Sharif Digital Repository

The control of a brachiation robot has been the primary objective of this study. A brachiating robot is a type of a mobile arm that is capable of moving from branch to branch similar to a long-armed ape. In this paper, to minimize the actuator work, Pontryagin's minimum principle was used to obtain the optimal trajectories for two different problems. The first problem considers “brachiation between fixed branches with different distance and height,” whereas the second problem deals with the “brachiating and catching of a moving target branch”. Theoretical results show that the control effort in the proposed method is reduced by 25% in comparison with the “target dynamics” method which was... 

In this work, we introduce a category of dynamic manipulation processes, namely passive dynamic object manipulation, according to which an object is manipulated passively. Specifically, we study passive dynamic manipulation here. We define the main concept, discuss the challenges, and talk about the future directions. Like other passive robotic systems, there are no actuators in these systems. The object follows a path and travels along it under the effect of its own weight, as well as the interaction force applied by each manipulator on it. We select some simple examples to show the concept. For each example, dynamic equations of motion are derived and the stability of the process is taken... 

This paper presents the effect of robotics assisted language learning (RALL) on the vocabulary learning and retention of Iranian English as foreign language (EFL) junior high school students in Tehran, Iran. After taking a vocabulary pre-test, 46 beginner level female students at the age of 12, studying in their first year of junior-high participated in two groups of RALL (30 students) and non-RALL (16 students) in this study. The textbook used was the English book (Prospect-1) devised by the Iranian Ministry of Education for 7th graders, and the vocabulary taught and tested (pre-test and post-test) were taken from this book. Moreover, the treatment given by a teacher accompanied by a... 

In this paper, the agent velocity in robotic swarm was determined by using particle swarm optimization (PSO) to maximize the robotic swarm coordination velocity. A swarm as supposed here is homogenous and includes at least two members. Motion and behavior of swarm members are mostly result of two different phenomena: interactive mutual forces and influence of the agent. Interactive mutual forces comprise both attraction and repulsion. To be more realistic the field of the swarm members' view is not infinity. So influence of the coordinator agent on the robotic swarm would be local. The objective here is to guide the robotic swarm with maximum possible velocity. According to equation motion... 

In this paper, we consider a control strategy of multi-robot systems, or simply, swarms, based on emotional control technique. First, we briefly discuss a "kinematic" swarm model in n-dimensional space introduced in an earlier paper. In that model, motion of every swarm member is governed by predefined inter-individual interactions. Limitations of every member's field of view are also considered in that model. After that, we consider a general model for vehicle dynamics of each swarm member, and use emotional control theory to force their motion to obey the dynamics of the kinematic model. Based on the kinematic model, stability (cohesion) analysis is performed and coordination controller.is... 

In this paper, the path planning problem of special hyper-redundant manipulator with lockable joints is solved using particle swarm optimization. There is a locking mechanism in each link of this tendon-actuated manipulator. At any time, all links of the manipulator must be locked except one. Then by pulling the cables, the configuration of the corresponding link will change and the manipulator will tilt to its new position. Therefore, by unlocking the links in sequence and pulling the cables, any desirable configuration of manipulator can be reached. In path planning problem, the desired path of the end-effector is given and the optimum sequence of switching (discrete) and the optimum... 

In this paper application of Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC) as actuator in a deformable ring capable of locomotion is studied. Such a deformable ring moves as a result of gravitational force acting on its body when its shape changes. It can be used in exploration, search and rescue missions in future, where using conventional robots with rigid bodies and actuators is impossible. Large deformation induced by small stimulating voltage, low stiffness the sensing characteristics that in future work can be used in feedback control make IPMC a good choice for such an application. In this work first a model for IPMC is introduce that can be used in simulating deformation of IPMC in different... 

Differential Evolution (DE) and Genetic Algorithms (GA) are population based search algorithms that come under the category of evolutionary optimization techniques. In the present study, these evolutionary methods have been utilized to conduct the optimum design of a fuzzy controller for mobile robot trajectory tracking. Comparison between their performances has also been conducted. In this paper, we will present a fuzzy controller to the problem of mobile robot path tracking for a CEDRA rescue robot. After designing the fuzzy tracking controller, the membership functions will be optimized by evolutionary algorithms in order to obtain more acceptable results  

The design of a new cable-driven robot for large-scale manipulation is presented with focus on the tension condition in the cables. In this robot, the arrangement of the cables is such that the moving platform has three translational motions. The robot has potentials for large-scale robotic manipulations, machining of large parts and material handling. The design analysis presented here is towards the synthesis of the robot as well as the sizing of the actuators and cables. The synthesis of this robot is dependent on the results of the tensionable workspace analysis previously published by the Alikhani et al. [6]. The analysis of the cable forces is presented in detail, which is then used to... 

Because of errors in the geometric parameters of parallel robots, it is necessary to calibrate them to improve the positioning accuracy for accurate task performance. Traditionally, to perform system calibration, one needs to measure a number of robot poses using an external measuring device. However, this process is often time-consuming, expensive and difficult for robot on-line calibration. In this paper, a methodical way of calibration of parallel robots is introduced. This method is performable only by measuring joint variable vector and positioning differences relative to a constant position in some sets of configurations that the desired positions in each set are fixed, but the moving... 

To have a complete model of a thunniform Fish-Robot, models of both body and tail are required. The dynamic model of the body is developed according to the parameters of a thunniform Fish-Robot built in MIT University, while, as the main part of this paper, the dynamic model of the tail is developed using fuzzy logic. Using experimental data and table look-up scheme, a fuzzy black box is introduced that gives the value of thrust force generated for any value of the Fish-Robot's input parameters: frequency of tail oscillation, amplitude of tail oscillation and speed of the Fish-Robot. In the second part, a trajectory fuzzy controller is designed for the Fish-Robot. The output of trajectory... 

In this paper, modeling and control of a new cable-driven robot is presented. In this mechanism, the cable arrangement eliminates the rotational motions leaving the moving platform with three translational motion. The mechanism has potentials for large scale manipulation and robotics in harsh environments. In this article kinematics and dynamics models for the proposed cable-driven architecture are derived. Additionally, Feedback linearization under input constraints is used for the control of the robot. The control algorithm ensures the cable tensions are positive while minimizing the sum of all the torques exerted by the actuators. Finally, the implementation of the proposed method is... 

The robots that can move on rough terrains are very important especially in Rescue operation, exploration, etc. In this research, a mechanism is introduced for a ring-like robot with a flexible body. This robot is moved by arms which are placed radially and have Reciprocating motion in this direction. By controlling the contraction and the extension of the arms which contact lhe ground, the robot will be forced to move which is called rolling-creeping motion. The robot is stable in stationary state.; also the maximum angle which it can be stable is determined. Considering the speed of contracted arm is the input parameter, the speed of the extended arm for locomotion of the robot has been... 

Four nonlinear Model Reference Adaptive Impedance Controllers are introduced, tested, and compared for the control of the robot impedance with uncertainties in model parameters. The intended application area is human-robot interactions (HRI), particularly rehabilitation robots and haptic interfaces. All of the controllers make the closed-loop dynamics of the robot similar to the reference impedance model besides providing asymptotic tracking of the impedance model for the robot end-effector in Cartesian coordinates. The tracking and global stability are proved using Lyapunov stability theorem. Based on the simulations and experiments on a two-DOFs robot, the effectiveness of the proposed... 

We consider the problem of walking a robot in an unknown polygon called “street”, starting from a point (Formula presented.) to reach a target (Formula presented.). The robot is assumed to have minimal sensing capability in a way that cannot infer any geometric properties of the environment, such as its coordinates, angles or distances; but it is equipped with a sensor that can only detect the discontinuities in the depth information (or gaps). Our robot can also locate the target point (Formula presented.) as soon as it enters in robot’s visibility region. In addition, one pebble is assumed to be available to the robot to be used as an identifiable point and to mark any position of the... 

In this paper, the problem of obtaining the optimal trajectory of a Dual-Arm Cam-Lock (DACL) robot is addressed. The DACL robot is a reconfigurable manipulator consisting of two cooperative arms, which may act separately. These may also be cam-locked in each other in some links and thus lose some degrees of freedom while gaining higher structural stiffness. This will also decrease their workspace volume. It is aimed to obtain the optimal configuration of the robot and the optimal joint trajectories to minimize the consumed energy for following a specific task space path. The Pontryagin's Minimum Principle is utilized with a shooting method to resolve kinematic redundancy. Numerical examples... 

Purpose - This paper aims to present the design and implementation of VirSense, a novel six-DOF haptic interface system, with an emphasis on its gravity compensation and fixed-base motors. Design/methodology/approach - In this paper, the design and manufacture of the VirSense robot and its comparison with the existing haptic devices are presented. The kinematic analysis of the robot, design of the components, and manufacturing of the robot are explained as well. Findings - The proposed system is employed to generate a Virtual Sense (VirSense) with fixed-base motors and a spring compensation system for counterbalancing the torques generated by the weight of the links. The fixed bases of the... 

In this paper, a nonlinear model reference adaptive impedance controller is proposed and tested. The controller provides asymptotic tracking of a reference impedance model for the robot end-effector in Cartesian coordinates applicable to rehabilitation robotics or any other human-robot interactions such as haptic systems. The controller uses the parameters of a desired stable reference model which is the target impedance for the robots end-effector. It also considers uncertainties in the model parameters of the robot. The asymptotic tracking is proven using Lyapunov stability theorem. Moreover, the adaptation law is proposed in joint space for reducing the complexity of its calculations;... 

Experimental hydrodynamics imaging of four Pangasius sanitwongsei were considered. A quantitative characterization of caudal fin is presented in this article. Steady swimming of four P. sanitwongsei with different total length was studied experimentally and taped by high-speed digital video, and undulatory movement of each fish at different velocity was revealed. The pattern of body undulatory movement of the fish was drawn from the video images. Three main factors that determine the fish swimming behavior are Reynolds number, Strouhal number and shape. In this study, Lf/L was chosen as a characteristic of shape, where Lf was the distance from the start of the head to the end of the head.... 

This paper studies a brachiation robot that is a long armed locomotion similar to apes. The robot has 2 revolute joints but only one of them is actuated. In this paper, after deriving dynamic model of the robot the Controlled Lagrangian (CL) method is used for stabilization. The matching conditions satisfied for the controller are derived and the extended λ-method is used to solve PDE's involved in the method of controlled lagrangian. Satisfactory controller's gains are chosen by PSO algorithm. Finally, feasibility of the developed controller is investigated by numerical simulations