Empowerment is a recently introduced intrinsic motivation algorithm based on the embodiment of an agent and the dynamics of the world the agent is situated in. Computed as the channel capacity from an agent’s actuators to an agent’s sensors, it offers a quantitative measure of how much an agent is in control of the world it can perceive. In this paper, we expand the approximation of empowerment...

There is so far no quadruped robot that exhibits locomotion performance matching to that shown by animals every day. Both differences in general design concepts, in available materials and actuation mechanisms as well as a lack of understanding on the control of the robots’ actuators contribute to the current performance gap between robotic platforms and their biological counterparts. While for...

A considerable amount of research is currently being done on electromechanical valve (EMV) actuators as a potential replacement for the camshaft in order to achieve variable valve timing. Unfortunately, EMV actuators suffer from large impact velocities between the valve, valve seat, and the actuator itself resulting in excessive wear on the system and producing unacceptable levels of noise. Add...

This paper presents analysis of the effect of actuation on combustion dynamics. Two different categories of actuators are examined: flow sources, e.g., acoustic speakers, and heat sources, e.g., fuel injectors. These sources are modeled in the conservation equations and a finite dimensional model is obtained. Two methods of analysis are used to gain insight into the physics of actuation, and it...

This article provides a fully analytical approach for nonlinear equilibrium path of rectangular sandwich plates. The core of structure is made of symmetric cross-ply laminated composite and the outer surfaces are piezoelectric actuators which perfectly bonded to inner core. The structure is subjected to electro-thermo-mechanical loads simultaneously. One side of plate is rested on Pasternak typ...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTIOIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.1 Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1.2 Robust Feedback Linearization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1.3 Application to Hydraulic System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5...