Control of flapping wing micro-air vehicles using variable stiffness membrane wings

Hale, Lawrence E.; Patil, Mayuresh; Woolsey, Craig A.

doi:10.1109/acc.2012.6315504

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The beam stiffness was tuned in a cyclic pattern to demonstrate the reversibility and repeatability of such a low-profile stiffness changing mechanism (see supplementary video S1 (available online at stacks.iop.org/SMS/30/035005/mmedia)). Future applications can involve stiffness modulation inside robotic appendages, such as variable stiffness flapping wing systems [62], for optimized aerodynamic performances, or as collapsible and recoverable wind turbines [63] for working under extreme conditions.…”

Section: Sliding-layer Laminates Enable Variable Stiffness Building B...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconfigurable laminates enable multifunctional robotic building blocks

Jiang¹,

Gravish²

2021

Smart Mater. Struct.

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Folding and assembling of two-dimensional laminated materials have greatly facilitated robot fabrication by creating robots with lightweight body frames, articulated joints, and embedded actuators and sensors. The combinations of rigid laminates bridged by thin-film flexures, often called rigid-flex linkages, have been extensively used in micro- and macro-scale robots to achieve complex joint motions with simplified kinematic and dynamic properties. Much like traditional robots these rigid-flex laminate robots are designed with a fixed body-plan, and thus may face challenges when environments require mechanical reconfiguration such as stiffening joints for load support or changing appendage morphologies for navigating confined spaces. Recent advances in adaptive materials and smart actuators have highlighted the features that robots with morphable geometries and tunable mechanical properties can provide, such as self-folding joints and variable stiffness and damping mechanisms. However, incorporation of these reconfigurable elements into laminate robots has been limited. In this paper, we present a new method for creating quasi two-dimensional structures for robotics, called reconfigurable laminates, that use geometric reconfiguration of laminate layers to alter passive mechanical properties and actuate joints. Unlike traditional rigid-flex linkages with single-layered flexures, here we create laminate joints with dual-layered soft hinges and rigid channels allowing a multitude of reconfiguration opportunities including: sliding-layer laminates for passive stiffness control, snapping-hinge locks for reconfigurable joints, and buckle-bend joints for bending actuation. Through experimental characterization we demonstrate the capabilities of these multifunctional robotic building blocks.

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Section: Sliding-layer Laminates Enable Variable Stiffness Building B...mentioning

confidence: 99%