11 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…
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
Exploring high hydrostatic pressure environments such as deep sea presents significant challenges to robotic devices, for they often rely on strong yet heavy and costly protective structures to shield components from being crushed by the extreme pressure. To dismiss the need for bulky protection she
With the continuous advancement of minimally invasive surgery, the incisions have become increasingly smaller, leading to a proportional convergence between the physical dimensions of surgical instruments and the operational space. This phenomenon has exacerbated the issue of visual obstruction caus
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
Active exoskeletons for tremor suppression show potential for treatment of pathological tremor thanks to their non-invasive nature. However, the active force was only used for the voluntary movement following. As a potential alternative, fluidic elastomer actuators (FEAs) possess compliance and flex
Multi-robot cooperative transportation systems (MRCTSs) hold great potential in industrial material transport, where they need to be omnidirectional, highly flexible, adaptable to various terrains, and cost-effective. This letter presents an industrial MRCTS that employs a novel composite connector,
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
Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is considered to be a fundamental capability for intelligent mobile robots. Over the past decades, many impressed SLAM systems have been developed and achieved good performance under certain circumstances. However, some problems are still not well solved,…