in this paper, load and buckling mode of a smart column are presented. the theoretical model is a three-layer piezoelectric composite beam that behaves as an axial actuating mechanism. this actuator consists of an elastic core sandwiched between two piezoelectric active outer layers. the piezoelectric layers are polarized transversely, i.e., the polarization vector is parallel to the applied el...

A versatile, actuator-based open machine architecture is needed to meet the increasing performance demands of modern mechanical systems. Actuators in such systems must have a complete knowledge of operating characteristics, with the ability to reconfigure resources to adapt to different conditions or user-choices.This generality of response is termed as intelligence. To achieve this objective, ...

This paper presents an intelligent fault tolerant flight control system that blends aerodynamic and propulsion actuation for safe flight operation in the presence of actuator failures. Fault tolerance is obtained by a nonlinear adaptive control strategy based on on-line learning neural networks and actuator reallocation scheme. The adaptive control block incorporates a recently developed techni...

New pneumatic actuators developed in the author's laboratory will be presented with their applications to new mechatronics. Examples of them are a pneumatic rubber actuator for compliant robots, a micro pneumatic tube actuator assisting the colonscope insertion, a pneumatic stepping motor with high torque and resolution, a pneumatic drive bicycle, an intelligent pneumatic cylinder which has enc...

This work was performed within the DFG Research Training Group 1194 “Self-organizing Sensor-Actuator Networks” in the subproject I1 “Decentralized Reconstruction of Continuous Phenomena based on Space-Time Discrete Measurements”. One of the main applications for sensor networks is the observation, monitoring, and exploration of space-time continuous physical phenomena, such as temperature distr...

the technique used to control the airflow is based on the electro-hydrodynamic actuator which is also called plasma actuator. this actuator ensures the airflow control thanks to the electric wind created by the electrical corona discharge. this ionic wind is developed at the profile surface tangential to the initial free airflow so that it has a significant effect on the boundary layer flow. th...