轮足式仿生软体机器人设计与运动分析

基于自然界中弯曲蠕虫的运动原理,借鉴其结构特点,设计一种双腔结构的轮足式仿生蠕动软体机器人,利用硅橡胶材料的超弹性特征,通过在多气囊结构中充气挤压变形使软体机器人本体结构发生弯曲,周期性的充放气实现软体机器人的蠕动运动。引入轮足式设计,将软体机器人软体基体的蠕动运动转变为车轮的旋转运动,加快蠕动型机器人的运动速度,通过向软体基体双腔充入不同气压,实现大角度转弯。分析了蠕动机器人周期性的直线运动和转向运动过程,研究了机器人运动过程中的非线性力学特性,测试了软体基体双腔充气状态下变形量与气压的关系以及单腔状态下转弯角度与气压的关系,分析了软体机器人的最快行进速度和最小转弯半径,确定了软体机器人的运动性能。     

软体机器人:结构、驱动、传感与控制

软体机器人由软材料加工而成,自身可连续变形,与刚性机器人相比具有更高的柔顺性、安全性和适应性,在人机交互、复杂易碎品抓持和狭小空间作业等方面具有不可比拟的优势。综述软体机器人的发展历程,将软体机器人归为传统绳索驱动/气动肌肉机器人、超弹性材料软体机器人和智能材料软体机器人三大类。从仿生结构和仿生运动、驱动与加工、传感与控制三个方面对软体机器人的相关科学问题以及存在的技术难点进行总结与分析。分析了软体机器人在仿生结构、抓持作业和医疗康复等领域潜在的应用价值。对软体机器人目前的发展现状和存在的关键科学难点进行了系统的总结,并得出刚柔耦合、可变刚度和驱动传感控制一体化等研究方向可能是未来软体机器人研究新的突破点。     

软体机器人研究现状综述

软体机器人由柔韧性材料制成,可在大范围内任意改变自身形状、尺寸在侦察、探测、救援及医疗等领域都有广阔的应用前景。综述软体机器人结构类型、驱动方式、物理建模技术和加工制造方法等问题。其结构模仿生物的静水骨骼结构和肌肉性静水骨骼结构,采用形状记忆合金、气动、电活性聚合物等物理驱动方式或将化学能转化为机械能的化学驱动方式。软体机器人建模困难,主要采用试验分析或使用超冗余度机器人建模方法近似研究。制造中的问题包括柔性本体制造、柔性致动器制造以及可伸展电路的制造,采用形状沉积、激光压印、智能微结构等新型制造工艺。软体机器人是一种全新的机器人,对它的研究刚刚起步,涉及材料科学、化学、微机电、液压、控制等多学科,从材料、设计、加工、传感到控制、使用均存在着一系列问题需要继续研究。     

长臂式仿生软体机器人及其主动弯曲模型

针对软体机器人结构化分析困难的问题,对软体机器人气腔耦合结构、嵌入式加强材料以及充气状态下的弯曲变形等方面进行了研究,提出了一种新型的长臂式仿生软体机器人结构,该结构为多腔、多节耦合,可以实现任意方向的大范围弯曲。通过力矩平衡方程建立了长臂式仿生软体机器人的静态模型及主动弯曲数学模型,并实现了基节的各个力矩的数值化近似求解。采用上、下位机控制思想,基于ITV气压比例阀搭建了实验平台并设计、制作了软体机器人样机进行测试。研究结果表明,弯曲运动实验结果与仿真曲线基本一致,由此验证了理论模型的正确性。     

软体机器人3D打印制造技术研究综述

基于弹性、软质材料的软体机器人变形能力强、人-机-环境共融性好,在工业、医疗、家庭服务等众多领域具有良好的应用前景.软体机器人是本体、驱动、感知等高度集成的新型机电一体化智能系统.软体机器人呈现的诸多新特征给机器人领域的制造、驱动、建模、感知及控制等技术带来了全新的挑战.软质材料3D打印技术与装备的快速发展为软体机器人制造实现提供了有力支撑.首先,介绍了主流软质材料3D打印技术的基本原理与特点,包括熔融沉积成形、直接墨水书写、喷墨打印、光固化成型和选择性激光烧结3D打印技术.然后,针对软体机器人一体化制造发展需求,介绍了多材料3D打印、4D打印、嵌入式3D打印等前沿技术.最后,介绍和分析了国内外基于3D打印技术的软体驱动器和柔性传感器经典案例,结合控制-传感-驱动一体化的类生物结构软体机器人发展需求,预测了未来3D打印技术主要发展趋势与技术挑战.     

基于有限元的结肠镜软体机器人设计仿真及优化

结肠镜是检测肠癌的金标准，提前筛查能够大幅度降低肠癌的发病率。提出了一种基于仿生的软体机器人设计方案，采用3个内腔体的软体材料结构，通过控制腔体气压大小控制机器人的弯曲方向与角度。该软体机器人安置在传统肠镜的末端，替换传统的人工式操作，在肠镜手术检查过程中起导引作用，可有效的避免结肠镜检查推进与取出过程中肠镜与肠道的不必要接触。利用有限元分析的方法，对软体机器人驱动腔体的形状和布局以及多段式结构进行了仿真，优化了软体机器人的设计参数并开发了机器人样机，通过试验验证了软体机器人的弯曲性能。     

基于介电弹性体驱动的仿生象鼻软体驱动器设计分析

在软体机器人的发展过程中,软体驱动器结构简单化、轻量化设计一直是研究热点。受到象鼻结构与驱动原理的启发,设计了一种基于介电弹性体和多孔PDMS材料的仿生软体驱动器。首先对介电弹性体人工肌肉驱动机理进行了分析,并通过驱动变形实验确定了最大形变参数;然后设计了基于多孔PDMS材料的支撑脊柱结构,并通过压缩实验测试了力学性能;最后,通过将介电弹性体包覆在支撑脊柱外层,形成了具有圆柱结构的仿生软体驱动器。驱动实验结果表明,软体驱动器在电压激励下能够获得大角度(最大42°)连续稳定弯曲变形以及较快的响应速度。     

气撑式软体末端执行器的设计与分析

针对目前多指型软体末端执行器难以平稳夹持不同口径容器的问题,开展了一种能够从内部支撑夹持的气撑式软体末端执行器的设计与分析,提出一种新的夹持方式。首先设计气撑式软体末端执行器的结构,由软体驱动器和连接装置构成;其次基于Yeoh模型、虚功原理和软体驱动器结构建立驱动气压与软体驱动器膨胀变形的非线性数学模型;然后开展软体末端执行器膨胀变形的Abaqus软件仿真及实验,将理论模型和仿真、实验结果进行对比,结果验证理论模型的正确性;最后进行气撑式软体末端执行器的夹持实验,结果表明,所提出的气撑式末端执行器能够很好地抓取不同口径的容器。     

蛇形机器人：仿生机理、结构驱动和建模控制

蛇形机器人是一种能够模仿生物蛇运动的新型仿生机器人,由于它能像生物蛇一样实现“无肢运动”,因而被国际机器人业界称为“最富于现实感的机器人”。研究涉及材料学、仿生学、机械设计制造、传感技术等多学科交叉融合,在消防灭火、灾后救援、海底环境与管道探测、复杂环境作业、军事侦查等领域具有广阔应用前景,受到国内外学者及机构的广泛关注和研究。从蛇的生物特征、仿生原理、结构驱动、建模及控制等方面对蛇形机器人研究进行综述,按结构类型将蛇形机器人分为被动轮式、主动轮式、履带式、螺旋桨式和其他结构等;按驱动方式将蛇形机器人分为直流电机驱动、流体驱动、混合驱动和其他驱动等;以及目前常用于蛇形机器人的建模方法和控制策略。从中归纳和分析,得到蛇形机器人的关键研究问题包括材料升级、结构优化、柔性传感技术和自适应控制,其未来发展方向包括新型材料制备成型、高效结构设计加工、灵敏柔性传感技术、新型适合大变形的建模方法、自适应控制系统研发。     

软体机器人流体驱动方式综述

软体机器人是由柔性材料制成的新型机器人,具有刚度小、柔顺性高等特点,其运动性能、应用环境范围主要取决于驱动方式。目前的驱动方式主要有流体驱动、线驱动、形状记忆合金驱动、电活性聚合物驱动、混合驱动等,其中流体驱动由于其形式的多样性、响应的快速性、高承载性而受到青睐。根据流体驱动介质的不同,将软体机器人流体驱动方式分为气压驱动、液压驱动、微流体驱动等,同时进一步根据气压驱动的结构类型将其分为纤维编织型、螺旋型、网格型、折纸型和特殊型等;介绍了目前流体驱动的软体机器人制造技术,分析了软体机器人流体驱动方式面临的一些问题,并提出了其未来发展方向。     

Fabrication of 3D soft morphing structure using shape memory alloy (SMA) wire/polymer skeleton composite

The most common method of fabricating a smart structure using a shape memory alloy (SMA) is to create an SMA-embedded structure. However, if the structure is too thick, actuation is decreased significantly. Hence, SMA-embedded structures and robots are usually thin, leaving no space for additional parts. In this research, an SMA-embedded soft morphing structure with large thickness and deformation was developed. A skeletal structure and hinges, which could amplify actuating displacement, were used to increase the overall actuation by maximizing the actuation in a specific area. Also payload of prototype is enough to lift additional weight. A prototype of the design was fabricated via rapid prototyping (RP) and casting. The performance of the prototype was evaluated, and large deformation and actuation force were demonstrated. A cell phone robot was suggested as an application, and the resulting fabricated prototype exhibited crawling actuation.     

Design and modeling of a novel soft parallel robot driven by endoskeleton pneumatic artificial muscles

Owing to their inherent great flexibility, good compliance, excellent adaptability, and safe interactivity, soft robots have shown great application potential. The advantages of light weight, high efficiency, non-polluting characteristic, and environmental adaptability provide pneumatic soft robots an important position in the field of soft robots. In this paper, a soft robot with 10 soft modules, comprising three uniformly distributed endoskeleton pneumatic artificial muscles, was developed. The robot can achieve flexible motion in 3D space. A novel kinematic modeling method for variable-curvature soft robots based on the minimum energy method was investigated, which can accurately and efficiently analyze forward and inverse kinematics. Experiments show that the robot can be controlled to move to the desired position based on the proposed model. The prototype and modeling method can provide a new perspective for soft robot design, modeling, and control.     

Three-dimensional Construction and Omni-directional Rolling Analysis of a Novel Frame-like Lattice Modular Robot

Lattice modular robots possess diversity actuation methods, such as electric telescopic rod, gear rack, magnet, robot arm, etc. The researches on lattice modular robots mainly focus on their hardware d...     

Design and Dynamic Model of a Frog-inspired Swimming Robot Powered by Pneumatic Muscles

Pneumatic muscles with similar characteristics to biological muscles have been widely used in robots, and thus are promising drivers for frog inspired robots. However, the application and nonlinearity of the pneumatic system limit the advance. On the basis of the swimming mechanism of the frog, a frog-inspired robot based on pneumatic muscles is developed. To realize the independent tasks by the robot, a pneumatic system with internal chambers, micro air pump, and valves is implemented. The micro pump is used to maintain the pressure difference between the source and exhaust chambers. The pneumatic muscles are controlled by high-speed switch valves which can reduce the robot cost, volume, and mass. A dynamic model of the pneumatic system is established for the simulation to estimate the system, including the chamber, muscle, and pneumatic circuit models. The robot design is verified by the robot swimming experiments and the dynamic model is verified through the experiments and simulations of the pneumatic system. The simulation results are compared to analyze the functions of the source pressure, internal volume of the muscle, and circuit flow rate which is proved the main factor that limits the response of muscle pressure. The proposed research provides the application of the pneumatic muscles in the frog inspired robot and the pneumatic model to study muscle controller.     

Spatial Operator Algebra for Free-floating Space Robot Modeling and Simulation

As the dynamic equations of space robots are highly nonlinear,strongly coupled and nonholonomic constrained,the efficiency of current dynamic modeling algorithms is difficult to meet the requirements of real-time simulation.This paper combines an efficient spatial operator algebra(SOA) algorithm for base fixed robots with the conservation of linear and angular momentum theory to establish dynamic equations for the free-floating space robot,and analyzes the influence to the base body's position and posture when the manipulator is capturing a target.The recursive Newton-Euler kinematic equations on screw form for the space robot are derived,and the techniques of the sequential filtering and smoothing methods in optimal estimation theory are used to derive an innovation factorization and inverse of the generalized mass matrix which immediately achieve high computational efficiency.The high efficient SOA algorithm is spatially recursive and has a simple math expression and a clear physical understanding,and its computational complexity grows only linearly with the number of degrees of freedom.Finally,a space robot with three degrees of freedom manipulator is simulated in Matematica 6.0.Compared with ADAMS,the simulation reveals that the SOA algorithm is much more efficient to solve the forward and inverse dynamic problems.As a result,the requirements of real-time simulation for dynamics of free-floating space robot are solved and a new analytic modeling system is established for free-floating space robot.     

多自主移动机器人系统研究与发展

多自主移动机器人以具单个机器人无法比拟的优越性已经引起普遍重视。本文从宏观上将多自主移动机器人的主要研究内容分成4大块：体系结构、组织与协调、个体、仿真验证。总结了关键技术，评述了目前各主要方向的进展，并展望了多自主移动机器人研究的前景与发展趋势。     

Type Synthesis of Walking Robot Legs

Walking robots use leg structures to overcome obstacles or move on complicated terrains. Most robots of current researches are equipped with legs of simple structure. The specific design method of walking robot legs is seldom studied. Based on the generalized-function(GF) set theory, a systematic type synthesis process of designing robot legs is introduced. The specific mobility of robot legs is analyzed to obtain two main leg types as the goal of design.Number synthesis problem is decomposed into two stages, actuation and constraint synthesis by name,corresponding to the combinatorics results of linear Diophantine equations. Additional restrictions are discussed to narrow the search range to propose practical limb expressions and kinematic-pair designs. Finally, all the fifty-one leg structures of four subtypes are carried out, some of which are chosen to make up robot prototypes, demonstrating the validity of the method. This paper proposed a novel type synthesis methodology, which could be used to systematically design various practical robot legs and the derived robots.     

软体机器人驱动技术研究进展

软体机器人是一类新型仿生机器人,具有环境适应性强、运动灵活和本体柔软性等突出优点,在空间探索、灾害救援、医疗健康等诸多领域拥有广泛的应用前景。软体机器人主要由柔性本体材料和智能驱动/传感材料构成。聚焦软体机器人的驱动技术,首先介绍了以气/液流体弹性体材料为主体的流体驱动模式;然后,对气液相共同作用下的混合气液驱动技术进行介绍;接着,围绕现有研究较广泛的电驱动技术,重点分析了电动液压技术在软体机器人领域的最新进展及应用;最后,对电/磁/光/热驱动技术及其典型应用进行了分析和讨论;同时对未来软体机器人发展所面临的困难与机遇进行了展望。