CNIC: US-Belgium Engineering Planning Visit: Simplified Models for Bio-inspired Actuators

University Of Tulsa, Tulsa OK

Investigators

Abstract

This award for Catalyzing New International Collaborations (CNIC) supports a project development visit to Brussels by the principal investigator, Joshua Schultz of the University of Tulsa, and his U.S. students to initiate work with counterparts on the control of real dynamic systems (in engineering) with the goal of determining the most methods that quickly and easily produce a reduced-order model for muscle-like actuators composed of modular units. The Belgian partner, Bram Vanderborght at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, has expertise in variable impedance actuators that compliments the PI's in hierarchially configured cellular actuation. Both investigators are interested in the biologically inspired control paradigm of recruitment in which the cellular structure and activation patterns give rise to variable impedance behavior and complex system dynamics. Together, the researchers intend to plan analysis and experiments to elucidate basic system dynamics principles of soft "cellular" actuators composed of smaller modular sub-actuators. The partners will approach this using balanced realization theory and simulation to determine how these types of systems should be configured. Preliminary results should point to next steps for a future series of analytical and numerical system dynamics studies and experiments that become the focus of a follow-on NSF proposal in Sensors, Dynamics and Control. If successful, these methods may be used to design robots that are damage tolerant and require fewer numbers of parts to build and maintain. The new collaboration is expected to foster on-going joint research as well as ideas for investigating compliant devices and mechanism dynamics. The participation of U.S. graduate and undergraduate students in the work abroad offers valuable early career international research experience. Furthermore, the P.I. plans to integrate the principles arising from this preliminary research into a new course at the University of Tulsa on foundations of biologically inspired robotics, for broader impact.