Learning from nature: Biologically-inspired sensors

New emerging sensing applications demand novel sensors in micro-/nano-scale to enable integration and embedding into higher level structures or systems. Downsizing the structure will usually decrease the sensitivity of the sensors, since the sensitivity is a function of geometrical parameters, e.g. mass in the case of inertial sensing, and...

Design, Modelling and Fabrication of a 40-330 Hz Dual-Mass MEMS Gyroscope on Thick-SOI Technology

This work reports the design, modelling, fabrication and preliminary functionality testing of a dual-mass MEMS vibratory gyroscope for application in medical instrumentation, among others. The two-framed gyro has drive and sense mode resonance frequencies of 2500Hz and 2830Hz, with its bandwidth tunable between 40-330Hz. Adopted design and...

Reproducibility of a 3-dimensional gyroscope in measuring shoulder anteflexion and abduction

Background: Few studies have investigated the use of a 3-dimensional gyroscope for measuring the range of motion (ROM) in the impaired shoulder. Reproducibility of digital inclinometer and visual estimation is poor. This study aims to investigate the reproducibility of a tri axial gyroscope in measurement of anteflexion, abduction and related...

Directional singularity-robust torque control for gyroscopic actuators

Gyroscopic actuation is appealing for wearable applications due to its ability to impart free moments on a body without exoskeletal structures on the joints.We recently proposed an unobtrusive balancing aid consisting of multiple parallelmounted control moment gyroscopes (CMGs) contained within a backpack-like orthopedic corset. Using...

Smart Rocking Armour Units

This paper describes a method to measure the rocking motion of lab-scale armour units. Sensors as found in mobile phones are used. These sensors, data-storage and battery are all embedded in the model units, such that they can be applied without wires attached to them. The technique is applied to double-layer units in order to compare the...

Gyroscopically enhanced vertical axis pendulum for wave energy conversion

The vertical axis pendulum is a type of point absorber device which can absorb wave energy from a width exceeding the physical width of the device. Mechanical power is harvested from the rotation of the pendulum, in which the pivot point is directly connected to the generator. In this paper, a new concept of the vertical axis pendulum device is...

A MEMS Coriolis Mass Flow Sensing System with Combined Drive and Sense Interface

This paper describes an interface circuit for a MEMS Coriolis mass flow sensor that combines both drive and sense circuitry. The MEMS sensor consists of a suspended resonant tube, which is read-out by comb capacitors and driven into oscillation by current flowing through a drive coil in a magnet field. The interface circuit comprises a low...

Robust Plug-and-Play Joint Axis Estimation Using Inertial Sensors

Inertial motion capture relies on accurate sensor-to-segment calibration. When two segments are connected by a hinge joint, for example in human knee or finger joints as well as in many robotic limbs, then the joint axis vector must be identified in the intrinsic sensor coordinate systems. Methods for estimating the joint axis using...

Inertial sensors—applications and challenges in a nutshell

This editorial provides a concise introduction to the methods and applications of inertial sensors. We briefly describe the main characteristics of inertial sensors and highlight the broad range of applications as well as the methodological challenges. Finally, for the reader’s guidance, we give a succinct overview of the papers included in...

The Stumblemeter: Design and Validation of a System That Detects and Classifies Stumbles during Gait

Stumbling during gait is commonly encountered in patients who suffer from mild to serious walking problems, e.g., after stroke, in osteoarthritis, or amputees using a lower leg prosthesis. Instead of self-reporting, an objective assessment of the number of stumbles in daily life would inform clinicians more accurately and enable the evaluation...

Frequency Response Data-Based LPV Controller Synthesis Applied to a Control Moment Gyroscope

Control of systems with operating condition-dependent dynamics, including control moment gyroscopes (CMGs), often requires operating condition-dependent controllers to achieve high control performance. The aim of this brief is to develop a frequency response data-driven linear parameter-varying (LPV) control design approach for single-input...

Ground vibration testing and fem model updating of scaled Diana 2 glider model using accelerometer, gyro and strain measurements

A ground vibration test was conducted with a 1:3 scaled Diana 2 glider model where the modal parameters were estimated using the accelerometers, gyroscopes and strain gauges integrated in the test aircraft and validated using externally attached calibrated accelerometers and commercial software. These modal parameters were then used to update...

Light-Weight Wearable Gyroscopic Actuators Can Modulate Balance Performance and Gait Characteristics: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Falling is a major cause of morbidity, and is often caused by a decrease in postural stability. A key component of postural stability is whole-body centroidal angular momentum, which can be influenced by control moment gyroscopes. In this proof-of-concept study, we explore the influence of our wearable robotic gyroscopic actuator “GyroPack” on...

Open Gimbal: A 3 Degrees of Freedom Open Source Sensing and Testing Platform for Nano and Micro UAVs

Testing the aerodynamics of micro-UAVs (mUAVs) and nano-UAVs (nUAVs) without actually flying is highly challenging. To address this issue, we introduce Open Gimbal, a specially designed 3 degrees of freedom (DoF) platform that caters to the unique requirements of mUAVs and nUAVs. This platform allows for unrestricted and free rotational...