SYNOPSIS. Animals can swerve, dodge, dive, climb, turn and stop abruptly. Their stability and maneuverability are remarkable, but a challenge to quantify. Formal stability analysis can allow for quantitative comparisons within and among species. Stability analysis used in concert with a template (a simple, general model that serves as a guide for control) can lead to testable hypotheses of func...

In complex (robot-assisted) laparoscopic radioguided surgery procedures, or when low activity lesions are located nearby a high activity background, the limited maneuverability of a laparoscopic gamma probe (LGP; 4 degrees of freedom (DOF)) may hinder lesion identification. We investigated a drop-in gamma probe (DIGP) technology to be inserted via a trocar, after which the laparoscopic surgical...

We design and simulate the motion of a swimmer, the Quadroar, with three-dimensional translation and reorientation capabilities in low-Reynolds-number conditions. The Quadroar is composed of an I-shaped frame whose body link is a simple linear actuator and four disks that can rotate about the axes of flange links. The time symmetry is broken by a combination of disk rotations and the one-dimens...

The various stages of development of a lever drive system are described. The use of both roller and friction clutches are discussed and the means for controlling forward, reverse, and braking are included. The current system allows good maneuverability without requiring hand skills and may be effective for quadriplegics.

Animals can swerve, dodge, dive, climb, turn and stop abruptly. Their stability and maneuverability are remarkable, but a challenge to quantify. Formal stability analysis can allow for quantitative comparisons within and among species. Stability analysis used in concert with a template (a simple, general model that serves as a guide for control) can lead to testable hypotheses of function. Neur...

in the procedure of designing an underwater vehicle or robot, its maneuverability and controllability must be simulated and tested, before the product is finalized for manufacturing. since the hydrodynamic forces and moments highly affect the dynamic and maneuverability of the system, they must be estimated with a reasonable accuracy. in this study, hydrodynamic coefficients of an autonomous un...