We are developing a materials handling system where many small simple actuators cooperate to transport and to manipulate large objects in the plane. A discrete set of cells, each comprising two actuators, are xed in a planar array. By coordinating the actuators in the cells on which an objects rests, an object can be transported and manipulated. In essence, this system is an improvement over tr...

The scientific equipment being used on-board satellites sometimes requires a high degree of pointing accuracy and a minimum level of disturbances i.e. vibrations. To this end, actively controlled structures are employed and one of the best methods of achieving this degree of control with the minimum of impact on the structure itself is to employ piezoelectric patches as sensors/actuators. In th...

Conjugated polymer actuators can be employed to achieve micro and nano scale precision, and have wide range of applications including biomimetic robots and biomedical devices. In comparison to robotic joints, they do not have friction or backlash, but on the other hand, they have complicated electro-chemo-mechanical dynamics which makes modeling and control of the actuator really difficult. Bes...

Computational models of neuromotor control require forward models of limb movement that can replicate the natural relationships between muscle activation and joint dynamics without the burdens of excessive anatomical detail. We present a model of a three-link biomechanical limb that emphasizes the dynamics of limb movement within a simplified two-dimensional framework. Muscle co-contraction eff...

Over the past few years, automotive engineering has been characterized by rapid growth in active systems. Many research works have therefore been devoted to the control of such active subsystems, as braking, steering or suspension actuators. In particular the use of different actuators (braking, steering, suspension ...) allow to tackle emergency situations such as rollover, too large lateral a...

The use of actuators with inherent compliance, such as series elastic actuators (SEAs), has become traditional for robotic systems working in close contact with humans. SEAs can reduce the energy consumption for a given task compared to rigid actuators, but this reduction is highly dependent on the design of the SEA's elastic element. This design is often based on natural dynamics or a paramete...

Recursive matrix relations for kinematics and dynamics analysis of two known parallel mechanisms: the spatial 3-PRS and the planar 3-RRR are established in this paper. Knowing the motion of the platform, we develop first the inverse kinematical problem and determine the positions, velocities, and accelerations of the robot’s elements. Further, the inverse dynamic problem is solved using an appr...

Variable length multisection continuum arms are a class of continuum robotic manipulators that generate motion by structural mechanical deformation. Unlike most continuum robots, the sections of these arms do not have (central) supporting flexible backbone, and are actuated by multiple variable length actuators. Because of the constraining nature of actuators, the continuum sections can bend an...

The present paper is devoted to the development of a kind of spectral meshless radial point interpolation (SMRPI) technique in order to obtain a reliable approximate solution for buckling of nano-actuators subject to different nonlinear forces. To end this aim, a general type of the governing equation for nano-actuators, containing integro-differential terms and nonlinear forces is considered. ...

In this paper the active vibration control of a four-story shear frame instrumented with piezoelectric actuators is presented. The piezoelectric actuators are hosted on the columns in two manners and the produced controlling forces by actuators are considered in the equation of motion. The smart structure modeling and control design is carried out using MATLAB software in state space form. Subs...