Actuators, Volume 7, Issue 4

In this paper, the author presents the adaptive control design and stability analysis of robotic manipulators based on two main approaches, i.e., Lyapunov stability theory and hyperstability theory. For the Lyapunov approach, the author presents the...

The work at hand focuses on an adaptive system aimed at improving the soundproof performance of car door seals at specific regimes (cruise), without interfering with the conventional opening and closing operations. The idea addresses the necessity of...

Flywheel Energy Storage Systems are interesting solutions for energy storage, featuring advantageous characteristics when compared to other technologies. This has motivated research effort focusing mainly on cost aspects, system reliability and energ...

Compliant mechanisms based on flexure hinges are widely used in precision engineering applications. Among those are devices such as precision balances and mass comparators with achievable resolutions and uncertainties in the nano-newton range. The ex...

Manipulating micro objects has become an important task in several applications. Actuation is a crucial aspect of micromanipulation because there are physical restrictions which affect actuators’ performances at the micro or nano scale. One way...

A force generator module (FGM) based on magnetorheological fluid (MRF) was developed to provide force-feedback information for applications in tele-robotic bone biopsy procedures. The FGM is capable of rapidly re-producing a wide range of forces that...

Looking at new trends in global policies, electric vehicles (EVs) are expected to increasingly replace gasoline vehicles in the near future. For current electric vehicles, the motor current driving system and the braking control system are two indepe...

In production processes, many adjustment tasks have to be carried out manually. In order to automate these activities, there is a need for cost and space efficient actuators that can provide comparatively high forces. This paper presents a novel actu...

In this paper, two different torque control approaches for PMA-driven (PMA = Pneumatic muscle actuator) revolute joints are presented and tested. In previous work controllers for PMA-driven robots are typically customized for the use on a specific ro...

This research explores a new realm of soft robotic materials where the stiffness magnitude, directionality, and spatial resolution may be precisely controlled. These materials mimic biological systems where localized muscle contractions and adjustmen...

Rings with Hirth couplings are primarily used for the accurate positioning of axial-symmetric components in the machine tool industry and, generally, in mechanical components. It is also possible to use Hirth rings as connection tools. Specific indus...

This paper presents both an experimental and a numerical study concerning the mechanical response of a silicon microgripper with bidirectional electrostatic actuation to externally applied excitations. The experimental set-up is composed of a probe s...

The plasma synthetic jet actuator (PSJA), also named as sparkjet actuator, is a special type of zero-net mass flux actuator, driven thermodynamically by pulsed arc/spark discharge. Compared to widely investigated mechanical synthetic jet actuators dr...

Electrically-driven direct current (DC) motors are the core component of conventional robots thanks to the ease of computer control and high torque for their size. However, DC motors are often manually attached and soldered into robotic assemblies, a...

Dielectric elastomers are in a special class of electro-active polymers known for generating expansion in plane and contraction in thickness under voltage application. This paper advances the understanding of a planar contractile dielectric elastomer...

The mechanical characterization of biological samples is a fundamental issue in biology and related fields, such as tissue and cell mechanics, regenerative medicine and diagnosis of diseases. In this paper, a novel approach for the identification of...

Advancements in software engineering have enabled the robotics industry to transition from the use of giant industrial robots to more friendly humanoid robots. Soft robotics is one of the key elements needed to advance the transition process by provi...

Biodegradable ionic polymer metallic composite (IPMC) electroactive polymers (EAPs) were fabricated using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with various concentrations of lithium perchlorate. Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) rods created from a sulfuric acid...

Because they can achieve a high degree of molecular chain alignment in comparison with their bulk counterparts, the mechanical and thermal properties of polymer nanofibers are of great interest. However, due to their nanometer-scale size, it is diffi...

The evolution of microelectronic technologies is giving constant impulse to advanced micro-scaled systems which perform complex operations. In fact, the actual micro and nano Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS/NEMS) easily integrate information-gatheri...

The hysteresis motor technology combined with the magnetic suspension makes bearingless hysteresis drives very appealing for high- and ultra-high-speed applications. Such systems exploit the magnetic behavior of the rotor material to achieve mechanic...

Axial magnetic bearing actuators often lack the bandwidth necessary to achieve the desired closed loop performance due to their nonlaminated construction. Since bandwidth can be directly related to actuator material and geometric properties, an oppor...

Synthetic jet actuators (SJA) are emerging in various engineering applications, from flow separation and noise control in aviation to thermal management of electronics. A SJA oscillates a flexible membrane inside a cavity connected to a nozzle produc...

This paper investigates the basic deflection properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane as an actuator component in a microfluidic device. Polydimethylsiloxane membrane is a widely used structure in various applications in microfluidics. Most...

This paper presents the design and testing of a novel flexure-based compliant compound constant-force mechanism (CCFM). One uniqueness of the proposed mechanism lies in that it achieves both constant-force input and constant-force output, which is en...

The number of studies on microgrippers has increased consistently in the past decade, among them the numeric simulations and material characterization are quite common, while the metrological issues related to their performance testing are not well i...

Estimations of magnetic flux linkages, either between the stationary windings of the stator for the direct torque control (DTC), or between the stationary windings and the rotor for the sensorless field-oriented control (FOC), are based on integratio...