9 accepted papers
Dynamic modeling and control are critical to unlocking soft robots’ potential, yet remain challenging due to complex constitutive behaviors and real-world operating conditions. Bio-inspired musculoskeletal robots, which integrate rigid skeletons with soft actuators, combine the advantages of heavy l…
Video data provides a rich source beyond expensive action-labeled data for advancing robot learning. Recent approaches have demonstrated promising potential in leveraging video data by learning latent actions for policy training. The latent action tokenizer encodes latent actions between successive
In this paper, we propose an earthworm-inspired miniature pipeline robot capable of self-sensing odometry. The robot features a dielectric elastomer actuator as its elongation body and two specially designed passive anchors to achieve unidirectional motion without slipping. The odometry was achieved
Coverage path planning in mountainous terrain is energy-intensive for multirotor UAVs due to frequent altitude changes. This letter proposes a Contour-Aligned Path Generation (CAPG) framework that leverages terrain structure to minimize energy use while ensuring full coverage. CAPG reduces the 3D pr
Negative pressure (NP) therapy with sliding suction is an effective method for limb lymphedema. Due to the caregiver shortage and the patients increase, the robotic NP therapeutic system with a variable-sized suction head can be used to help the lymphedema therapy. However, the varying complexity of
In this work, we propose a high-voltage, high-frequency control circuit for the untethered applications of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs). The circuit board leverages low-voltage resistive components connected in series to control voltages of up to 1.8 kV within a compact size, suitable for f
Negative pressure (NP) therapy is effective in managing chronic lymphedema of the extremities. However, the seal formation of the general head (GH) can fail due to the interspace between the lip and the irregular skin surface on limbs before suction, resulting in the inefficiency of therapy, prolong
Mobile robots that can adapt to an extensive range of terrains play essential roles in many applications. Millipedes are one of the most terrain-adaptive creatures in nature due to their multi-legged locomotion and flexible body. Inspired by natural millipedes, we report an untethered robotic millip
Fluidic Elastomer Actuators (FEAs) provide new opportunities for developing agile, adaptive, and strong mobile robots for field explorations. In this letter, we propose a soft-rigid coupled linear FEA with a bio-comparable energy density of 10.9 J/kg at 50 kPa. This actuator achieves an increased bl