In recent years,breakthrough has been made in the field of artificial intelligence(AI),which has also revolutionized the industry of robotics.Soft robots featured with high-level safety,less weight,lower power consump...In recent years,breakthrough has been made in the field of artificial intelligence(AI),which has also revolutionized the industry of robotics.Soft robots featured with high-level safety,less weight,lower power consumption have always been one of the research hotspots.Recently,multifunctional sensors for perception of soft robotics have been rapidly developed,while more algorithms and models of machine learning with high accuracy have been optimized and proposed.Designs of soft robots with AI have also been advanced ranging from multimodal sensing,human-machine interaction to effective actuation in robotic systems.Nonethe-less,comprehensive reviews concerning the new developments and strategies for the ingenious design of the soft robotic systems equipped with AI are rare.Here,the new development is systematically reviewed in the field of soft robots with AI.First,background and mechanisms of soft robotic systems are briefed,after which development focused on how to endow the soft robots with AI,including the aspects of feeling,thought and reaction,is illustrated.Next,applications of soft robots with AI are systematically summarized and discussed together with advanced strategies proposed for performance enhancement.Design thoughts for future intelligent soft robotics are pointed out.Finally,some perspectives are put forward.展开更多
This study proposes a method for uniformly revolving swarm robots to entrap multiple targets,which is based on a gene regulatory network,an adaptive decision mechanism,and an improved Vicsek-model.Using the gene regul...This study proposes a method for uniformly revolving swarm robots to entrap multiple targets,which is based on a gene regulatory network,an adaptive decision mechanism,and an improved Vicsek-model.Using the gene regulatory network method,the robots can generate entrapping patterns according to the environmental input,including the positions of the targets and obstacles.Next,an adaptive decision mechanism is proposed,allowing each robot to choose the most well-adapted capture point on the pattern,based on its environment.The robots employ an improved Vicsek-model to maneuver to the planned capture point smoothly,without colliding with other robots or obstacles.The proposed decision mechanism,combined with the improved Vicsek-model,can form a uniform entrapment shape and create a revolving effect around targets while entrapping them.This study also enables swarm robots,with an adaptive pattern formation,to entrap multiple targets in complex environments.Swarm robots can be deployed in the military field of unmanned aerial vehicles’(UAVs)entrapping multiple targets.Simulation experiments demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of the proposed gene regulatory network method.展开更多
In order to find the test cube for industrial robots as specified by ISO 9283, a seed cube is grown up in an irregular working space of the robot, provided that the corners of the cube do not exceed the boundary of t...In order to find the test cube for industrial robots as specified by ISO 9283, a seed cube is grown up in an irregular working space of the robot, provided that the corners of the cube do not exceed the boundary of the working space. All possible cubes are searched, and the cube with the maximum volume is selected. The calculation examples show that the method of growth can be used for a variety of industrial robots. The method of growth can determine the test cube and test points of irregular working space according to ISO 9283, and can avoid blindness and randomness in the selection of test points.展开更多
Based on an analysis of the relative shaft-to-hole position and attiude errors, as well as of the mechanics and Kinematics in the process of automatic assembly of industrial robots, the paper studies the principle of ...Based on an analysis of the relative shaft-to-hole position and attiude errors, as well as of the mechanics and Kinematics in the process of automatic assembly of industrial robots, the paper studies the principle of construction of dynamic wrists. Type I-3 and Ⅱ-6 dynamic compliant wrists have been designed and made. Prblems in the production of compliant elements and the connection between compliant elements and wrists were also solved. A study on the results of tests of the function of two kinds of dynamic compliant wrists shows that the dynamic compliant wrist's compliancy function can be improved by adding metallic materials having higher longitudinal and transverse rigidity into the softer elstomer. And the design Principle is proved to be feasible and practicable. It can be expected that the use of dynamic compliant wrist will greatly lower the technical requirements of the shaft-hole assembly and the requirements in the resetting accuracy.展开更多
In order to reduce the system errors of dead reckoning and improve the localization accu- racy, a new model for systematic error of mobile robot was defined and a UMBmark-based method for calibrating and compensating ...In order to reduce the system errors of dead reckoning and improve the localization accu- racy, a new model for systematic error of mobile robot was defined and a UMBmark-based method for calibrating and compensating systematic error was presented. Three dominant reasons causing systematic errors were considered： imprecise average wheel diameter, uncertainty about the effec- tive wheelbase and unequal wheel＇ s diameter. The new model for systematic errors is considering the coupling effect of the three factors during the localization of mobile robot. Three coefficients to calibrate average wheel diameter, effective wheelbase, left and right wheels＇ diameter were ob- tained. Then these three coefficients were used to make improvements on robot kinematic equations. The experiments on the dual-wheel drive mobile robot DaNI show that the presented method has achieveda significant improvement in the location accuracy compared with the UMBmark calibration.展开更多
The distributed event-triggered optimization problem for multiple nonholonomic robots has been studied to minimize the global battery energy consumption. Each robot possesses its own cost function which depends on the...The distributed event-triggered optimization problem for multiple nonholonomic robots has been studied to minimize the global battery energy consumption. Each robot possesses its own cost function which depends on the state of the hand position and represents battery energy consumption. By coordinate transformation, the dynamics of the hand positions can be formulated into two groups of first-order integrators. Then the distributed event-triggered optimization algorithm is designed such that the states of robots' hand positions exponentially converge to the optimizer of the global cost function.Meanwhile, the velocity and orientation of each robot are ensured to reach zero and a certain constant, respectively. Moreover, the inter-execution time is lower bounded and the Zeno behavior is therefore naturally avoided. Numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.展开更多
The small-tracked mobile robots（ STMRs） are small,portable and concealed,and they are widely used in scouting,investigation,rescue and assistance. In this paper,a mechanical model is established based on the multi-b...The small-tracked mobile robots（ STMRs） are small,portable and concealed,and they are widely used in scouting,investigation,rescue and assistance. In this paper,a mechanical model is established based on the multi-body dynamic software RecurD yn,and a control system is simulated through Simulink,including its kinematics model,speed controller,motors＇ model. Associating the mechanical and control model,the cosimulation model is established for STMRs. The co-simulation approach is applied to optimize the motor parameters. A series of experiments are conducted to examine the accuracy of the virtual prototype,and the results demonstrate that the STMR virtual prototype can exactly illustrate the dynamic performance of the physical one.The co-simulation of mechanical model and control model is applied in forecasting and debugging critical parameters,also it provides guidance in defining motor＇s peak current.展开更多
A novel miniature pressure regulator is fabricated and studied. The regulator can easily be integrated into portable mechatronics or miniature robotic applications because of its lightweight and compact size. An espec...A novel miniature pressure regulator is fabricated and studied. The regulator can easily be integrated into portable mechatronics or miniature robotic applications because of its lightweight and compact size. An especial poppet is designed to minimize its size and to withstand high-pressure. The pressure regulator is designed for a hopping robot which is powered by a combustion system. The hopping robot has great moving capacities such as jumping over big obstacles, wails and dit- ches. The regulator helps the hopping robot to decrease size and weight, and to sustain high pres- sure of oxygen and fuel tank. It will maintain constant output pressure to obtain suitable proportion of oxygen and fuel in the combustion cylinder. Dynamic simulation of the miniature pneumatic pres- sure regulator is performed. Experiments on prototype of miniature pneumatic pressure regulator are also carried out to validate the performance and satisfied performance is obtained.展开更多
In this paper,the collective motion of self-driven robots is studied experimentally and theoretically.In the channel,the flowrate of robots increases with the density linearly,even if the density of the robots tends t...In this paper,the collective motion of self-driven robots is studied experimentally and theoretically.In the channel,the flowrate of robots increases with the density linearly,even if the density of the robots tends to 1.0.There is no abrupt drop in the flowrate,similar to the collective motion of ants.We find that the robots will adjust their velocities by a serial of tiny collisions.The speed-adjustment will affect both robots involved in the collision,and will help to maintain a nearly uniform velocity for the robots.As a result,the flowrate drop will disappear.In the motion,the robots neither gather together nor scatter completely.Instead,they form some clusters to move together.These clusters are not stable during the moving process,but their sizes follow a power-law-alike distribution.We propose a theoretical model to simulate this collective motion process,which can reproduce these behaviors well.Analytic results about the flowrate behavior are also consistent with experiments.展开更多
To obtain the near optimal path for the mobile robots in the present of the obstacles, where the robots are subject to both the nonholonomic constraints and the bound to the curvature of the path, a simple planning i...To obtain the near optimal path for the mobile robots in the present of the obstacles, where the robots are subject to both the nonholonomic constraints and the bound to the curvature of the path, a simple planning is applied by the heuristic searching method in which Reeds and Shepp’s shortest paths are chosen as heuristic functions. It has performed well in simulation of mobile robots moving in a cluttered environment.展开更多
Industrial intelligent robots are treated as a measure of na- tional scientific level and technology innovation, and also the important symbol of high-level manufacturing, while service intelligent robots can directly...Industrial intelligent robots are treated as a measure of na- tional scientific level and technology innovation, and also the important symbol of high-level manufacturing, while service intelligent robots can directly affect people＇ s daily lives. The development of artificial robots in different areas is at- tracting much attention around the world. This article re- views the current situation and development of Chinese and international intelligent robot markets including industrial ro- bots and service robots. The intelligent robot technology and the classification of robots are also discussed. Finally, appli- cations of intelligent robots in various fields are concluded and the development trends and outlook of intelligent robots are explored.展开更多
To realize the coordinated and stable rhythmic motion of quadruped robots （QRs）, the locomotion control method of QRs based on central pattern generator （CPG） was explored. In tradi- tional control strategies base...To realize the coordinated and stable rhythmic motion of quadruped robots （QRs）, the locomotion control method of QRs based on central pattern generator （CPG） was explored. In tradi- tional control strategies based on CPG, few CPG models care about the intra-limb coordination of QRs, and the durations of stance phase and swing phase are always equal. In view of these deficien- cies, a new and simpler multi-joint coordinated control method for both inter-limb and intra-limb was proposed in this paper. A layered CPG control network to realize the locomotion control of QRs was constructed by using modified Hopf oscillators. The coupled relationships among hip joints of all limbs and between hip joint and knee joint within a limb were established. Using the co-simulation method of ADAMS and MATLAB/Simulink, various gait simulation experiments were carried out and the effectiveness of the designed control network was tested. Simulation results show that the pro- posed control method is effective for QRs and can meet the control requirements of QRs＇ gaits with different duty factors.展开更多
基金supported by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University(Project No.1-WZ1Y).
文摘In recent years,breakthrough has been made in the field of artificial intelligence(AI),which has also revolutionized the industry of robotics.Soft robots featured with high-level safety,less weight,lower power consumption have always been one of the research hotspots.Recently,multifunctional sensors for perception of soft robotics have been rapidly developed,while more algorithms and models of machine learning with high accuracy have been optimized and proposed.Designs of soft robots with AI have also been advanced ranging from multimodal sensing,human-machine interaction to effective actuation in robotic systems.Nonethe-less,comprehensive reviews concerning the new developments and strategies for the ingenious design of the soft robotic systems equipped with AI are rare.Here,the new development is systematically reviewed in the field of soft robots with AI.First,background and mechanisms of soft robotic systems are briefed,after which development focused on how to endow the soft robots with AI,including the aspects of feeling,thought and reaction,is illustrated.Next,applications of soft robots with AI are systematically summarized and discussed together with advanced strategies proposed for performance enhancement.Design thoughts for future intelligent soft robotics are pointed out.Finally,some perspectives are put forward.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(62176147)the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province of China,the State Key Lab of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology(DMETKF2019020)the National Defense Technology Innovation Special Zone Project(193-A14-226-01-01)。
文摘This study proposes a method for uniformly revolving swarm robots to entrap multiple targets,which is based on a gene regulatory network,an adaptive decision mechanism,and an improved Vicsek-model.Using the gene regulatory network method,the robots can generate entrapping patterns according to the environmental input,including the positions of the targets and obstacles.Next,an adaptive decision mechanism is proposed,allowing each robot to choose the most well-adapted capture point on the pattern,based on its environment.The robots employ an improved Vicsek-model to maneuver to the planned capture point smoothly,without colliding with other robots or obstacles.The proposed decision mechanism,combined with the improved Vicsek-model,can form a uniform entrapment shape and create a revolving effect around targets while entrapping them.This study also enables swarm robots,with an adaptive pattern formation,to entrap multiple targets in complex environments.Swarm robots can be deployed in the military field of unmanned aerial vehicles’(UAVs)entrapping multiple targets.Simulation experiments demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of the proposed gene regulatory network method.
文摘In order to find the test cube for industrial robots as specified by ISO 9283, a seed cube is grown up in an irregular working space of the robot, provided that the corners of the cube do not exceed the boundary of the working space. All possible cubes are searched, and the cube with the maximum volume is selected. The calculation examples show that the method of growth can be used for a variety of industrial robots. The method of growth can determine the test cube and test points of irregular working space according to ISO 9283, and can avoid blindness and randomness in the selection of test points.
文摘Based on an analysis of the relative shaft-to-hole position and attiude errors, as well as of the mechanics and Kinematics in the process of automatic assembly of industrial robots, the paper studies the principle of construction of dynamic wrists. Type I-3 and Ⅱ-6 dynamic compliant wrists have been designed and made. Prblems in the production of compliant elements and the connection between compliant elements and wrists were also solved. A study on the results of tests of the function of two kinds of dynamic compliant wrists shows that the dynamic compliant wrist's compliancy function can be improved by adding metallic materials having higher longitudinal and transverse rigidity into the softer elstomer. And the design Principle is proved to be feasible and practicable. It can be expected that the use of dynamic compliant wrist will greatly lower the technical requirements of the shaft-hole assembly and the requirements in the resetting accuracy.
基金Supported by Basic Research Foundation of Beijing Institute of Technology(20130242015)
文摘In order to reduce the system errors of dead reckoning and improve the localization accu- racy, a new model for systematic error of mobile robot was defined and a UMBmark-based method for calibrating and compensating systematic error was presented. Three dominant reasons causing systematic errors were considered： imprecise average wheel diameter, uncertainty about the effec- tive wheelbase and unequal wheel＇ s diameter. The new model for systematic errors is considering the coupling effect of the three factors during the localization of mobile robot. Three coefficients to calibrate average wheel diameter, effective wheelbase, left and right wheels＇ diameter were ob- tained. Then these three coefficients were used to make improvements on robot kinematic equations. The experiments on the dual-wheel drive mobile robot DaNI show that the presented method has achieveda significant improvement in the location accuracy compared with the UMBmark calibration.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11701138)the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province,China(Grant Nos.F2017202009 and F2018202075)
文摘The distributed event-triggered optimization problem for multiple nonholonomic robots has been studied to minimize the global battery energy consumption. Each robot possesses its own cost function which depends on the state of the hand position and represents battery energy consumption. By coordinate transformation, the dynamics of the hand positions can be formulated into two groups of first-order integrators. Then the distributed event-triggered optimization algorithm is designed such that the states of robots' hand positions exponentially converge to the optimizer of the global cost function.Meanwhile, the velocity and orientation of each robot are ensured to reach zero and a certain constant, respectively. Moreover, the inter-execution time is lower bounded and the Zeno behavior is therefore naturally avoided. Numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
基金Supported by Basic Research Foundation of Beijing Institute of Technology(20130242015)
文摘The small-tracked mobile robots（ STMRs） are small,portable and concealed,and they are widely used in scouting,investigation,rescue and assistance. In this paper,a mechanical model is established based on the multi-body dynamic software RecurD yn,and a control system is simulated through Simulink,including its kinematics model,speed controller,motors＇ model. Associating the mechanical and control model,the cosimulation model is established for STMRs. The co-simulation approach is applied to optimize the motor parameters. A series of experiments are conducted to examine the accuracy of the virtual prototype,and the results demonstrate that the STMR virtual prototype can exactly illustrate the dynamic performance of the physical one.The co-simulation of mechanical model and control model is applied in forecasting and debugging critical parameters,also it provides guidance in defining motor＇s peak current.
文摘A novel miniature pressure regulator is fabricated and studied. The regulator can easily be integrated into portable mechatronics or miniature robotic applications because of its lightweight and compact size. An especial poppet is designed to minimize its size and to withstand high-pressure. The pressure regulator is designed for a hopping robot which is powered by a combustion system. The hopping robot has great moving capacities such as jumping over big obstacles, wails and dit- ches. The regulator helps the hopping robot to decrease size and weight, and to sustain high pres- sure of oxygen and fuel tank. It will maintain constant output pressure to obtain suitable proportion of oxygen and fuel in the combustion cylinder. Dynamic simulation of the miniature pneumatic pres- sure regulator is performed. Experiments on prototype of miniature pneumatic pressure regulator are also carried out to validate the performance and satisfied performance is obtained.
基金Project supported by the Key Research and Development Program,China(Grant No.2016YFC0802508)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.11672289 and 11422221)
文摘In this paper,the collective motion of self-driven robots is studied experimentally and theoretically.In the channel,the flowrate of robots increases with the density linearly,even if the density of the robots tends to 1.0.There is no abrupt drop in the flowrate,similar to the collective motion of ants.We find that the robots will adjust their velocities by a serial of tiny collisions.The speed-adjustment will affect both robots involved in the collision,and will help to maintain a nearly uniform velocity for the robots.As a result,the flowrate drop will disappear.In the motion,the robots neither gather together nor scatter completely.Instead,they form some clusters to move together.These clusters are not stable during the moving process,but their sizes follow a power-law-alike distribution.We propose a theoretical model to simulate this collective motion process,which can reproduce these behaviors well.Analytic results about the flowrate behavior are also consistent with experiments.
文摘To obtain the near optimal path for the mobile robots in the present of the obstacles, where the robots are subject to both the nonholonomic constraints and the bound to the curvature of the path, a simple planning is applied by the heuristic searching method in which Reeds and Shepp’s shortest paths are chosen as heuristic functions. It has performed well in simulation of mobile robots moving in a cluttered environment.
文摘Industrial intelligent robots are treated as a measure of na- tional scientific level and technology innovation, and also the important symbol of high-level manufacturing, while service intelligent robots can directly affect people＇ s daily lives. The development of artificial robots in different areas is at- tracting much attention around the world. This article re- views the current situation and development of Chinese and international intelligent robot markets including industrial ro- bots and service robots. The intelligent robot technology and the classification of robots are also discussed. Finally, appli- cations of intelligent robots in various fields are concluded and the development trends and outlook of intelligent robots are explored.
基金Supported by the Ministerial Level Advanced Research Foundation(40401060305)
文摘To realize the coordinated and stable rhythmic motion of quadruped robots （QRs）, the locomotion control method of QRs based on central pattern generator （CPG） was explored. In tradi- tional control strategies based on CPG, few CPG models care about the intra-limb coordination of QRs, and the durations of stance phase and swing phase are always equal. In view of these deficien- cies, a new and simpler multi-joint coordinated control method for both inter-limb and intra-limb was proposed in this paper. A layered CPG control network to realize the locomotion control of QRs was constructed by using modified Hopf oscillators. The coupled relationships among hip joints of all limbs and between hip joint and knee joint within a limb were established. Using the co-simulation method of ADAMS and MATLAB/Simulink, various gait simulation experiments were carried out and the effectiveness of the designed control network was tested. Simulation results show that the pro- posed control method is effective for QRs and can meet the control requirements of QRs＇ gaits with different duty factors.
