15 accepted papers
A neural network-based framework is developed and experimentally demonstrated for the problem of estimating the shape of a soft continuum arm (SCA) from noisy measurements of the pose at a finite number of locations along the length of the arm. The neural network takes as input these measurements an
Due to labor shortages in specialty crop industries, a need for robotic automation to increase agricultural efficiency and productivity has arisen. Previous manipulation systems harvest well in uncluttered and structured environments. High tunnel environments are more compact and cluttered in nature
The agricultural setting poses additional challenges for robotic manipulation, as fruit is firmly attached to plants and the environment is cluttered and occluded. Therefore, accurate feedback about the grasp state is essential for effective harvesting. This study examines the different states invol…
This paper is concerned with the problem of estimating (interpolating and smoothing) the shape (pose and the six modes of deformation) of a slender flexible body from multiple camera measurements. This problem is important in both biology, where slender, soft, and elastic structures are ubiquitously…
Soft continuum arms (SCAs) that are controlled by visual servoing (VS) present trade-offs between the camera range and tracking accuracy. Cameras placed at a distance (eye-to-hand) can observe a larger workspace area and the SCA tip, while a camera at the end effector (eye-in-hand) can more accurate
For soft continuum arms, visual servoing is a popular control strategy that relies on visual feedback to close the control loop. However, robust visual servoing is challenging as it requires reliable feature extraction from the image, accurate control models and sensors to perceive the shape of the
Interest in soft continuum arms has increased as their inherent material elasticity enables safe and adaptive interactions with the environment. However to achieve full autonomy in these arms, accurate three-dimensional shape sensing is needed. Vision-based solutions have been found to be effective…
We present a hybrid rigid-soft arm and manipulator for performing tasks requiring dexterity and reach in cluttered environments. Our system combines the benefit of the dexterity of a variable length soft manipulator and the rigid support capability of a hard arm. The hard arm positions the extendabl…
Over the last decade, soft continuum arms (SCAs) have successfully demonstrated the compliance and dexterity needed to operate in unstructured environments and handle fragile objects. However, their inherent soft compliance limits their performance in situations where stiffness and force transfer is
This paper presents the design and testing of a bio-inspired soft pneumatic robot that can achieve locomotion along the outside of a cylinder. The robot uses soft pneumatic actuators called FREEs (Fiber Reinforced Elastomeric Enclosure), which can have a wide range of deformation behavior upon press…
Low weight and innate compliance make soft pneumatic actuators an attractive method for actuating wearable robots. Performance of soft pneumatic actuators can be tailored to an application by combining them in novel architectures. We modeled and constructed nested linear and pennate architectures us…
Soft robots undergo large nonlinear spatial deformations due to both inherent actuation and external loading. The physics underlying these deformations is complex, and often requires intricate analytical and numerical models. The complexity of these models may render traditional model-based control…
Soft robotic actuators are well suited for use in exoskeleton applications due to their innate compliance and low weight. We have developed a wearable soft robotic sleeve that uses fiber reinforced elastomeric enclosures (FREEs) to provide actuation and stiffness at the elbow for augmented lifting a…
Fiber Reinforced Elastomeric Enclosures (FREEs) are fundamental building blocks of pneumatic soft robots, with McKibben muscles as common examples. When a system of FREEs are arranged in a planar configuration, they undergo large bending deformations due to internal loads and moments. This paper mod…
Fiber reinforced elastomeric actuators are popular actuators for soft robots because of their inherent safety, energy density and a large repertoire of spatial motion patterns. However, a small subset of these actuators alone known as McKibben pneumatic muscles with antisymmetric fiber orientations…