Continuum Robot Proprioception: The Ionic Liquid Approach

Alatorre, David; Axinte, Dragoş; Rabani, Amir

doi:10.1109/tro.2021.3082020

Cited by 19 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…[181] Stretch Sensors: Stretchable elongation sensors (either resistive or capacitive with ionic liquids) can be included along the robot's backbone for indirect shape measurement through a kinematic mapping. [182]…”

Section: Proprioception: Shape Sensingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continuum Robots: An Overview

Russo

Sadati

Dong

et al. 2023

Advanced Intelligent Systems

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When thinking of robots, the image that immediately springs to mind is either an android, designed to resemble human beings and mimic their behavior, or an industrial manipulator, for example, a large machine of rigid steel working in an assembly line. However, robotic systems of multiple forms have been developed to carry out the most diverse tasks, with designs that evolved from readily available structures, such as vehicles, or inspired by nature. In the last decade, more and more bioinspired designs have been enabled by advances in computer science, materials, and manufacturing. Among them, continuum robots, inspired by snakes, trunks, and tendrils, are characterized by a compliant backbone capable of continuous bending, whose shape (configuration, i.e., position and orientation along the backbone curve) is controlled by applying loads through onboard "intrinsic" actuators (e.g., pneumatics or hydraulics) or transmission elements (e.g., tendons, rods, or compliant tubes) that are pushed/pulled from an extremity of the backbone ("extrinsic actuation"). These robots have flexible bodies with a high length to cross-section diameter ratio and are uniquely suited to tasks that require the deployment of tools or sensors with a long reach into tortuous and narrow paths. [1] Continuum robots were first developed in the 1960s [2] and rose to prominence in the late 1990s, [3] when they were often called elephant trunk, [4] tentacle/tendril, [5] or flexible [6] manipulators. Whereas other robots were characterized by intrinsic actuation and larger sizes, research on continuum robots first focused on miniaturization for medical applications, [7,8] leading to extrinsic actuation to enable leaner designs. Recently, continuum robots have been developed for a wider range of applications, including manufacturing, aerospace, search and rescue, and nuclear. In such scenarios, the infinite degrees of freedom (DoFs) of these slender robots enable inspection and intervention in areas that cannot be accessed by conventional robots (e.g., tunnels [9] and gas turbines [10] ).An exhaustive literature search (see Appendix) outlines a surging interest in continuum robots, with a 19.6% average annual growth in publications between 2012 and 2021 (continuum robot search on Web of Science). Three main topics can be observed in recent literature surveys, listed in Table 1. DesignTendon-driven and concentric tube robots are predominant in surveys, but they are not the only design solutions. [18] This richer literature can be attributed to intense research effort toward medical and other small-scale applications when compared to larger-scale tasks (e.g., manipulation) where intrinsic actuation is advantageous.

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Section: Proprioception: Shape Sensingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continuum Robots: An Overview

Russo

Sadati

Dong

et al. 2023

Advanced Intelligent Systems

Self Cite

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“…They have been demonstrated in several works to be feasible as a stretching sensor to embed in soft robots for stretching sensing. [82,85,86] For example, Wirekoh et al [86] designed a perceptual, flat, pneumatic artificial muscle (sFPAM) with stretching feedback control to better mimic organic muscles by embedding microfluidic sensors into the pneumatic artificial muscle (Figure 4b). To achieve precise control of the stretch, they developed a plasticity model and validated it against the mechanics of the experimentally characterized sFPAM.…”

Section: Stretching Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Proprioception is the ability to feel inputs (e.g., position, shape, force, and locomotion) generated by the body, which is a valuable trait in complex robotic systems. [ 25 ] By convention in biological systems, proprioception consists of four senses: [ 26 ] 1) the sensation of movement and limb position (kinesthesia); 2) the sensation of tension or strength; 3) the sensation of effort, and 4) the sense of balance. Kinesthesia refers to sensations of limb position and movement (e.g., bending, twisting, and stretching).…”

Section: Sensory Feedback For Soft Roboticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances in Perceptive Intelligence for Soft Robotics

Lin

Wang

Zhao

et al. 2023

Advanced Intelligent Systems

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Over the past decade, soft robot research has expanded to diverse fields, including biomedicine, bionics, service robots, human–robot interaction, and artificial intelligence. Much work has been done in modeling the kinematics and dynamics of soft robots, but closed‐loop control is still in its early stages due to limited sensory feedback. Thanks to the advancement in functional materials, structures, and manufacturing techniques for flexible electronics, flexible and stretchable sensors are developing rapidly. These sensors provide feedback for closed‐loop control tasks and enable soft robots to effectively explore the unknown and safely interact with humans and the environment. Herein, recent advances in perceptive soft robots that utilize flexible/stretchable sensors and functional materials are outlined. The perceptive functions of soft robots from two different aspects, that is, proprioception and exteroception, are summarized. Furthermore, the constructions of autonomous soft robots by integrating both proprioceptive and exteroceptive capabilities for closed‐loop control tasks and other challenging tasks in the real world are discussed.

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“…Recently, combined with the ionic liquid conductors and tendon-driven method, a kind of continuum robot with proprioception has been studied. This robot show a promising prospect toward low-cost, scalable position feedback for small-scale continuum robots [64].…”

Section: Classification Of the Design And Actuation Principlementioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey on Design, Actuation, Modeling, and Control of Continuum Robot

et al. 2022

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In this paper, we describe the advances in the design, actuation, modeling, and control field of continuum robots. After decades of pioneering research, many innovative structural design and actuation methods have arisen. Untethered magnetic robots are a good example; its external actuation characteristic allows for miniaturization, and they have gotten a lot of interest from academics. Furthermore, continuum robots with proprioceptive abilities are also studied. In modeling, modeling approaches based on continuum mechanics and geometric shaping hypothesis have made significant progress after years of research. Geometric exact continuum mechanics yields apparent computing efficiency via discrete modeling when combined with numerical analytic methods such that many effective model-based control methods have been realized. In the control, closed-loop and hybrid control methods offer great accuracy and resilience of motion control when combined with sensor feedback information. On the other hand, the advancement of machine learning has made modeling and control of continuum robots easier. The data-driven modeling technique simplifies modeling and improves anti-interference and generalization abilities. This paper discusses the current development and challenges of continuum robots in the above fields and provides prospects for the future.

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Continuum Robot Proprioception: The Ionic Liquid Approach

Cited by 19 publications

References 56 publications

Continuum Robots: An Overview

Continuum Robots: An Overview

Recent Advances in Perceptive Intelligence for Soft Robotics

A Survey on Design, Actuation, Modeling, and Control of Continuum Robot

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