Novel sensory-motor coupling in soft robotic systems

软机器人系统中的新型感觉-运动耦合

• 批准号: 1942482
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Bristol
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2017 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-1942482
• 关键词: Novel; sensory; motor; coupling; soft

The use of soft, flexible technologies in robotic systems is a fundamental shift from the traditional basis of how a robot should be designed. Compliant, deformable materials allow many biological principles to be emulated and this emerging soft approach can create robots that robustly deal with uncertainty, interact more safely with humans and compliantly move through unstructured environments. The inherent compliance in soft robotic systems can be exploited to devolve computation away from the central high-level processor. This approach takes inspiration from nature, where organisms such as octopuses reduce computational demands on their brain by embodying intelligence into their tentacles. Biological species achieve such advanced behaviour through carefully tuned morphological parameters and a high integration of muscle and sensory elements.This PhD will investigate how a soft robotic system's artificial muscles can be integrated with local sensory receptors to enable low-level computation through proprioceptive and environmental interaction. Inspired by nature, where sensory neurons often synapse in the spinal cord rather than the brain, novel technologies will be developed to enable dynamic low-level responses. This approach will be expanded by considering how different sensory modes can be exploited to create synaptic pathways to actuation. Devolving computation to distributed sensory-motor elements in soft robots will lead to advances in the dynamic responsiveness of multiple degree-of-freedom systems and concomitant reductions in the computational loading of the central processor. Decentralising the control of the artificial muscles in soft robots will also improve their robustness to uncertainty as emergent behaviours can arise from localised sensory-motor interactions. It is envisaged that this PhD will make contributions towards the next generation of soft robotic system that can generate dynamic, multi-functional behaviours in a safe and efficient manner.

在机器人系统中使用柔软、灵活的技术是对机器人设计传统基础的根本转变。顺从的可变形材料可以模拟许多生物原理，这种新兴的软方法可以创造出能够稳健地处理不确定性、更安全地与人类互动并在非结构化环境中顺从移动的机器人。可以利用软机器人系统固有的合规性将计算从中央高级处理器中转移出来。这种方法的灵感来自于大自然，章鱼等生物体通过将智能融入其触手来减少对大脑的计算需求。生物物种通过精心调整的形态参数以及肌肉和感觉元素的高度集成来实现如此先进的行为。本博士将研究如何将软机器人系统的人造肌肉与局部感觉受体集成，以通过本体感受和环境相互作用实现低级计算。受大自然的启发，感觉神经元通常在脊髓而不是大脑中产生突触，新技术将被开发出来以实现动态的低水平反应。该方法将通过考虑如何利用不同的感觉模式来创建突触驱动路径来扩展。将计算转移到软机器人中的分布式感觉运动元件将导致多自由度系统的动态响应能力的进步，并随之减少中央处理器的计算负载。分散软机器人中人造肌肉的控制也将提高其对不确定性的鲁棒性，因为局部感觉运动相互作用可能会产生紧急行为。预计该博士将为下一代软机器人系统做出贡献，该系统可以安全有效地产生动态、多功能行为。

项目成果

RUBIC: An Untethered Soft Robot With Discrete Path Following.

• DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2019.00052
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: Frontiers in robotics and AI
• 影响因子: 3.4
• 作者: Chen HY;Diteesawat RS;Haynes A;Partridge AJ;Simons MF;Werner E;Garrad M;Rossiter J;Conn AT
• 通讯作者: Conn AT

Buckling Elements for Elastomer Deformation

用于弹性体变形的屈曲元件

• DOI: 10.1109/robosoft.2019.8722820
• 发表时间: 2019
• 作者: Partridge A

Passive, Reflex Response Units for Reactive Soft Robotic Systems

• DOI: 10.1109/lra.2020.2985618
• 发表时间: 2020-07-01
• 期刊: IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
• 影响因子: 5.2
• 作者: Partridge, Alix J.;Conn, Andrew T.
• 通讯作者: Conn, Andrew T.