Theory and Applications of Bioinspired Robotics and Intelligent Control

A special issue of Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673). This special issue belongs to the section "Locomotion and Bioinspired Robotics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 December 2022) | Viewed by 12066

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Mitsuharu Matsumoto Laboratory, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan
Interests: bio-inspired robotics; intelligent robotics; perceptual information processing; human-robot interaction; sensors and actuators
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bio-inspired robots are robot systems inspired by the features of living systems. Living things have many excellent properties that conventional robots do not have. Bio-inspired robots aim to overcome the problems of conventional robots by incorporating the excellent characteristics of living things. Bio-inspired robots also aim to deepen the understanding of living things by imitating the functions of living things using robots. In the past, biomimetic robots were mainly imitated by mechanical systems, but in recent years, new methods have been developed that incorporate the advantages of living organisms into robots.

For the further development of biomimetic robots, it is important not only to imitate living things within a mechanical system, but also to incorporate the functions of living things into robots.

This Special Issue on bio-inspired robots and bio-symbiotic robots seeks contributions from researchers and thinkers related to bio-inspired and bio-symbiotic robots and welcomes theoretical, experimental and review contributions from robot engineers, physicists, biologists, material scientists, engineers and mathematicians alike who are engaged and interested in the fields of bio-inspired robots and bio-symbiotic robots.

Prof. Dr. Mitsuharu Matsumoto
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • bio-inspired robots
  • bio-inspired sensors
  • bio-symbiotic robots
  • self-healing robots
  • self-organized robots

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 8619 KiB  
Article
Use of Finite Elements in the Training of a Neural Network for the Modeling of a Soft Robot
by Silvia Terrile, Andrea López and Antonio Barrientos
Biomimetics 2023, 8(1), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8010056 - 28 Jan 2023
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2810
Abstract
Soft bioinspired manipulators have a theoretically infinite number of degrees of freedom, providing considerable advantages. However, their control is very complex, making it challenging to model the elastic elements that define their structure. Finite elements (FEA) can provide a model with sufficient accuracy [...] Read more.
Soft bioinspired manipulators have a theoretically infinite number of degrees of freedom, providing considerable advantages. However, their control is very complex, making it challenging to model the elastic elements that define their structure. Finite elements (FEA) can provide a model with sufficient accuracy but are inadequate for real-time use. In this context, Machine Learning (ML) is postulated as an option, both for robot modeling and for its control, but it requires a very high number of experiments to train the model. A linked combination of both options (FEA and ML) can be an approach to the solution. This work presents the implementation of a real robot made up of three flexible modules and actuated with SMA (shape memory alloy) springs, the development of its model through finite elements, its use to adjust a neural network, and the results obtained. Full article
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20 pages, 7987 KiB  
Article
A Bioinspired Cownose Ray Robot for Seabed Exploration
by Giovanni Bianchi, Lorenzo Maffi, Michele Tealdi and Simone Cinquemani
Biomimetics 2023, 8(1), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8010030 - 12 Jan 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3172
Abstract
This article presents the design and the experimental tests of a bioinspired robot mimicking the cownose ray. These fish swim by moving their large and flat pectoral fins, creating a wave that pushes backward the surrounding water so that the fish is propelled [...] Read more.
This article presents the design and the experimental tests of a bioinspired robot mimicking the cownose ray. These fish swim by moving their large and flat pectoral fins, creating a wave that pushes backward the surrounding water so that the fish is propelled forward due to momentum conservation. The robot inspired by these animals has a rigid central body, housing motors, batteries, and electronics, and flexible pectoral fins made of silicone rubber. Each of them is actuated by a servomotor driving a link inside the leading edge, and the traveling wave is reproduced thanks to the flexibility of the fin itself. In addition to the pectoral fins, two small rigid caudal fins are present to improve the robot’s maneuverability. The robot has been designed, built, and tested underwater, and the experiments have shown that the locomotion principle is valid and that the robot is able to swim forward, perform left and right turns, and do floating or diving maneuvers. Full article
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30 pages, 14524 KiB  
Article
Utilization of Function Generation Synthesis on Biomimetics: A Case Study on Moray Eel Double Jaw Design
by Mertcan Koçak, Mustafa Volkan Yazıcı, Efecan Akdal, Fatih Cemal Can and Erkin Gezgin
Biomimetics 2022, 7(4), 145; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040145 - 28 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2767
Abstract
Throughout history, humans have observed living or non-living things in nature and then imitated them in relation to these observations. This is due to the fact that the energy found in nature is generally consumed at an optimal level in order for it [...] Read more.
Throughout history, humans have observed living or non-living things in nature and then imitated them in relation to these observations. This is due to the fact that the energy found in nature is generally consumed at an optimal level in order for it to endure. Biomimetic inspiration in many designs and applications is widely displayed, including within the field of engineering. In this paper, we were inspired by the double set of jaws found in the moray eel, which gives this fish a huge advantage while hunting, with a mobile pharyngeal jaw that works together with its oral jaw in order to overcome ineffective suction capabilities. A procedure that mimics the hunting motion of the moray eel was utilized by considering the overall movement as a single degree of freedom with multiple outputs on account of the repeating motion that is required during hunting. This procedure includes structural and dimensioning synthesis, wherein the latter was utilized with analytic kinematic synthesis for each linkage transfer. The flexibilities in parameters were taken into account with a novel multiple iterative kinematic synthesis algorithm that resulted in various mechanisms with the same purpose. Among the excessive number of resultant mechanisms, the optimization was carried out by considering the highest torque transmission ratio at critical timings that were specified as bio-constraints. In the end, the kinematic movement validation was utilized. Full article
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17 pages, 40062 KiB  
Article
A Transformable Sheet Type Robot That Can Be Thrown from the Air
by Naoki Iida and Mitsuharu Matsumoto
Biomimetics 2022, 7(3), 114; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7030114 - 16 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2213
Abstract
This paper reports on a transformable sheet type robot that can be thrown from the air. Since sheet type robots can change their own shape and perform tasks according to the situation, they are expected to play an active role in situations with [...] Read more.
This paper reports on a transformable sheet type robot that can be thrown from the air. Since sheet type robots can change their own shape and perform tasks according to the situation, they are expected to play an active role in situations with many restrictions, such as disaster-stricken areas. However, since most sheet type robots jump or crawl on the ground, the only way to deliver them to the site of a disaster is to transport them by vehicle or transporter. This research aims to develop a device that can be dispersed from the sky and perform activities on the ground after landing. Full article
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