SBIR Phase I: Autonomous Telescoping Actuators For Distributed-Control Robotic Platforms

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一期项目将使一个智能家庭的发展成为可能。自动化元素可以相互连接，以比当前解决方案低得多的成本为广泛的目的提供机器人。这个概念使用了自动伸缩支柱和相互连接的枢纽，可以很容易地组装成智能机构。支柱包括一个新的紧凑的传动称为球转子，能够在一个阶段非常高的机械优势。每个支柱都有一个独立的、可编程的控制系统，通过嵌入式网络与其他支柱进行通信，为机器人提供多任务控制系统。S程序运动。这种新设备将比现有的替代设备功能更强大，而且更便宜，因为它更简单。该项目将通过生产和测试该技术所涉及的基本组件的功能原型来测试这一概念的可行性。本文提出的研究重点是了解支撑的性能。这些将被测试、测量和建模，以确保已知的有效工作速度和负载范围，应力是可持续的，并且了解材料限制。这些都是确保设备可靠工作所必需的。这个项目的广泛影响/商业潜力与这种新型自动化解决方案的多功能性、易于编程、更大的功能和（预计的）显著降低的成本有关。我们期望早期的采用者包括自动化供应商（易于组装定制机制，并且成本更低），制造业（容易组装更简单的自动化以提高生产力），以及学术市场（学生在不同配置中重用自主支柱）。较低的成本还将使许多目前因费用和对专业知识的需求而被排除在自动化之外的活动中的应用程序成为可能。我们的愿景是通过使基本组件价格低廉和用户友好的方式，激发广泛有用的智能机制的发展。当个人电脑从昂贵的专业大型机演变为普通大众日常依赖的设备时，这将与个人电脑的影响相媲美。普及机器人技术对于增加将机器人解决方案应用于非传统领域、打开新市场的人才数量至关重要。它可以保持美国的经济优势，尤其是在全球自动化竞赛中。低成本、易于实施的机器人技术将提高美国相对于低成本外国劳动力的竞争力。这是提高美国制造业潜力、创造新的高价值就业岗位的关键。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will enable development of a family of ?smart? automation elements that can be interlinked to provide robotics for a wide range of purposes at a significantly lower cost than current solutions. The concept uses autonomous telescoping struts and interconnecting hubs that can be readily assembled into smart mechanisms. The struts include a novel compact transmission called a ball rotor that is capable of very high mechanical advantages in a single stage. Each strut has an independent, programmable, control system that communicates with the other struts it is linked to over an embedded network providing a multitasking control system for the robot?s programmed motions. The new device will be more capable than existing alternatives and less expensive because it is simpler. This project will test the viability of the concept by producing and testing functioning prototypes of the basic components involved in the technology. The proposed research focuses on understanding the performance of the struts. These will be tested, measured and modeled to ensure that the ranges of useful working speeds and loads are known, stresses are sustainable, and material limitations are understood ? all necessary to ensure a dependable working device.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is tied to versatility, ease of programming, greater capabilities and (projected) significantly lower costs of this novel automation solution. We expect early adopters to include automation suppliers (ease of assembling customized mechanisms, and lower costs), manufacturing (readily assembled simpler automation for productivity boosts), and the academic market (students re-use autonomous struts in different configurations). The lower cost will also enable applications in many activities that are currently shut out of automation by the expense and need for specialist knowledge. Our vision is to trigger the development of a vast range of useful, smart mechanisms by making the basic components inexpensive and user-friendly. This will parallel the impact of PCs when they evolved from, expensive, specialized mainframes into the devices that the general public relies on daily. Democratizing access to robotics is crucial to increasing the number of minds that apply robotic solutions in non-traditional areas, opening new markets. It could preserve an economic edge for the US, especially in a global race-to-automate. Lower-cost, and easily implemented robotics will improve US competitiveness vs. low-cost foreign labor. This is key to improving manufacturing potential in the US, and creating new higher value jobs.