SBIR Phase I: Lightweight Self-sensing Robotic End Effectors

SBIR 第一阶段：轻型自感知机器人末端执行器

• 批准号: 1938550
• 负责人: Mark Gummin
• 金额: $ 22.47万
• 依托单位: Miga Motor Company
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-03-15 至 2021-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1938550&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Lightweight; Self; sensing

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to develop silent assistive robotic arms and end-tools for new robotic applications. The lightweight and dexterous tools – on the end of an agile robotic arm – will be able to perform intricate tasks such as cutting, pinching, and grasping for uses as diverse as panning/tilting cameras, to assembly tasks, to picking soft fruits and berries. Beyond improved cost and energy efficiency, these new devices will enable new personal robot applications. In addition, due to their simplicity and significantly lower weight and size, the proposed products will consume fewer natural resources than their current counterparts and can be more easily recycled due to the smaller number of components, ultimately enabling greater use of assistive robotic devices.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will explore the potential of using using Shape Memory (SM) and Superelastic (SE) nitinol wires instead of motors. SM/SE wires are alloys of Nickel and Titanium that contract aggressively when heated with electrical current, producing large forces and modest stroke; they can enable lighter, more efficient robotic joints and tools to perform a variety of human tasks. The technical objectives are to design a lightweight, agile, and silent robotic arm and end effectors utilizing SM and SE nitinol wires to both drive and sense position and forces. The end effectors will be a pincher/gripper and a cutter. The arm and end tools will be designed for tasks and loads typically performed by human hands, creating new tools for applications and loads between delicate surgeries and larger-scale industrial usage.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是为新的机器人应用开发无声的辅助机器人手臂和终端工具。轻巧灵巧的工具-在敏捷的机器人手臂末端-将能够执行复杂的任务，如切割，捏和抓取，用于平移/倾斜相机，装配任务，采摘软水果和浆果等各种用途。除了提高成本和能源效率外，这些新设备还将实现新的个人机器人应用。此外，由于它们的简单性和显著更低的重量和尺寸，拟议的产品将消耗比目前的同类产品更少的自然资源，并且由于组件数量较少，可以更容易地回收，最终能够更多地使用辅助机器人设备。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将探索使用形状记忆（SM）和超弹性（SE）的潜力镍钛合金线代替马达。SM/SE线是镍和钛的合金，当用电流加热时会剧烈收缩，产生较大的力和适度的行程;它们可以使更轻，更有效的机器人关节和工具执行各种人类任务。技术目标是设计一种轻便、敏捷且静音的机器人手臂和末端执行器，利用SM和SE镍钛诺线来驱动和感测位置和力。末端执行器将是一个夹钳/夹具和一个切割器。手臂和末端工具将设计用于通常由人手执行的任务和负载，为精细手术和大规模工业用途之间的应用和负载创造新的工具。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。