Connor Herron’s Post

Recently, our team completed full joint impedance-based control of our humanoid robot, Pandora! The 12 DOF lower-body joints are driven using series elastic actuators (SEAs), tracking desired joint torques to achieve a nominal standing pose. Impedance-based control converts position and velocity set points into desired forces and torques, allowing each joint to behave like a spring damper system. You can see this behavior where the robot slightly deflects in the knees when I push on the robot from the pelvis. The novelty in Pandora’s design comes from the fact that the load-bearing linkages are made of 3D printed plastic with significant compliance. This lower level joint control strategy utilizes a control method which compensates for the nonlinear elastic model to achieve accurate force control. More details on this approach in the future. Overall, this progress wouldn’t have been possible without the mechanical design, networking, electrical, and software infrastructures designed by members of our team including Alex Fuge, Benjamin Beiter, Zachary Fuge, Nicholas Tremaroli, Stephen Welch, Maxwell Stelmack, Madeline Kogelis, Christian Runyon, Ivan Fischman Ekman Simões, and Isaac Pressgrove in the Terrestrial Robotics and Engineering Controls (TREC) Lab at Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering advised by Alexander Leonessa. Next, we are set to achieve active balance control. #humanoids #biped #treclab #virginiatech #mechanicalengineering #impedance #mechatronics #control

https://lnkd.in/gm6bErRe Article Title: Modelling, Design and Validation of a Parallel Kinematic Robot for Additive Manufacture Applications Author(s): Marcel Lahoud*, Leonardo Melendez and Arturo Gil Journal: Annals of Robotics and Automation Journal ISSN: 2994-418X Abstract: The additive manufacture is a fabrication process that has taken huge steps in the last decade, even though the first researches and prototypes are around since almost forty years ago. In this article, a design method for a Parallel Kinematics Robot for Additive Manufacturing Applications is proposed. A numerical model is obtained from the kinematics of the robot for which the design, construction and assembly are planned using recycled materials and equipment. The control of the robot is done using open source software, allowing the planning of trajectories in the Cartesian space on a maximum designed cylindrical workspace of 300mm in diameter by 300mm high. At the end of the work the robot was identified, the kinematic model was validated and considerations for future works were given. #Parallelkinematicrobot #Additivemanufacture #Modelling #Design #Engineering #MechanicalEngineering #ElectricalEngineering #CivilEngineering #ChemicalEngineering #ComputerEngineering #SoftwareEngineering #AerospaceEngineering #BiomedicalEngineering #EnvironmentalEngineering #StructuralEngineering #IndustrialEngineering #MaterialsEngineering #SystemsEngineering #Robotics #Peertechz #PeertechzPublications #Nanotechnology #RenewableEnergy #EngineeringDesign #EngineeringManagement #ManufacturingEngineering #AutomotiveEngineering #TelecommunicationsEngineering #Mechatronics #EngineeringMechanics #ControlSystems

Here's the First Run of my #3dprinted Linear #actuator . It runs really rough and coggy because I didn't lubricate any of the parts yet. The lead screw, bearing and gears all need to be lubricated for a smoother run. Here I'm using an arduino running a Servo Knob example code to cotrol the direction and speed of the actuator using a Potentiometer. Now apart from fact that it sounds like a Depressed Chainsaw, I think it's a good proof of concept and shows that it atleast does what it's supposed to know, except the "precision" part. Will definitely tweak a few dimensions of the #design to reduce the loading on each component as much as possible and make a new #prototype for this actuator 🚫 Also after this clip, bearing closure came loose and the screws weren't holding it in correctly so I tried to fix this using some CA glue (Superglue) and left it to dry. About 5 minutes later I came back to realise that the glue had somehow leaked into the bearing, and along the thread leadscrew, effectively jamming the bearing, lead screw and slider assembly. 🔨 I tried to free the bearing by holding the actuator firmly with a plier, and took a drill with a screwdriver bit to the head of the lead screw, hoping to forcefully spin the whole assembly which will free the parts. ❌ Bad News is that the glue had cured hard enough that the drill stripped the head of the screw and couldn't move the assembly, effectively making this whole actuator useless now; ✅ Good news is I have enough parts to make 4 more of these actuators so I'll now make another one and do the changes I mentioned above to the newer design and hopefully it will work better. Stay tuned for more updates on this small project and Let me know what you think in the comments! #tech #3d #3dprinting #robotics #aerospace #bharat

Four bar linkage is a fundamental concept related to kinematics in mechanical engineering that plays a critical role in many machines and devices, from car suspensions to robotic arms. It is a mechanism that consists of four rigid links connected by four joints, forming a closed loop. The topic is fun to learn and important too as it is widely used in the study of kinematics & design and analysis of mechanical systems. In this article, we shall study the principle, Grashof theorem governing the mechanism, inversions of the four bar chain mechanism Four rigid bars connected by joints or pivots. It forms a closed loop and exhibits a range of motion and mechanical advantages. Four-bar linkages are widely used in various applications, such as in machinery, robotics, and automotive systems, to achieve controlled and predictable movements, including rotation, translation, and oscillation. As depicted in figure 1, the simplest and most fundamental kinematic chain is a four bar chain or quadric cycle chain. It is composed of four links, each of which makes a pair at A, B, C, and D. The four links may have varying lengths. The mechanism is also known as the planar four bar chain mechanism. The working principle of a four bar linkage or chain mechanism is easy to understand using a GIF below. Consider the red bar to be the frame, the grey bar to be the rocker, the green bar to be the connecting rod, and the blue bar to be the crank. #snsinstitution #designthinking #snsdesignthinkers #snsct #snct

Fascinating Industry Articles From Around The Web: Six Considerations When Choosing Machine Vision in Collaborative Applications Machine vision dates back to the beginning of the modern industrial robot age in the 1980s. Augmenting collaborative robots (or ‘cobots’) with vision allows them to perform with higher precision, flexibility, and intelligence. However, integration is not a one-size-fits-all process as the specific requirements of each application can vary greatly. Learn more>>> https://lnkd.in/gTpr83jz -UC Components, Inc. | www.uccomponents.com | 408-782-1929 | #UCComponents #RediVac #Fasteners #Hardware #Screws #VentedScrews #VentedWashers #HexNuts #Orings #Vacuum #HighVacuum #UltraHighVacuum

The manufacturing of electronic boards using robotics has experienced significant advancements, leading to enhanced speed and efficiency in production processes.

🦿Check out this on-demand webinar with ANYbotics and learn how: - CAD models of robotics are simulated in SimScale - Engineers use structural, thermal, and airflow simulation to design products - You can get started with SimScale 🖥️ Watch now: https://hubs.la/Q026d9N50 #robotics #engineering #simulation

The quadruped robot saga continues, design it's 70% complete, currently coding and testing the robot capabilities before new features are added such as the camera and radio control. Progress has been steady with small setbacks. The next step would be to research and implement the walking motion. My goal is to have the robot capable of walking before returning to university. University of Gloucestershire #mechanicalengineering #mechatronics #engineering #electronics #robotics #robot #bostondynamics #mechatronicsengineering #arduinoproject #3dprinting #3dprint #caddesigner #solidworks #solidworksdesign #electronicsengineering

Through-hole components should be more challenging to mount than SMT. To see these machines working always amaze me, no matter how old they are.

Flexible circuitry printed to a steel-bonded piezoelectric sheet gives this inchworm-like robot extreme energy efficiency.