SGER: Water Hammer Based Actuation for Application in Endoscopy

分布式驱动和传感是生物库中实现健壮移动和操纵的重要工具。该方案研究了一种基于“水锤”效应的分布式驱动方式。直观地说，这是随着阀门突然关闭，动量从流动的水转移到阀门。这种转移会产生三种不同的效果。传递到阀门的动量给机器人提供了推力。对于顺应性软管，转移到软管中还没有得到很好的研究，但似乎可以减少系绳的摩擦，暂时释放它，并推动系绳向前。最后，建立了一个还没有得到很好研究的行波。初步结果表明，这些效应的结合使系留机器人的操作范围远远超出了传统系绳失败的条件。在这个探索性方案中，高风险、高回报的研究旨在实现两个目标：展示内窥镜应用中水锤驱动的有效性，以及开发顺应性软管中反向压力波的有限元模型。这一模型将引导人们利用上述未解释的现象，使这些原则的普遍应用更容易实现。

Distributed actuation and sensing are important tools in the biological arsenal for achieving robust locomotion and manipulation. This proposal investigates a form of distributed actuation based on the "water hammer" effect. Intuitively, this is the transfer of momentum from the moving water to the valve as the valve suddenly closes. This transfer results in three separate effects. The momentum transfer to the valve imparts a push to the robot. The transfer to the hose has not been well studied for compliant hoses,but appears to reduce friction of the tether, temporarily freeing it and propulsing the tether forward. Finally, a travelling pressure wave is established that has not been well studied, either. Preliminary results have shown that the combination of these effects allows a tethered robot to extend its operational sphere well beyond conditions where a conventional tether would fail. The high-risk, high-reward research in this exploratory proposal aims to achieve two goals: demonstrate the effectiveness of water hammer actuation for endoscopic applications and to develop a finite element model of the reverse pressure wave in compliant hoses. This model will lead the way toward harnessing the unexplained phenomena mentioned above, making the general application of these principles more achievable.