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Actuators
Special Issues
Design and Control of Compliant Manipulators
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Design and Control of Compliant Manipulators

A special issue of Actuators (ISSN 2076-0825).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2018) | Viewed by 27829

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Qingsong Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Electromechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau 999078, China
Interests: MEMS/NEMS; micro/nano mechatronics; micro/nano systems; compliant mechanisms; soft robots; force and tactile sensing; sensors and actuators; smart materials and structures; robotics and automation; computational intelligence; intelligent control; robust and adaptive control; prognosis and diagnosis; structural health monitoring; energy harvesting

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As popular robotic devices, compliant manipulators are based on compliant mechanisms that deliver displacement/force by elastic deformation of the materials. Such devices produce smooth and repeatable motion without the issues of friction, backlash, and wear in conventional mechanisms. Motion transmission is realized by flexure hinges/beams/diaphragms, cables, springs, soft materials, etc. Targeting at different tasks, compliant manipulators can be driven by various actuators such as smart materials actuators (e.g., piezoelectric actuator, shape memory alloy, magnetostrictive actuator, ionic polymer, dielectric elastomer), electromagnetic actuators, fluidic/pneumatic actuators, electrothermal actuators, etc. Compliant manipulators have been applied extensively in different scenarios ranging from macro-, micro- to nano-scale. Example applications including micro/nano-manipulation, assembly automation, medical instruments, rehabilitation robots, biomedical engineering, and so on. Such applications are enabled by the design and implementation of sophisticated control strategies, involving motion control, force control, visual servo control, intelligent control, etc. The main focus of this Special Issue is on new design, control and applications of compliant manipulators dedicated to diverse science and engineering fields.

Dr. Qingsong Xu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Actuators is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Compliant mechanisms
  • Flexure hinges
  • Flexible structures
  • Soft robots
  • Cable-driven robots
  • Micro/nano robots
  • Smart materials actuators
  • Electromagnetic actuators
  • Soft actuators
  • Bio-inspired robots
  • Continuum robots
  • Variable-stiffness devices
  • Compliant grippers
  • MEMS devices
  • Micro/nano-positioning
  • Micro/nano-manipulation
  • Rehabilitation robots
  • Medical robots
  • Biomedical devices
  • Precision instruments
  • Modeling
  • System identification
  • Motion control
  • Force control
  • Visual servo control
  • Intelligent control
  • Robotics
  • Mechatronics

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 3705 KiB  
Article
Design and Fabrication of a New Dual-Arm Soft Robotic Manipulator
by Yaxi Wang and Qingsong Xu
Actuators 2019, 8(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/act8010005 - 4 Jan 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 8284
Abstract
This paper presents the design and implementation of a dual-arm soft robotic manipulator. It consists of two soft manipulators, which are driven by pneumatic actuators. Each soft manipulator is composed of three soft modules, and each module includes three evenly distributed cavities inside. [...] Read more.
This paper presents the design and implementation of a dual-arm soft robotic manipulator. It consists of two soft manipulators, which are driven by pneumatic actuators. Each soft manipulator is composed of three soft modules, and each module includes three evenly distributed cavities inside. The flexible bending deformation of the soft module is produced by regulating the air pressure and changing the applying sequence to the cavities. The design and fabrication of the manipulator are presented in detail. The cooperation of the dual-arm soft robotic manipulator is implemented by adopting visual servo control. Experimental testing was carried out to demonstrate the manipulator performance. Unlike a single-arm manipulator, the robotic manipulator with dual arms features high flexibility, adaptability, and safety. The feasibility of the proposed dual-arm soft robotic manipulator is demonstrated by executing assembly tasks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Control of Compliant Manipulators)
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16 pages, 3538 KiB  
Article
On Modeling the Bending Stiffness of Thin Semi-Circular Flexure Hinges for Precision Applications
by Mario André Torres Melgarejo, Maximilian Darnieder, Sebastian Linß, Lena Zentner, Thomas Fröhlich and René Theska
Actuators 2018, 7(4), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/act7040086 - 6 Dec 2018
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 9430
Abstract
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 exact knowledge of the mechanical properties of notch hinges [...] Read more.
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 exact knowledge of the mechanical properties of notch hinges and their modeling is essential for the design and the goal-oriented adjustment of these devices. It is shown in this article that many analytical equations available in the literature for calculating the bending stiffness of thin semi-circular flexure hinges cause deviations of up to 12% compared to simulation results based on the three-dimensional finite element model for the considered parameter range. A close examination of the stress state within the loaded hinge reveals possible reasons for this deviation. The article explains this phenomenon in detail and shows the limitations of existing analytical models depending on specific geometric ratios. An accurate determination of the bending stiffness of semi-circular flexure hinges in a wide range of geometric parameters without the need for an elaborate finite element analysis is proposed in form of FEM-based correction factors for analytical equations referring to Euler-Bernoulli’s beam theory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Control of Compliant Manipulators)
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14 pages, 1647 KiB  
Article
Design, Analysis and Testing of a New Compliant Compound Constant-Force Mechanism
by Xiaozhi Zhang, Guangwei Wang and Qingsong Xu
Actuators 2018, 7(4), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/act7040065 - 27 Sep 2018
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 9213
Abstract
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 enabled by integrating two types of sub-mechanisms termed [...] Read more.
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 enabled by integrating two types of sub-mechanisms termed active and passive constant-force structures, respectively. Unlike conventional structures, the active constant-force structure allows the reduction on input force requirement and thus the enlargement of motion stroke provided that the maximum stress of the material is within allowable value. While the passive one offers a safe environmental interaction during the contact process. Analytical model of the proposed CCFM is derived which is verified by simulation study with finite element analysis (FEA). A prototype mechanism is fabricated by a 3D printer to demonstrate the performance of the proposed CCFM design. Experimental results reveal the effectiveness of the reported CCFM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Design and Control of Compliant Manipulators)
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