The Infona portal uses cookies, i.e. strings of text saved by a browser on the user's device. The portal can access those files and use them to remember the user's data, such as their chosen settings (screen view, interface language, etc.), or their login data. By using the Infona portal the user accepts automatic saving and using this information for portal operation purposes. More information on the subject can be found in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By closing this window the user confirms that they have read the information on cookie usage, and they accept the privacy policy and the way cookies are used by the portal. You can change the cookie settings in your browser.
Three-dimensional stretching is needed to treat equinovarus, which deforms the patient's foot to plantarflexion, adduction, and inversion postures. We have prototyped a three-dimensional stretching machine that the patient can use for the treatment of equinovarus by him- or herself. By adopting a cable-driven mechanism with two independently controllable pneumatic actuators, the stretching machine...
From being soft, flexible and producing movement by contracting, soft linear actuators are said to have musclelike properties. Due to these similarities, they are often called “artificial muscle actuator.” However, the strain produced by these actuators is generally insufficient to be utilized in a large range of applications. Some solutions have been developed, but they sacrifice force to increase...
Lower back pain continues to be an issue worldwide. One cause of lower back pain is the burden on the lumbar region caused by the handling of heavy objects. To reduce this burden on the lumbar region in the lifting, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan has recommended a lifting technique called “squat lifting.” However this technique, which supports a large force on the knee, is not...
People with neuromuscular diseases request an arm support close to the body for assistance with their arm movements. This paper proposes a concept for a passive arm support based on bending beams to support the eating movement and that is close to the body. Simulations resulted in the final configuration and dimensions of the beams, optimized to balance an arm. One Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer...
This paper proposes a ceiling-robots system, con-CEILrge, for a new type service robots by separating a human living space and a robot work space. For the realization of such robot system, a triangle-shaped omni-crawler movement platform, the ceiling structure for the platform, a crane mechanism acceptable to the slant directional traction, and motion control considering variable tention from the...
A novel design concept is presented for amplifying the displacement of a PZT stack over 50-fold while transmitting a significant amount of work per cycle. Piezoelectric devices, such as PZT stack actuators, have a competitive power density, while consuming virtually no energy for generating a force at a constant position. Despite the salient features, the actual work usable for activating a load is...
NOTES (Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery), a recently developed form of minimally invasive surgery, has attracted attention as a new laparoscopic operation. However, manipulation of forceps throughout the surgery continues to be a burden to surgeons. Our previous research focused on designing a model that could carry forceps and a camera through the abdominal cavity. The robot moves...
Mollusks have a strong ability adapting to environment, many researchers have developed some soft robots mimicking the mollusks movements, but these soft robots usually have only one locomotion mode, which cannot effectively take into account the movement efficiency and the environment adaptability simultaneously. In this paper, we present a novel soft robot with three locomotion modes which are rolling,...
One of the main challenges in service robotics is to equip dexterous robotic hands with sensitive tactile sensors in order to cope with the inherent problems posed by unknown and unstructured environments. As the increasing mechatronic integration of complex robotic hands leaves little additional space for proprioceptive sensors, exteroceptive tactile sensors become more and more important. We present...
This paper puts forward a novel design solution for building a 3D hyper-redundant chain robot (HRCR) system, which consists of linked, identical modules and one base module. All the joints of this HRCR are passive and state controllable, and share common inputs introduced by wire-driven control, no matter how many degrees of freedom (DOF) are implemented using different numbers of modules. The prototype...
In this paper, a first prototype of a multifunctional tactile sensor using ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) is proposed, designed, and tested. Two IPMC strips are used, one as an actuator and one as a sensor, both positioned in a cantilever configuration; working together they enable the system to detect the presence of a material in contact with it and to measure its stiffness. These sensing...
Set the date range to filter the displayed results. You can set a starting date, ending date or both. You can enter the dates manually or choose them from the calendar.