development, thus opening up a new field of applications for the utilization and industrialization of soft actuators.