A Model of Caterpillar Locomotion Based on Assur Tensegrity Structures

Author(s):  
Omer Orki ◽  
Offer Shai ◽  
Amir Ayali ◽  
Uri Ben-Hanan

This paper presents an ongoing project aiming at building a robot composed of Assur tensegrity structures, which mimics caterpillar locomotion. Caterpillars are soft-bodied animals capable of making complex movements with astonishing fault-tolerance. In our model, each caterpillar segment is represented by a 2D tensegrity triad consisting of two bars connected by two cables and a strut. The cables represent the major longitudinal muscles of the caterpillar, while the strut represents hydrostatic pressure. The control scheme in this model is divided into localized low-level controllers and a high-level control unit. The unique engineering properties of Assur tensegrity structures, which were mathematically proved last year, together with the suggested control algorithm provide the model with robotic softness. Moreover, the degree of softness can be continuously changed during simulation, making this model suitable for simulation of soft-bodied caterpillars as well as other types of soft animals.

Author(s):  
Omer Orki ◽  
Offer Shai ◽  
Itay Tehori ◽  
Michael Slavutin ◽  
Uri Ben-Hanan

The paper presents an ongoing project aiming to build a robot, composed of Assur tensegrity structures, that mimics the caterpillar locomotion. Caterpillars are soft bodied animals capable of making complex movements with an astonishing fault-tolerance. In this model, a caterpillar segment is represented as a 2D tensegrity triad, consists of two cables and a linear actuator which are connected between two bars. The unique engineering properties of Assur tensegrity structures which were mathematically proved only this year, together with the suggested control algorithm share several analogies with the biological caterpillar. It provides each triad with an adjustable structural softness. Therefore, the proposed robot has a fault-tolerance and can adjust itself to the terrain roughness. This algorithm also reduces the control demands of the non-linear model of the triad by enabling simple motion control for the linear actuator and one of the cables, while the other cable is force controlled.


Author(s):  
Phongsaen Pitakwatchara

This paper proposes a unified approach for controlling the Cartesian compliance of multiple points assigned along the linkage chains of the manipulator. The method applies two key frameworks. Task-priority based control is used to synergistically plan the tasks of the advanced manipulation according to their relative priority. Then, the impedance control scheme is employed for implementing the controller. Additionally, with the use of generalized inverse theory throughout the development, the method is capable of controlling the manipulator at the singularities seamlessly. This low-level control system may be integrated with the high-level manipulation planning algorithm, which generates the online dynamical tasks based on the desired behavior and the sensor information, to accomplish the demanding operation.


Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Cavallo ◽  
Giacomo Canciello ◽  
Beniamino Guida ◽  
Ponggorn Kulsangcharoen ◽  
Seang Yeoh ◽  
...  

In this paper, an intelligent control strategy for DC/DC converters is proposed. The converter connects two DC busses, a high-voltage and a low-voltage bus. The control scheme is composed by a two-layer architecture, a low-level control based on the concept of sliding manifold, and high gain control, and a high-level control used to guarantee the achievement of various objectives. The proposed control strategies are based on solid mathematical arguments, with stability proofs for the non-linear case, and decision trees for parameter selection. The paper results are analyzed and discussed by using simulation at different detail levels in MATLAB/Stateflow/PowerSystem, and validated by experimental results, also considering MIL standard performance indices.


Author(s):  
A. Barkalov ◽  
L. Titarenko ◽  
O. Golovin ◽  
A. Matvienko

Introduction. Control unit (CU) is one of the most important blocks of practically any digital system. Its characteristics largely determine the characteristics of a system as a whole. As a rule, to synthesize CUs, the models of Mealy and Moore finite state machines (FSMs) are used. The article is devoted to compositional microprogram control units (CMCUs). A CMCU is a Moore FSM in which a state register is replaced by a microinstruction address counter. The choice of CMCU is an optimal solution for implementing linear control algorithms. When developing FSM circuits, it is necessary to optimize such characteristics as the performance and hardware amount. The methods of optimization depend strongly on logic elements used. Nowadays, FPGA chips are one of the most common logic elements for implementing digital systems. To implement the CMCU circuit, it is enough to use look-up table (LUT) elements, programmable flip-flops, embedded memory blocks, and programmable interconnections. The purpose of the article. In the article, there is proposed a CMCU design method improving such characteristics of CU as the number of logic levels and regularity of programmable interconnections. The main drawback of LUT is a small number of inputs. Modern digital systems can generate signals of logical conditions entering the control unit, the number of which is tens of times greater than the number of LUT inputs. Such a discrepancy between the characteristics of the control algorithm and the number of inputs of the LUT elements leads to multi-level control circuits with an irregular structure of programmable interconnections, and is the reason for a decrease in performance and an increase in chip area and power consumption. Results. A method for double addressing of microinstructions in CMCU with shared memory is proposed. The method is an adaptation of the two-fold state assignment of Mealy FSMs, the circuits of which are implemented with FPGAs. The proposed method makes it possible to obtain a microinstruction addressing circuit with two logic levels and a regular interconnection system. The paper considers an example of the synthesis of the CMCU circuit and analyzes the proposed method. Conclusions. The proposed method allows reducing hardware amount (the number of LUTs and their interconnections), time of delay and power consumption. Moreover, the more complex the control algorithm, the greater the benefit the proposed method gives. Keywords: compositional microprogram control unit, microinstruction, LUT, EMB, synthesis.


Author(s):  
Hao Su ◽  
Venkat Krovi

In this paper, we present a decentralized dynamic control algorithm for a robot collective consisting of multiple nonholonomic wheeled mobile manipulators (NH-WMMs) capable of cooperatively transporting a common payload. In this algorithm, the high level controller deals with motion/force control of the payload, at the same time distributes the motion/force task into individual agents by grasp description matrix. In each individual agent, the low level controller decomposes the system dynamics into decoupled task space (end-effector motions/forces) and a dynamically-consistent null-space (internal motions/forces) component. The agent level control algorithm facilitates the prioritized operational task accomplishment with the end-effector impedance-mode controller and secondary null-space control. The scalability and modularity is guaranteed upon the decentralized control architecture. Numerical simulations are performed for a 2-NH-WMM system carrying a payload (with/without uncertainty) to validate this approach.


Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 4243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan-Carlos Trujillo ◽  
Rodrigo Munguia ◽  
Edmundo Guerra ◽  
Antoni Grau

In this work, the problem of the cooperative visual-based SLAM for the class of multi-UA systems that integrates a lead agent has been addressed. In these kinds of systems, a team of aerial robots flying in formation must follow a dynamic lead agent, which can be another aerial robot, vehicle or even a human. A fundamental problem that must be addressed for these kinds of systems has to do with the estimation of the states of the aerial robots as well as the state of the lead agent. In this work, the use of a cooperative visual-based SLAM approach is studied in order to solve the above problem. In this case, three different system configurations are proposed and investigated by means of an intensive nonlinear observability analysis. In addition, a high-level control scheme is proposed that allows to control the formation of the UAVs with respect to the lead agent. In this work, several theoretical results are obtained, together with an extensive set of computer simulations which are presented in order to numerically validate the proposal and to show that it can perform well under different circumstances (e.g., GPS-challenging environments). That is, the proposed method is able to operate robustly under many conditions providing a good position estimation of the aerial vehicles and the lead agent as well.


Author(s):  
Dorin Copaci ◽  
David Serrano ◽  
Luis Moreno ◽  
Dolores Blanco

A high-level control algorithm capable of generating position and torque references from surface electromyography signals (sEMG) has been designed. It is applied to a shape memory alloy (SMA) actuated exoskeleton used in active rehabilitation therapies for elbow joints. The sEMG signals are filtered and normalized according data collected online during the first seconds of~therapy sessions. The control algorithm uses the sEMG signals to promote active participation of patients during the therapy session. In order to generate the position reference pattern with good precision, the sEMG normalized signal is compared with a pressure sensor signal to detect the intention of each movement. The algorithm has been tested in simulations and with healthy people for control of an elbow exoskeleton in flexion–extension movements. The results indicate that sEMG signals from elbow muscles in combination with pressure sensors that measure arm–exoskeleton interaction can be used as inputs for the control algorithm, which adapts the reference for exoskeleton movements according a patient's intention.


Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 2522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorin Copaci ◽  
David Serrano ◽  
Luis Moreno ◽  
Dolores Blanco

A high-level control algorithm capable of generating position and torque references from surface electromyography signals (sEMG) was designed. It was applied to a shape memory alloy (SMA)-actuated exoskeleton used in active rehabilitation therapies for elbow joints. The sEMG signals are filtered and normalized according to data collected online during the first seconds of a therapy session. The control algorithm uses the sEMG signals to promote active participation of patients during the therapy session. In order to generate the reference position pattern with good precision, the sEMG normalized signal is compared with a pressure sensor signal to detect the intention of each movement. The algorithm was tested in simulations and with healthy people for control of an elbow exoskeleton in flexion–extension movements. The results indicate that sEMG signals from elbow muscles, in combination with pressure sensors that measure arm–exoskeleton interaction, can be used as inputs for the control algorithm, which adapts the reference for exoskeleton movements according to a patient’s intention.


2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 430-446
Author(s):  
Shuang. Gao ◽  
K. Chau ◽  
C. Chan ◽  
Chunhua Liu

2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 348-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Łukasz Golly ◽  
Adam Milik ◽  
Andrzej Pulka
Keyword(s):  

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