Topology Optimization Algorithm for Synthesis of Dynamically Balanced Compliant Mechanisms

As mechanisms become increasingly precise, so becomes the reduction of noise and vibration increasingly important. One method for eliminating vibrations in mechanisms is dynamic balancing. This method prevents vibrations from occurring by designing the mechanism such that the inertial forces and moments of all bodies in the mechanism cancel each...

The constant inertia mechanism and its use in a high-speed 2-DoF inherently dynamically balanced parallel manipulator

Robotic manipulators are desired to keep their settling time as low as possible for the pick-and-place industry. If the settling time is lower, more cycles can be made, increasing productivity. For high-speed parallel manipulators, a significant vibration cause that increases the settling time is the movable mass and inertia. By dynamic...

Design and Validation of a Manoeuvering Caging Gripper for Cluttered Environments: A mechanical approach for grasping in cluttered environments

This research proposes and validates a novel grasping principle to be able to set caging grasps in cluttered environments. A prototype is designed making use of manoeuvering fingers which propagate along the object surface and are covered with everting belts to minimize slip and thus friction forces on the object and environment. Using several...

Design and Validation of Steer, Roll, Yaw and Sway Motion of a Kinematics-Based Bicycle Simulator

Bicycle simulator research has been the subject of considerable research, however, few of these attempts have integrated direct balance control and enough freedom of motion to deliver a real-world kinematic cycling experience. In this study, the B.I.K.E. (Bicycle Intrinsic Kinematics Emulator) system, a kinematic bicycle simulator, is developed...

Compensating parasitic motions and cross-couplings in compliant mechanisms: The development of a new compensation strategy to diminish unwanted motions

There is a constant drive to make the next generation machines in the semiconductor industry more precise and faster. For this machines with a high repeatability, good dynamics and long lifetime are needed. Compliant mechanisms are suitable candidates to be used in this kind of machines because they can be manufactured monolithically, don’t wear...

Attitude Control of Flapping-Wing Air Vehicles

Flapping-Wing Air Vehicles (FWAV) are autonomously flying vehicles that use their flapping wings to simultaneously stay aloft and enable controllable flight. FWAVs that are capable of controllable flight are reported in literature, though a theoretical background of the aerodynamic performance of different attitude control mechanisms is absent...

Manufacturability in automatic synthesis of planar rigid body spring mechanisms

For more than 130 years there have been efforts to automate human services. One such automation is the use of computer-based solving methods to aid engineers in their search for their ideal goal, such as automated planar mechanism design. Contrary to creating mechanisms manually, automatic methods are able to create and evaluate mechanisms in...

Dynamic balance principles based on a flexible beam for the synthesis of dynamically balanced compliant mechanisms

In the ever developing world that we live in, machines perform their task faster, better, more precise, cheaper, etc. every year. The improvements in a lot of mechanisms are inspired by the natural behavior of animals and humans. While falling off a balance beam, the human instinct let an arm or leg accelerate in the opposite direction of the...

MemoSnake: Design and analysis of a snake-like system with mechanical shape control

Introduction: When navigating through tight and delicate environments, steerable tools are highly desired. Follow-the-leader locomotion, as in the biological snake, is a solution that is obtained with shape memory control. The often used electric equipment to control the shape makes the current state-of-the-art of snake-like robots too complex....

Singularity problems

Singularity points are causing problems in motion converters. A solution is found and experimentally validated.