An underwater hexapod robot, driven by six C-shaped legs and eight thrusters, has the potential to traverse diverse terrains with unknown deformable properties, which can lead to unknown leg–terrain interaction forces. However, it is hard to use exteroceptive sensors such as cameras and sonars to recognize these properties. Here we propose a method to perceive the interaction … [Read more...] about Terrain-Adaptive Locomotion Control for an Underwater Hexapod Robot: Sensing Leg–Terrain Interaction With Proprioceptive Sensors
Legged locomotion
Tensegristats: Lightweight Untethered Morphing Robots
Flexible and shape-shifting structures are common in nature. Creating shape-shifting machines using rigid components requires complex design work. Soft robotic attempts are closer to the muscular hydrostats they mimic but are slow and inefficient untethered and do not generally allow large-scale shape change between forms. Here we present the idea of “tensegristat” robots in … [Read more...] about Tensegristats: Lightweight Untethered Morphing Robots
Tumbling Robot Control Using Reinforcement Learning: An Adaptive Control Policy That Transfers Well to the Real World
Tumbling robots are simple platforms that are able to traverse large obstacles relative to their size, at the cost of being difficult to control. Existing control methods apply only a subset of possible robot motions and make the assumption of flat terrain. Reinforcement learning (RL) allows for the development of sophisticated control schemes that can adapt to diverse … [Read more...] about Tumbling Robot Control Using Reinforcement Learning: An Adaptive Control Policy That Transfers Well to the Real World
An Intelligent Rehabilitation Robot With Passive and Active Direct Switching Training
The demand for walking training robots has increased owing to a serious shortage of rehabilitation physiotherapists. However, the intelligence level of existing rehabilitation training robots is low; these robots cannot realize a direct switch between passive and active training, which makes rehabilitees lack interest in training and deteriorates the effect of rehabilitation … [Read more...] about An Intelligent Rehabilitation Robot With Passive and Active Direct Switching Training
Damping in Compliant Actuation: A Review
Compliant actuator technology aims at building robots capable of physically interacting with humans and the environment, matching the versatility and capacity of biological systems. Recently, it underwent a significant evolution with the introduction of damping to improve performance. Such development reflects several aspects, including energy saving and oscillation mitigation. … [Read more...] about Damping in Compliant Actuation: A Review
