A Motion Planner Based on Mask-D3QN of Quadruped Robot Motion for Steam Generator.

Crawling robots are the focus of intelligent inspection research, and the main feature of this type of robot is the flexibility of in-plane attitude adjustment. The crawling robot HIT_Spibot is a new type of steam generator heat transfer tube inspection robot with a unique mobility capability different from traditional quadrupedal robots. This paper introduces a hierarchical motion planning approach for HIT_Spibot, aiming to achieve efficient and agile maneuverability.

CFD-Based Simulation Analysis for Motions through Multiphase Environments.

The motion process and force of the jumper crossing a multiphase environment are of great significance to the research of small amphibious robots. Here, CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics)-based simulation analysis for motions through multiphase environments (water-air multiphase) is successfully realized by UDF (user-defined function). The analytical model is first established to investigate the jumping response of the jumpers with respect to the jump angle, force, and water depth.

Design and research of soft-body cavity-type detonation drivers.

According to the high-energy-density movement characteristics of animals during jumping, soft-body cavity-type detonation driver that combines the explosive chemical reaction mechanism of hydrogen and oxygen is designed, in order to control the robot in jump to achieve output optimization. Then, combined with the theoretical values of the detonation dynamic equation and experimental data for the performance parameters, the influences of the mixing ratio of hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O), the volume of mixed hydrogen and oxygen in the cavity, and the shape, wall thickness, and area ratio value of the soft-body cavity on the output performance of the detonation driver are analyzed. When gas volume is 20:10 mL, the jump height reaches 2.

Design of the Jump Mechanism for a Biomimetic Robotic Frog.

Frogs are vertebrate amphibians with both efficient swimming and jumping abilities due to their well-developed hind legs. They can jump over obstacles that are many or even tens of times their size on land. However, most of the current jumping mechanisms of biomimetic robotic frogs use simple four-bar linkage mechanisms, which has an unsatisfactory biomimetic effect on the appearance and movement characteristics of frogs.

Porous cauliflower-like molybdenum disulfide/cadmium sulfide hybrid micro/nano structure: Enhanced visible light absorption ability and photocatalytic activity.

Micro-/nanostructured materials can control the diffraction and propagation of light, thereby providing new optical properties that can be exploited to enhance photocatalytic processes. In this work, a series of the cauliflower-like MoS/CdS hybrid micro-/nanostructures is synthesized. These structures contain numerous cracks and pores that can enhance the absorption and utilization of light as well as shorten the distance for transferring photogenerated electrons to the catalyst surface.

A Dynamic Hysteresis Model and Nonlinear Control System for a Structure-Integrated Piezoelectric Sensor-Actuator.

The piezoelectric sensor-actuator plays an important role in micro high-precision dynamic systems such as medical robots and micro grippers. These mechanisms need high-precision position control, while the size of the sensor and actuator should be as small as possible. For this paper, we designed and manufactured a structure-integrated piezoelectric sensor-actuator and proposed its PID (Proportion Integral Differential) control system based on the dynamic hysteresis nonlinear model and the inverse model.

Swimming Performance of the Frog-Inspired Soft Robot.

This article presents a frog-inspired swimming soft robot whose joints are articulated pneumatic soft actuators. The soft actuator is designed and prepared by studying the biological structure and limb movement characteristics of frogs. A schematic limb motion diagram of the robot is established based on the kinematic model, and the design scheme is determined by a combined control system.

Biologically inspired swimming robotic frog based on pneumatic soft actuators.

Research on soft robots and swimming robots has been widely reported and demonstrated. However, none of these soft swimming robots can swim flexibly and efficiently using legs, just like a frog. This paper demonstrates a self-contained, untethered swimming robotic frog actuated by 12 pneumatic soft actuators, which can swim in the water for dozens of minutes by mimicking the paddling gait of the natural frog.

Lanthanide Coordination Polymer-Based Composite Films for Selective and Highly Sensitive Detection of CrO in Aqueous Media.

Due to the high carcinogenicity and bioaccumulation effects of dichromate ions in the human body, sensitive and rapid detection of CrO ions is necessary. Herein, two lanthanide coordination polymers based on a linear dicarboxylic acid ligand, named {Ln(cpon)(Hcpon)(HO)} [Ln = Tb, ; Eu, ; H cpon = 5-(4-carboxy-phenoxy)-nicotinic acid], have been successfully synthesized. These two isostructural compounds contain one-dimensional zigzag chains that consist of uncoordinated carboxyl groups and pyridine groups in the framework, and the one-dimensional chains can further form a three-dimensional supramolecular stacking structure by intermolecular interaction.

Propulsive efficiency of frog swimming with different feet and swimming patterns.

Aquatic and terrestrial animals have different swimming performances and mechanical efficiencies based on their different swimming methods. To explore propulsion in swimming frogs, this study calculated mechanical efficiencies based on data describing aquatic and terrestrial webbed-foot shapes and swimming patterns. First, a simplified frog model and dynamic equation were established, and hydrodynamic forces on the foot were computed according to computational fluid dynamic calculations.

Highly sensitive and selective fluorescent probes for Hg in Ag(i)/Cu(ii) 3D supramolecular architectures based on noncovalent interactions.

Three novel metal-organic assemblies (MOAs), namely, [Ag(2,4'-Hpdc)(4,4'-bpy)] (1), [Ag(2,2'-Hpdc)(4,4'-bpy)] (2), and [Cu(2,2'-Hpdc)(1,4-bib)] (3) [2,4'-Hpdc = 2,4'-biphenyldicarboxylic acid; 2,2'-Hpdc = 2,2'-biphenyldicarboxylic acid; 4,4'-bpy = 4,4'-bipyridine; 1,4-bib = 1,4-bis(1-imidazolyl)benzene] have been hydrothermally synthesized by using mixed ligands and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared (IR), elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The crystal structures of the three compounds indicate that the hydrogen bonding (C-HO and C-Hπ) and ππ stacking interactions play critical roles in the formation of an extended supramolecular array. The combination of C-Hπ and ππ stacking interactions endow 1 with a 3D network.

BP neural network tuned PID controller for position tracking of a pneumatic artificial muscle.

Background: Although Pneumatic Artificial Muscle (PAM) has a promising future in rehabilitation robots, it's difficult to realize accurate position control due to its highly nonlinear properties.

Objective: This paper deals with position control of PAM.

Methods: To describe the hysteresis inside PAM, a polynomial based phenomenological function is developed.

A passively safe cable driven upper limb rehabilitation exoskeleton.

Background: When using upper limb exoskeletons that assist the movement of physically weak people, safety should be the most important index.

Objective: In this paper, a passively safe, cable-driven upper limb exoskeleton with parallel actuated joints, which perfectly mimics human motions, is proposed.

Methods: Compared with the existing upper limb exoskeletons which are mostly designed only considering the realization of functional properties, and having poor wearabity, a passively safe prototype for motion assistance based on human anatomy structure has been developed in our design.

Design of a quasi-passive 3 DOFs ankle-foot wearable rehabilitation orthosis.

Muscular rigidity and atrophy caused by long-term underactivity usually lead to foot drop, strephenopodia, foot extorsion or some other complications for the lower limb movement disorders or lower limb surgery sufferers. The ankle-foot orthosis can help patients conduct the right ankle motion mode training, inhibit spasm and prevent ankle complications. In this paper, a quasi-passive 3 DOFs ankle-foot wearable orthosis was designed on the basis of kinematics and dynamics analysis of the ankle joint.