An intelligent dental robot
Limin Ren , Jiaqi Yang , Yisong Tan , Jiale Hu, Di Liu and Jianhua Zhu
S chool of Mechanical Engineering, Nor theast Elec tric Power Universit y, Jilin, People’s Republic of China
ABSTR AC T
An intelligent dental robot (IDR) is reported for the purpose of artificial denture verification and test. Methods: The IDR is composed of power system, intelligent control and driving system, sensor system and supporting system. Five Maxon motors are adopted to provide the driving force for the IDR. Novel motor linear actuators are developed to mimic the movement of human’s masticatory muscles. Forward and inverse kinematics of the IDR are analyzed. Seven high-precision pressure sensors are utilized to detect the force on individual artificial tooth. Results: Motion and force experiments are conducted on the IDR. The maximum biting force provided by the IDR is 490 N. Hysteresis rate of the biting force loading and unloading is less than 3%. The largest displacement for the mandible movement test is found to be 60, 9 and 22 mm in the vertical, protrusive and lateral directions, respectively. Conclusion: IDR can complete simulated human masticatory movement and provide sufficient biting force. Significance: The IDR provides clinical guidance for the design and performance test of artificial denture.
KEY WORDS
I ntelligent dental robot; mandible move ment; ar tificial denture; k inematic analysis
Evaluation of active wearable assistive devices with human posture reproduction
using a humanoid robot ∗
Takahiro Ito a, Ko Ayusawab, Eiichi Yoshidaa,b and Hiroshi Kobayashic
aGraduate School of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan; bCNRS-AIST JRL (Joint Robotics Laboratory), UMI3218/RL, Intelligent Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (IS-AIST), Tsukuba, Japan; cTokyo University of Science, Tokyo, Japan
ABSTR AC T
This study proposes a quantitative evaluation method for assessing active wearable assistive devices that can efficiently support the human body. We utilize a humanoid robot to simulate human users wearing assistive devices owing to various advantages offered by the robot such as quantitative torque measurement from sensors and highly repeatable motion. In this study, we propose a scheme for estimating the supportive torques supplied by a device called stationary torque replacement. To validate the reliability of this evaluation method by using a humanoid robot, we conducted measurements of human muscular activity during assisted motion. Analysis of the measured muscle activity revealed that a humanoid robot closely simulates the actual usage of assistive devices. Finally, we showed the feasibility of the proposed evaluation method through an experiment with the humanoid robot platform HRP-4 and the Muscle Suit active assistive device. With the proposed method, the supportive effects of the assistive device could be measured quantitatively in terms of the static supportive torque acting directly on the body of a simulated human user.
KEY WORDS
Humanoid robot; evaluation of assistive devices; human-like motion
Mechatronic designs for a robotic hand to explore human body experience and
s e n s o r y - m o t o r s k i l l s : a D e l p h i s t u d y
Philipp Beckerle a, Matteo Bianchib,c, Claudio Castellinid and Gionata Salviettie,f
aInstitute for Mechatronic Systems in Mechanical Engineering, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany; bResearch Centre ‘Enrico Piaggio’, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; cDepartment of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; dInstitute of Robotics and Mechatronics, DLR German Aerospace Center, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany; eDepartment of Information Engineering and Mathematics, University of Siena, Siena, Italy; fDepartment of Advanced Robotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
ABSTR AC T
To bridge the gap between users’ expectations and technological solutions, a better understanding of human body experience and sensory-motor skills is mandatory. This could pave the way towards a novel generation of robotic hands, which can be successfully employed in everyday life e.g. in prosthetics and assistive robotics. Available robotic hands are still far from matching the requirements of the corresponding experimental and real-world applications, e.g. fast motions might be achieved at
the expense of accuracy. Knowledge of the users’ sensory-motor skills can guide technical developments, e.g. prosthetic design processes. This paper presents design solutions developed in a Delphi study. Explorative questionnaires are prepared to acquire and elaborate expert opinions to improve the design of previously developed robotic anthropomorphic hands. By gathering and fusing expert opinions, novel robotic hand and wrist concepts specifically optimized regarding body experience and sensory-motor skill research are developed. In three rounds, experts with experience in robotic hand design and/or control analyze, develop, and rank solutions for mechanisms, actuators, and control , which result in overall design concepts. The technical concepts and implications resulting from the study are discussed considering psychological and biomechanical aspects.
KEY WORDS
Robotic hand design; human body experience; sensory-motor skills; expert study; assistive robotics
Triangular cross-section peristaltic conveyor for transporting powders at high
s p e e d i n p r i n t e r s
Yasuyuki Yamadaa, Kyota Ashigakia, Shun Yoshihamaa, Kai Negishia, Koichi Katob and Taro Nakamuraa
aFaculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan; bIntegrated Product Strategy Department, Business Strategy Center, Commercial and Industrial Printing Business Group, RICOH Company, Ltd., Ebina-shi, Japan
ABSTR AC T
Powder-based materials are widely used in various applications such as printing. In printing, low shear force and high-speed conveyance at low temperatures are required to prevent creating defects in materials. In a previous study, we developed a transportation device based on the human intestinal tract that successfully transported highly viscous and solid–liquid fluid mixes and powder material. In this study, we developed a tubular peristaltic conveyor capable of transporting powdered materials in a printer under the aforementioned conditions. The conveyor had a triangular cross-sectional area and a small air chamber to facilitate high-speed peristaltic motion. The performance of the conveyor was confirmed experimentally, and we achieved a conveyance rate of 81.5 g/s.
KEY WORDS
Biomechatronics; pneumatic actuators; transportation; powder; peristaltic motion
