A biologically inspired sensor mechanism for amplification of tactile signals based on parametric resonance. - In: Microactuators and Micromechanisms, (2017), S. 27-38
In this paper, the vibrational motion of an elastic beam under the parametric excitation is investigated theoretically and numerically. The problem is motivated by biological tactile sensors, called vibrissae or whiskers. Mammals use these thin long hairs for exploration of the surrounding area, object localization and texture discrimination. We propose a mechanical model of the vibrissa sweeping across a rough surface as a straight truncated beam stimulated by a periodic following force. The equation of transverse motion of the beam is studied using the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and asymptotic methods of mechanics. The numerical analysis is performed by means of the finite element method. It is shown that the parametric resonance of the beam occurs at the specific ranges of the excitation frequency, which depend on the parameters of the beam and the amplitude of the applied force. For these frequency values, the vibrations of the beam are unstable with exponentially increasing amplitude. The comparison of the resonance ranges obtained theoretically and numerically is made. Thus, together with the realisation of the viscoelastic support of an artificial tactile sensor, the parametric resonance may be a potentially useful method for amplifying small signals arising from the contact with an object.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45387-3_3
Towards the development of tactile sensors for determination of static friction coefficient to surfaces. - In: Microactuators and Micromechanisms, (2017), S. 39-48
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45387-3_4
Locomotion principles for microrobots based on vibrations. - In: Microactuators and Micromechanisms, (2017), S. 91-102
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45387-3_9
A novel gripper based on a compliant multistable tensegrity mechanism. - In: Microactuators and Micromechanisms, (2017), S. 115-126
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45387-3_11
Design and experimental characterization of a flexure hinge-based parallel four-bar mechanism for precision guides. - In: Microactuators and Micromechanisms, (2017), S. 139-152
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45387-3_13
Investigation of the Novelty brackets "Gold-S". - In: Microactuators and Micromechanisms, (2017), S. 199-211
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45387-3_18
A concept of adaptive two finger gripper with embedded actuators. - In: Microactuators and Micromechanisms, (2017), S. 239-250
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45387-3_21
Increasing the resolution of morphological 3D image data sets through image stitching: application to the temporal bone. - In: Computer methods in biomechanics and biomedical engineering, ISSN 2168-1171, Bd. 5 (2017), 6, S. 438-445
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21681163.2015.1137080
Towards the development of tactile sensors for surface texture detection. - In: InfoWare 2016, ISBN 978-1-61208-066-6, (2016), S. 33-38
Pre-curved beams as technical tactile sensors for object shape recognition. - In: InfoWare 2016, ISBN 978-1-61208-066-6, (2016), S. 7-12
Recent research topics in bionics focus on the analysis and synthesis of animal spatial perception of their environment by means of their tactile sensory organs: vibrissae and their follicles. Using the vibrissae, these mammals (e.g., rats) are able to determine an obstacle shape using only a few contacts of the vibrissa with the object. The investigations lead to the task of creating models and a stringent exploitation of these models in form of analytical and numerical calculations to achieve a better understanding of this sense. The sensing lever element vibrissa for the stimulus transmission is frequently modeled as an EulerBernoulli bending rod. We assume that the rod is one-sided clamped and interacts with a rigid obstacle in the plane. But, most of the literature is limited to the research on cylindrical and straight, or tapered and straight rods. The (natural) combination of a cylindrical and pre-curved shape is rarely analyzed. The aim is to determine the obstacles contour by one quasi-static sweep along the obstacle and to figure out the dependence on the precurvature of the rod. To do this, we proceed in several steps: At first, we have to determine the support reactions during a sweep. These support reactions are equate with the observables an animal solely relies on and have to be measured by a technical device. Then, the object shape has to be reconstructed in using only these generated observables. The consideration of the precurvature makes the analytical treatment a bit harder and results in numerical solutions of the process. But, the analysis of the problem results in an extension of a former decision criterion for the reconstruction by the radius of pre-curvature. Is is possible to determine a formula for the contact point of the rod with the profile, which is new in literature in context of pre-curvature.