Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Symbiotic Systems

这项计划拨款将支持创建一个新的NSF共生系统工程研究中心。 共生系统是以和谐的方式协助人类完成日常任务的机器和机器人系统，不会产生不必要的物理障碍，限制或分心。 这些系统的目的是通过辅助机器人技术和可穿戴技术来提高生产力，移动性，健康和生活质量。 开发这些技术的一个重要科学挑战是引入新型软材料电机，传感器和电子器件，以模仿天然肌肉，皮肤和神经组织的特性。 另一个挑战是引入集成的材料架构、模型和数据驱动的算法，使这些机器人系统仅在人类用户有意时才能提供主动支持和运动辅助。 除了对人类福祉的潜在影响外，该中心开发的智能共生系统还代表了跨学科科学教育和劳动力培训以及扩大包容性的机会。 这些机会充分利用了与以人为本的可穿戴技术相关的利益相关者、社会努力和技术学科的丰富多样性。拟议的ERC将建立一个科学和技术框架，用于创建个性化、动态响应和可重构的辅助机器人技术，并与实验室或临床环境之外的日常人类活动兼容。 这种系统将是“共生的”，与身体进行密切的物理互动，并在不损害自然身体功能的情况下协助康复、神经肌肉功能、疾病筛查和诊断以及治疗。 这将通过使用允许选择性机械阻抗和致动沿着形状可重构性和可逆刚度调谐的软材料架构来实现。 实现这些目标需要多个学科的融合，包括材料科学与工程、机器人、医学、生物力学、机械工程、人机交互、电气与计算机工程、人类心理学和人工智能。在这一努力的规划阶段，我们将追求以下目标：（i）确定并与研究，医疗保健，工业和社会的利益相关者合作，以完善ERC愿景;（ii）建立合作伙伴关系，以创建一个多元化，跨学科的专家团队，以解决科学挑战和发现，技术转化和社会影响的各个方面;（iii）建立合作伙伴关系，以创建一个跨学科的专家团队。以及（iii）为劳动力培训、创业活动和教育推广创建一个框架，以确保全面和可持续的影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Planning Grant will support efforts to create a new NSF Engineering Research Center on Symbiotic Systems. Symbiotic Systems are machines and robotic systems that assist humans with daily tasks in a harmonious manner that does not create unnecessary physical impediments, constraints, or distractions. The purpose of these systems is to improve productivity, mobility, health, and quality of life through the aid of assistive robotics and wearable technologies. An important scientific challenge in developing these technologies is to introduce new types of soft material motors, sensors, and electronics that mimic the properties of natural muscle, skin, and nervous tissue. Another challenge is to introduce integrated material architectures, models, and data-driven algorithms that allow these robotic systems to provide active support and motor assistance only when intended by the human user. Beyond its potential impact on human well-being, the intelligent symbiotic systems developed by this center also represent opportunities for interdisciplinary scientific education and workforce training as well as broadened inclusion. Such opportunities leverage the rich diversity of stakeholders, societal endeavors, and technical disciplines that relate to human-centered wearable technologies.The proposed ERC will establish a scientific and technological framework for creating assistive robotic technologies that will be personalized, dynamically responsive and reconfigurable, and compatible with daily human activity outside of a laboratory or clinical setting. Such systems will be “symbiotic,” engaging in intimate physical interaction with the body and assisting in rehabilitation, neuromuscular function, disease screening and diagnostics, and therapy without impairing natural bodily function. This will be achieved through the use of soft material architectures that allow for selective mechanical impedance and actuation along with shape reconfigurability and reversible stiffness tuning. Achieving these goals requires the convergence of several disciplines, including materials science and engineering, robotics, medicine, biomechanics, mechanical engineering, human-computer interaction, electrical and computer engineering, human psychology, and artificial intelligence. During the planning phase of this effort, we will pursue the following objectives: (i) Identify and engage with stakeholders in research, healthcare, industry, and society to refine the ERC vision; (ii) Establish partnerships to create a diverse, interdisciplinary team of experts to tackle the various facets of scientific challenges and discovery, technology translation, and societal impact; and (iii) Create a framework for workforce training, entrepreneurial activity, and educational outreach to ensure comprehensive and sustainable impact.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.