Swarming Microdroplets to a Dexterous Micromanipulator

Many astonishing biological collective behaviors exist in nature, and artificial microrobotic swarms have been developed by emulating these scenarios. However, these microswarms typically have single structures and lack the adaptability that many biological swarms exhibit to thrive in complex environments. Inspired by viscoelastic fire ant aggregations and using a combination of experiment and simulation, a strategy to trigger ferrofluid droplets into forming microswarms exhibiting both liquid-like and solid-like behaviors is reported. By spatiotemporally programming an applied magnetic field, microswarms can be liquefied to implement reversible elongation with a high aspect ratio and solidified into entireties to perform overturning and bending behaviors. It is demonstrated that reconfigurability enables the microswarm to be a mobile dexterous micromanipulator, acting not only as a soft “octopus arm” to explore a confined environment and grasp a targeted object but also adaptively navigate multiple terrains, such as uneven surfaces, curved grooves, complex mazes, high steps, narrow channels, and even wide gaps. This microrobotic swarm can reconfigure both shapes and tasks based on the demands of the environment, presenting novel solutions for a variety of applications.     

Adaptive constraint control for flexible manipulator systems modeled by partial differential equations with dead-zone input

In this article, based on partial differential equations (PDEs), the flexible manipulator system with both dead-zone input and state constraints is studied. The dynamic model of the flexible manipulator system is described by PDEs. The parameters of the dead-zone input are unknown, and the state constraint problem is also considered. An adaptive approach is proposed to offset the effects caused by dead-zone input. Thus, to guarantee that all states remain within their respective constraint regions, the boundary control law based on the barrier Lyapunov function is given, and an adaptive controller is designed. According to the Lyapunov analysis method, the control method is given to ensure that all signals of the closed-loop system are bounded and all states satisfy the constraint conditions. Finally, simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed control method in this article.     

轻量级电驱水下机械臂设计与运动学分析

设计了一款四功能水下机械臂，并对驱动关节进行了模块化设计和密封测试。为了保证水下机械臂的可靠性，在水下机械臂水下测试前，进行了强度校核和模态分析。为了验证水下机械臂的性能，通过 Ｄ- Ｈ法建立了其运动学模型，在此基础上分别进行了正、逆运动学分析。此外还采用蒙特卡洛法，在正运动学分析的基础上研究了工作空间特点。研究结果将为进一步的运动控制提供有益的帮助。     

基于粒子群优化算法的五自由度机械臂轨迹规划

为了让机械臂的工作时间达到最优,以自主研发的抛光机器人样机为研究对象,针对手表表壳表耳部分的抛光过程,提出PSO算法对五自由度机械臂轨迹规划进行优化,并通过MATLAB软件进行机械臂的仿真与分析。仿真结果表明,基于PSO算法的轨迹规划使机械臂在工作过程中加加速度不会产生突变,运动轨迹精度高,机械臂工作时间达到最优。     

平面结构冗余并联机构的误差敏感度分析

针对一种含闭环支链的平面结构冗余并联机构进行误差敏感度分析。分析了该机构的逆运动学和正运动学。基于矩阵法建立了机构的误差模型，并通过反解、正解结合的方法对该误差模型进行了验证。基于误差模型，得到了评价机构误差敏感度的指标，绘制了各指标在工作空间内的等值线图。基于误差敏感度指标，定义了低误差敏感性工作空间，绘制了低误差敏感性工作空间在工作空间中的分布图。与平面3-RRR并联机构进行了误差敏感度对比分析。结果表明，该机构的低误差敏感性工作空间占比较大，同时可以通过调节其冗余支链不断扩大低误差敏感性工作空间，使机构在大范围空间中保持低误差敏感性。     

Adaptive sliding mode disturbance rejection control with prescribed performance for robotic manipulators

This study proposes an adaptive sliding mode disturbance rejection control with prescribed performance for robotic manipulators. A transformation with respect to tracking error using certain performance functions is used to ensure the transient and steady-state performances of the trajectory tracking control for robotic manipulators. Using the transformed error, a nonsingular terminal sliding mode surface is proposed. A continuous terminal sliding mode control (SMC) is presented to stabilize the system. To compensate for the uncertainty and external disturbance, a novel sliding mode disturbance observer is proposed. Considering the unknown boundary of the derivative of a lumped disturbance, an adaptive law based on the idea of equivalent control is designed. Combining the adaptive law, continuous nonsingular terminal SMC, and sliding mode disturbance observer, the adaptive sliding mode disturbance rejection control with prescribed performance is developed. Simulations are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

基于多自由度气动机械手位置伺服系统稳定性控制研究

基于传统易碎薄板机械手位置伺服控制系统稳定性低、自动化分拣效率低等不足,设计了一种基于笛卡尔坐标式的气动码垛机器手和位置伺服稳定性控制系统。首先,设计并介绍笛卡尔坐标式码垛机械手的基本组成结构,对机械手末端吸盘气动回路控制系统进行设计和分析;然后分别对机械手X、Y、Z三个方向的伺服电机控制原理进行分析并设计了一种位置伺服系统的前馈自适应控制算法;最后,将传统位置闭环PID算法和前馈自适应控制算法进行位置跟踪稳定性对比试验。实验结果表明该笛卡尔坐标式的气动码垛机器手和位置伺服稳定性控制系统设计合理,满足实际生产要求。     

Optimal design of nonlinear model predictive controller based on new modified multitracker optimization algorithm

The controller design for the robotic manipulator faces different challenges such as the system's nonlinearities and the uncertainties of the parameters. Furthermore, the tracking of different linear and nonlinear trajectories represents a vital role by the manipulator. This paper suggests an optimal design for the nonlinear model predictive control (NLMPC) based on a new improved intelligent technique and it is named modified multitracker optimization algorithm (MMTOA). The proposed modification of the MTOA is carried out based on opposition-based learning (OBL) and quasi OBL approaches. This modification improves the exploration behavior of the MTOA to prevent it from becoming trapped in a local optimum. The proposed method is applied on the robotic manipulator to track different linear and nonlinear trajectories. The NLMPC parameters are tuned by the MMTOA rather than the trial and error method of the designer. The proposed NLMPC based on MMTOA is compared with the original MTOA, genetic algorithm, and cuckoo search algorithm in literature. The superiority and effectiveness of the proposed controller are confirmed to track different linear and nonlinear trajectories. Furthermore, the robustness of the proposed method is emphasized against the uncertainties of the parameters.     

Comparison of joint angle,velocity and acceleration estimators for hydraulically actuated manipulators to a novel dynamical approach

Excavators are used for a wide range of applications like earthworks and material handling. Assistance systems are becoming more common to support the operator. For monitoring and control based assistance functions the angular position, velocity and acceleration of the joints from the working implement are required. Commercial systems often use inertial measurement units, consisting of triaxial accelerometers and gyroscopes, to accomplish an estimation of those states. A novel joint angle, velocity and acceleration estimation for hydraulic manipulators is proposed and compared to state of the art methods. A decentralized kinematic filter using no information about the underlying system and a centralized kinematic filter taking the system kinematics into account are implemented as state of the art approaches. Both filters only use inertial measurement units to obtain information about the current state of the system. The novel centralized dynamic filter uses the same information as the centralized kinematic filter and extends it by a dynamic model containing additional information about the angular acceleration due to pressure readings of the hydraulic cylinders. Kalman filtering is used to combine the derived system and measurement models with the sensor information. The methods are evaluated on a material handling excavator for single and coupled movements of the working implement. The novel centralized dynamic filter enables improvements for the angular acceleration estimation compared to the decentralized and centralized kinematic filter. Less noise of the acceleration estimation and a better tracking of the actual acceleration are shown.     

Design and analysis of a class of redundant collaborative manipulators with 2D large rotational angles

The parallel spindle heads with high rotational capability are demanded in the area of multi-axis machine tools and 3D printers. This paper focuses on designing a class of 2R1T (R: Rotation; T: Translation) parallel spindle heads and the corresponding collaborative 5-axis manipulators with 2-dimension (2D) large rotational angles. In order to construct 2D rotational degrees of freedom (DOFs), a platform with 2D revolute joints is proposed first. Based on the constraint screw theory, the feasible limbs that can be connected in the platform are synthesized. In order to provide constant rotational axis for the platform, a class of redundant limbs are designed. A class of redundant 2R1T parallel spindle heads is obtained by connecting the redundant limbs with the platform and the redundant characteristics are verified by the modified Grübler-Kutzbach criterion. The corresponding 5-axis collaborative manipulators are presented by constructing a 2-DOF series translational bottom moving platform. The inverse kinematics and the orientation workspace as well as the decoupling characteristics of this type of 2R1T parallel spindle heads are analyzed. The results show that these manipulators have large 2D rotational angles than the traditional A3/Z3 heads and can be potentially used in the application of multi-axis machine tools and the 3D printers.