AGS
____
Landcrawler Robot Wobbles But Doesn’t Fall
A Landcrawler Robot designed to work on 12 legs manoeuvres itself among the concrete platform. The co-ordination of legs and its movement when it takes a turn are amazing!!
Its really a Genius's work out there to have designed such a genius effort!!!
And its even more surprising when we come to know that he made it as his 2 year old son needed some robotic toy to play with!!!
Universal Gripper Utilizes Coffee Bean-Filled Balloon
Gripping and holding of objects is the key task of a Robotic design. Designing of a Universal Joint that can hold any kind of object has been a very important task in the recent past for the engineers of modern world. Some designs like Multi-fingered hand have been proposed, but these involve more software and hardware complexities..
These students have created a Universal Joint by using a Balloon filled with Coffee Bean powder. When pressed onto a target object, flows around it and conforms to its shape. Upon application of a vacuum the granular material contracts and hardens quickly to pinch and hold the object without requiring sensory feedback. The volume changes less than 0.5% suffice to grip objects reliably and hold them with forces exceeding many times their weight.
The universal gripper utilizes ground coffee beans inside of a balloon. The coffee beans offer an interlocking grain that proved better than other materials tested that ranged from sand to ground rubber tires.
The operating principle is the ability of granular materials to transition between an unjammed, deformable state and a jammed state with solid-like rigidity. They delineate three separate mechanisms, friction, suction, and interlocking, that contribute to the gripping force. Using a simple model we relate each of them to the mechanical strength of the jammed state. This advance opens up new possibilities for the design of simple, yet highly adaptive systems that excel at fast gripping of complex objects.
Robotic Arm Inspired By An Elephant's Trunk
Nature has been the ulitmate source of destiny for every innovation. Here goes another inspiration from one of the world's most friendliest animal, The Elephant. Elephant Trunk, which is more easily flexible in nature, can be used to hold, grip and transfer the object in any direction in the 3D space.
FESTO Corporation have designed the first ever Bionic Handling Assistant, which is super flexible and easily controllable just like an Elephant's arm. Using hollow plastic chambers that change size with air pressure, the Bionic Handling Assistant can move through an incredible range of motion in three dimensions. It’s designed to provide gentle forces, and to give when pushed, making it safe for working with humans in a working environment. Opportunities for the Bionic Handling Assistant in medicine, manufacturing, and mechanical repair are shown above.
Iron Man Comes Real
Many are inspired by the adventures of the recent movie, Iron Man, which shows realistic and more feasible and non-superstitious approach of a Super Hero!.. Raytheron has come with yet another successful attempt to bring the fantasy character into real.
Raytheon’s second-generation exoskeleton (XOS 2) is lighter, stronger and faster than its predecessor, yet it uses 50 percent less power, and its new design makes it more resistant to the environment. The wearable robotics suit is being designed to help with the many logistics challenges faced by the military both in and out of theater. Repetitive heavy lifting can lead to injuries, orthopedic injuries in particular. The XOS 2 does the lifting for its operator, reducing both strain and exertion. It also does the work faster. One operator in an exoskeleton suit can do the work of two to three soldiers. Deploying exoskeletons would allow military personnel to be reassigned to more strategic tasks. The suit is built from a combination of structures, sensors, actuators and controllers, and it is powered by high pressure hydraulics.
References:
For more details visit www.mechatronictips.com
