Functionality and design of a bionic robot arm consisting of three joints driven by elastic and compliant actuators derived from biologically inspired principles are presented. In the first design standard springs with linear characteristics are utilized in combination with electrical drives. Different control approaches for the bionic robot arm are presented, discussed and evaluation in numeri...

The generation of movements in closed kinematic chains as opposed to open kinematic chains is a challenging task because all participating joints have to be moved in a highly coordinated manner in order to avoid destructive tensions in the limb. In this paper we present a new decentral joint controller which uses low level interactions between a moving joint and its environment consisting of ne...

Any configuration of a chain of cubes can be transformed into any other while maintaining contact between adjacent cubes in the chain using a quadratic number of moves. We show that this result is also true in the more constrained setting of a “Kibble chain” where the cubes are threaded on an elastic string, and slits in the cubes allow limited turns at joints.

• Computational nonlinear homogenization of refractory masonry is performed. Effects joints closure/reopening on the mechanical behavior are considered. Computationally efficient homogenized elastic-viscoplastic model developed. Dry close and reopen due to cyclic loading unloading. The response orthotropic nonlinear. Refractory with dry widely used in steel-making industry for linings several h...

Conventional models of bipedal walking generally assume rigid body structures, while elastic material properties seem to play an essential role in nature. On the basis of a novel theoretical model of bipedal walking, this paper investigate a simple model for biped robots which makes use of minimum control and elastic passive joints inspired from the structures of biological systems. The model i...

The setpoint regulation problem for robotic manipulators is a basic task that can be solved either by PID control or by model-based gravity compensation. These approaches are commonly applied both to rigid arms and to robots with flexible links and/or elastic joints. However, PID control requires fine and lengthy tuning of gains in order to achieve good performance over the whole workspace. Mor...

The content of this paper describes the model and control of a elastic joint driven by fluidic muscles including the nonlinear behavior of the fluidic muscle, the valves and the joint dynamics. Such elastic joints have a lot advantages like passive compliance, low power to weight relation. The control of the joint is developed with the help of a professional software tool named EICASLAB which h...

[Purpose] This study investigated the influence of exercise on balance ability and gait function in stroke patients after applying non-elastic tape, which can stabilize muscles and joints, to the lower extremities of the affected side. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 30 patients diagnosed with stroke. They were divided into an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). T...