Smart tendon-based systems

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Tendon-based structures are formed by a network of tendon elements (such as cables) coupled to a few rigid bodies and configured in a stable state such that all the tendons are in tension and rigid bodies are under compression. Tendon-based structures have significantly lower weight and inertia compared to conventional structures for a certain level of strength. I have used this idea to develop several new tendon-based manipulators with pure translational motion for high speed pick-and-place applications. These manipulators proved to have an impressive performance with less cost compared to the top available commercial robots. The proposed research will study and develop smart tendon-based systems by integrating contractile actuators (known as artificial muscles) as active tendons into tendon-based structures. The goal is to develop a new class of ultra-light mechanisms whose shape and mechanical properties, including stiffness, can be directly controlled by the length and antagonistic tension of the tendons. Use of embedded actuators and capacity for miniaturization, the low weight, high strength and flexibility of these systems and the ability to provide complex motions resemble the moving capabilities of insects and hence, can revolutionize the approaches to the design of robotic mechanisms. Two smart tendon-based systems are to be developed. First, a multi-layer smart tendon-based system will be designed to serve as a robotic arm with a payload-to-weight ratio greater than one. The goal is to prove the concept that tendon-based mechanisms can effectively change their shape and configuration when actuated with artificial muscles. In the second tendon-based mechanism, the internal antagonistic tension of the tendons provided by artificial muscles will be used to control the stiffness. The stiffness control can be used to build adaptive suspensions or mechanical filters for noise and vibration isolation.