This paper introduces a novel type of actuator for force-reflection to haptic master interfaces. The actuator is based on a DC motor that is relocated from the mechanism joint by means of bowden cable transmissions. After an introduction and formulation of the project goals, the paper highlights some important bowden cable transmission characteristics that influence the design of the necessary ...

This article describes a soft pneumatic actuator that generates cyclical motion. The actuator consists of several (three, four, or five) chambers (arranged around the circumference of a circle surrounding a central rod) that can be actuated independently using negative pressure (or partial vacuum). Sequential actuation of the four-chamber device using reduced pressure moves the central rod cycl...

Introduction Robotically-assisted MR-guided interventions are becoming increasingly important in the clinical community. Surgical robots offer precision, accuracy, speed, and the potential for remote operation, while the MRI offers superior soft tissue contrast and a well-defined 3D coordinate system. The synergy of both systems results in robotically assisted MR-guided interventional procedure...

Ž . A capacitive sensor has been developed for measuring the vertical deflection of bridge-type micro-electromechanical MEMS silicon actuators. The sensor requires no electrodes above the actuator surface and does not require the actuator diaphragm to be used as a signal electrode. Sets of interdigitated electrodes, one for ac signal injection and the other for signal sensing, are placed beneat...

The paper studies the performance of the new fluid jet actuator based on the novel principle of the generation of fluid jet, which has been presented in [Z. Trávníček, A.I. Fedorchenko, A.-B. Wang, Enhancement of synthetic jets by means of an integrated valve-less fluid pump. Part I. Design of the actuator, Sens. Actuators A, 120 (2005) 232– 240]. The fluid jet actuator consists of a synthetic ...

The present study considers a hybrid controller scheme for the optimal switching of a moving (or scanning) actuator (MA) for a class of distributed parameter systems (DPS). The proposed hybrid controller switches both the location and control signal of the actuator at the beginning of a time interval and remains unchanged over the duration of the time-interval. As time progresses, the above pol...

Thermally activated shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators are direct-driven and produce high power density with design versatility. However, beyond their linear actuation in spring forms there is little variety and their application in robotics is limited by the challenging characterization of the actuator. In this paper we introduce a novel low-profile torsional SMA actuator design, and its compr...

Networked control systems (NCSs) offer many advantages over conventional control; however, they also demonstrate challenging problems such as network-induced delay and packet losses. This paper proposes an approach of predictive compensation for simultaneous networkinduced delays and packet losses. Different from the majority of existing NCS control methods, the proposed approach addresses co-d...

Self-validating (SEVA) pneumatic actuator is a new generation of actuator which can not only give the corresponding output according to the input control variable but also give the accuracy of the control output and status of the actuator itself and other information. A dual processor system is implemented using C8051F060 and TMS320F28335 to acquire the signals and complete fault detection, dia...

Research has shown that variable valve timing (VVT) can improve significantly the performance of internal combustion (IC) engines, including higher fuel efficiencies, lower emissions, and larger torque outputs at each point of the engine map. To achieve independent and continuous VVT for each valve, an electromechanical valve drive (EMV) system with a custom-designed limited-angle actuator was ...