Programmable Vibratory Force Fields for Parts Handling

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This project will study the use of sliding friction and impact dynamics for a variety of parts sorting, feeding, and transport applications at macro and mesoscopic scales. The investigation will be embodied in a six-degree-of-freedom vibratory plate that can be programmed to move with arbitrary periodic small-amplitude motion profiles. Parts resting on the plate move relative to the plate based on their geometry, mass distribution, and friction and restitution coefficients, as well as the programmable motion of the plate.The novelty of the proposed work is in using the programmability of the plate's motion to take full advantage of friction and impact effects, allowing it to perform a variety of functions simply by changing the software. These include the use of motion-controlled programmable force fields to allow individual control of the planar motion of multiple parts on the plate, parts sorting and singulation, and sensorless positioning and orienting of parts on the plate in three dimensions by creating programmable ``potential wells'' to trap the parts. The results of this research will be a better theory of the physics of vibration-induced motion as well as new technologies for industrial automation. We will recruit undergraduates to participate through independent projects and REU's. Graduate students involved in this research will benefit from participation in the interdisciplinary Institute on Complex Systems. Outreach plans include presentations and mentoring of science projects at the local high school.