SBIR Phase I: Lightweight Self-sensing Robotic End Effectors

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是为新的机器人应用开发无声辅助机械臂和终端工具。这些轻巧的工具位于灵活的机械臂的末端，将能够执行复杂的任务，如切割、捏和抓取各种用途，如平移/倾斜摄像头、组装任务、采摘软果和浆果。除了提高成本和能源效率外，这些新设备还将使新的个人机器人应用成为可能。此外，由于它们的简单性以及显著降低的重量和尺寸，建议的产品将比目前的同类产品消耗更少的自然资源，并且由于组件数量更少，可以更容易地回收，最终使辅助机器人设备能够得到更多的使用。这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将探索使用形状记忆(SM)和超弹性(SE)镍钛合金丝取代电机的潜力。SM/SE焊丝是镍和钛的合金，在电流加热时会发生剧烈收缩，产生较大的力和较小的行程；它们可以使更轻、更高效的机器人关节和工具执行各种人类任务。其技术目标是设计一种轻巧、灵活和无声的机械臂和末端执行器，利用SM和SE镍钛合金导线来驱动和感知位置和力。末端执行器将是夹持器/夹持器和切割器。手臂和末端工具将为通常由人手执行的任务和负载而设计，为精细手术和更大规模的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优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.