15 accepted papers
This work describes the development, demonstration, and performance evaluation study of a wearable human machine interface for robotic teleoperation. We present a novel tetherless human machine interface in the form of a backpack, wearable 3D arm motion capture sensors, finger flexion sensors, and p…
This paper presents a free-swimming, tetherless, cable-driven modular soft robotic fish. The body comprises a series of 3D-printed wave spring structures that create a flexible biologically inspired shape that is capable of an anguilliform swimming gait. A three-module soft robotic fish was designed…
In this paper, we propose an adaptive eye-to-hand vision-based control methodology, which enables a closed-loop grow-to-shape capability for variable length continuum manipulators in 2D. Our method utilizes shape features of the continuum robot, i.e. module curvature and length, which are obtained f…
This paper introduces DRAGON: Deformable Robot for Agile Guided Observation and Navigation, a free-swimming deformable impeller-powered vectored underwater vehicle (VUV). A 3D-printed wave spring structure directs the water drawn through the center of the robot by an impeller, enabling it to move sm…
Robotic manipulation tasks rely on a plethora of environmental and payload information. One critical piece of information for accurate manipulation is the center of mass (CoM) of the object, which is essential for estimating the dynamic response of the system and determining the payload placement. T…
In this paper, we present a novel clothoid-based visual servoing method for controlling the shape of a variable length continuum manipulator. Clothoids are curves with linearly changing curvature. They allow us to obtain a smooth representation of a continuum manipulator's shape in a compact form wi…
The human hand serves as an inspiration for robotic grippers. However, the dimensions of the human hand evolved under a different set of constraints and requirements than that of robots today. This paper discusses a method of kinematically optimizing the design of an anthropomorphic robotic hand. We…
Robot teleoperation is a transformative field that can enable workers to safely perform tasks in dangerous environments. In this letter, we present our work towards a teleoperation system with safe, realistic force feedback for intuitive control of a robotic arm and anthropomorphic robotic hand as i
Snake robots offer a useful and unique mobility platform for search-and-rescue applications. However, existing prototypes made of rigid links and joints are hampered by a lack of flexibility that limits their utility in highly cluttered, maze-like environments, and their heavy weight limits their en
This paper presents an origami-inspired cable-driven continuum manipulator module that offers low-cost, low-volume deployment, light weight, and inherently safe human interaction and collaboration. Each module has a mass of around 110 g and integrates the actuation, sensing, and control sub-systems…
Manual palpation is commonly used to localize tumors and other features buried deep inside organs during open surgery. This approach is not feasible in minimally invasive or robotic surgery, as the contact with the tissue is mediated by instruments. To address this problem, we propose a soft robotic…
Soft robotics carries the promise of making robots as capable and adaptable as biological creatures, but this will not be possible without the ability to perform self-sensing and control with precision and repeatability. In this paper, we seek to address this need with the development of a new pneum
Soft pneumatic actuators can allow robotic manipulators to interact safely in complex environments in close proximity to humans, but work still needs to be done controlling them more effectively. We explore this area by introducing a 2-degree of freedom (DoF) universal joint module actuated by three
Soft pneumatic actuators provide many exciting properties, but controlling them without the use of bulky and expensive flow-control valves can be difficult and computationally expensive. We seek a solution to this problem by introducing an inexpensive and reliable muscle-like linear soft actuator us…
This paper introduces a unique hexapedal locomotion platform tagged TriBot as potential agents for swarm robotic systems. We investigate the differences in performance and kinematic characteristics of two identical prototypes of this mobile robot manufactured using different design and fabrication m…