s spring In some nuclear reactor containment isolation applica­ Greek tions, butterfly valves with pneumatic actuators are used to close pipelines in the event of containment p density pressure transients resulting from postulated acci­ e angular position dents. A model is developed which predicts the closure time history of such valve/actuator systems INTRODUCTION under prescribed transients. ...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers many benefits to image-guided interventions, including excellent soft tissue distinction, little to no repositioning of the patient, and zero radiation exposure. The closed, narrow bore of a high field MRI scanner limits clinician access to the patient, such that an MR-compatible robot is essentially required for many potential interventions. A robotic sy...

We describe the design, construction, and operation of a novel continuous backbone “continuum” robot. Inspired by biological trunks and tentacles, the robot is actuated by the pneumatic muscles which form its structure. In contrast to previous designs, the actuators are contractor muscles, which decrease in length as pressure is increased. This choice of actuator results in novel and improved p...