Search

This article deals with the problem of decentralized resilient observer-based output-feedback control design for networked control systems (NCSs). The proposed scheme considers both network imperfections and security issues. It is assumed that the NCS is suffering from time-varying network-induced delays and time-varying transmission intervals. Moreover, data transmission is performed over a nonsecure network that suffers from a denial-of-service (DoS) attack. The DoS jamming attack has affected the network by the occurrence of consecutive packet dropouts, which result in attack-induced packet dropouts. Based on the fact that packet dropouts caused by DoS attacks naturally do not follow a specific statistical pattern, the attack-induced packet dropouts are modeled as an extension of time-varying intervals with no probability distribution. Sufficient conditions are provided to guarantee the uniformly globally exponential stability of the NCS in the form of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed method are demonstrated by simulation results.

The problem of finite-time prescribed performance control (PPC) for spacecraft attitude maneuvering is researched. To the best of the authors' knowledge, limited results have been reported. How to achieve the prescribed performance attitude tracking within a preset time interval is still an open problem, especially in the presence of inertia perturbations, external disturbances, actuator saturations, and faults. On account of this, a finite-time performance function is first constructed as the predefined boundary of tracking errors. Second, Chebyshev neural network is utilized to approximate the lumped uncertainties. Then, the Nussbaum gain technique compensating for actuator saturations and faults is incorporated into the backstepping design to develop a new fault-tolerant attitude controller. Both transient and steady-state performances (e.g., the maximum overshoot, steady-state error, and settling time) are guaranteed. Compared with the common PPC or finite-time control achievements on spacecraft attitude tracking, the setting time herein can be set in advance without relying on initial states. Finally, experiments are performed to verify the effectiveness of the solution and comparisons with related works are displayed. National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaNational Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [61773108]; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of CanadaNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)CGIAR This work was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 61773108, and in part by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are used to condition the indoor environment in buildings. They can be subjected to malfunctioning since they are the most extensively operated buildings' components that account alone for almost half of the total building energy usage. Therefore, fault diagnosis (FD) of the HVAC system is important to maintain the system's reliability and efficiency and provide preventive maintenance. This article presents a supervised FD strategy for single actuator faults in HVAC systems given that actuators, such as dampers and valves, are mostly prone to faults resulting in thermal discomfort and energy inefficiency in buildings. The proposed approach is based on 2-D convolutional neural networks (CNNs) using an efficient 1-D-to-2-D data transformation performed on the time-series signals acquired from the HVAC system. The performance of the CNNs is ensured by an optimal tuning of its significant hyperparameters using the Bayesian optimization algorithm toward maximizing the classification accuracy. The proposed 1-D-to-2-D data transformation approach is computationally efficient and eliminates the use of advanced signals preprocessing. It is performed in two schemes: the static and dynamic schemes to analyze the correlation between the system's variables and consider the temporal effects of the time-series signals without compromising the detection time. The proposed approach is developed and validated using simulation data collected from a three-zone HVAC system simulator using Transient System Simulation Tool (TRNSYS). It demonstrates improved performance compared to the 1-D CNN-based approach and the other standard data-driven approaches for actuator FD in HVAC systems. Scopus

This paper investigates the secure control problem for cyber-physical systems when the malicious data is injected into the cyber realm which is directly connecting to the actuators. Based on moving target defense and reinforcement learning, we propose a novel proactive and reactive defense control scheme. First, the system $(A,B)$ is modeled as a switching system consisting of several controllable pairs $(A,\mathcal{B}_{l})$ to facilitate the construction of the moving target defense control scheme. The controllable pairs $(A,\mathcal{B}_{l})$ can be altered to update system dynamics under certain unpredictable switching probabilities for each subsystem, which can prevent the adversaries from effective attacks. Second, both attack detection and isolation schemes are designed to accurately locate and exclude the compromised actuators from a switching sequence. Third, a reinforcement learning algorithm based on the zero-sum game theory is proposed to design the defense control scheme when there exist no controllable subsystems to switch. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the defense control scheme, a three-tank system under unknown cyber attacks is illustrated.

Most robotic systems consist of heavy machine elements that help reduce the vibrations generated by motion and that support good positional accuracy. Large-sized actuators are needed for such systems. Energy consumption significantly increases in oversized robotic systems. The proposed solution to which is to design robotic systems in lightweight and flexible forms. This makes possible smaller overall structure and actuator sizes. However, such systems suffer from residual vibrations. One well-known control solution to residual vibration problem could be input shaping techniques. In this study, a new Fuzzy Logic-based intelligent input shaping selection technique has been proposed. With this proposed approach, it is possible to set optimum settling time, positioning accuracy of robotic systems, and minimum residual vibrations by implementing the crucial open-loop control approach. Comprehensive experience is needed to overcome design issues on command shaping and system modeling. Based on these design criteria constraints and extensive knowledge requirements, the recommended solution is a Fuzzy Logic-based intelligent input shaping technique for accurate modeling and parameter estimation of the systems. The proposed approach is a Fuzzy Logic-based intelligent input shaper selection and input shaper setting determination algorithm. The applicability of the proposed method was verified on the Quanser Flexible Link experimental setup.

Propeller aircraft are widely used in general aviation. The rotating propeller has a strong effect on the aerodynamic performance of the wing. This paper uses an actuator disc to model the effect of the propeller. A wing optimization method is developed with the actuator disc method. Several wing optimizations with different slipstream settings are studied. The twist angle and airfoils of the wing are used as the design variables. The results show that the propeller slipstream and slipstream directions have a strong influence on the optimization process. Powered-on optimization with a slipstream can obtain better drag reduction results than unpowered optimization. The drag decomposition results show that most of the drag reduction comes from the form drag reduction. The symmetric “inboard-up” slipstream configuration is found to have the highest lift-to-drag ratios, which are 18.87 for the twist angle optimization and 19.15 for the airfoil optimization.

This paper addresses the attitude control of nano-spacecraft with three reaction wheels and three magnetorquers in low Earth orbits, and develops algorithms to maintain control when any one of the reaction wheels completely fails. In the event of a reaction wheel failure, it is shown that the key challenge of maintaining accurate autonomous three-axis tracking is a problem of singularity avoidance in control allocation. In particular, control law singularities occur depending on the type of orbit, the environment, and the attitude, where the system is no longer controllable. Two algorithmic singularity avoidance techniques based on singularity prediction and artificial potential functions are proposed. In addition, an optimized reaction wheel configuration is proposed to enhance singularity avoidance capability. To illustrate the effectiveness of the singularity avoidance control laws, they are tested in simulations that include the effects of perturbing environmental torques, reaction wheel jitter, and actuator misalignment.

This study proposes a heterogeneous modular reconfigurable robot called SABER (short for Step, Assembler, and Bridge Explorer Robot) that is suitable for future autonomous extraterrestrial missions. SABER comprises a platform and a reconfigurable rail and can operate in monowheel, rail trolley, and manipulator configurations. The monowheel configuration provides locomotion at a top speed of 10 km/h. The rail trolley configuration allows the robot to traverse gaps whose length is greater than its wheel diameter, climb steps whose height is no taller than the wheel radius, and pass through passages narrower than the wheel diameter. The manipulator configuration enables the robot to manipulate objects using two robotic arms with changeable tools. This design allows several SABERs to work as a team to enlarge their working area or enhance their mechanical capabilities. As such, SABERs can undertake various tasks in extraterrestrial missions, including exploration, outpost building and equipment maintenance. The key feature of the SABER is its mechanical transmission that allows its platform to move rapidly along a rail made from the manipulators of the robot. We also formulated the novel concept of a jamming safety diagram that is used to determine controller precision requirements to prevent the transmission from jamming. Finally, a new positioning controller meeting those requirements was introduced and implemented as field-programmable-gate-array firmware that is compatible with a wide range of low-cost integrated circuits. In numerical simulations, we evaluated SABER with respect to its speed, acceleration, oscillation, and ability to negotiate gaps and steps; SABER performed as well as or better than existing autonomous mobile robots and modular reconfigurable robots.

In this work, the phase transition behavior and electrostrictive and photoluminescence properties of Sm2O3-modified 0.965(K0.48Na0.52)(Nb0.95Sb0.05)–0.035Bi0.5(Na0.82K0.18)0.5HfO3 (KNNS–0.035BNKH) ceramics were investigated. Results showed that the phase structure of the Sm2O3-modified ceramics evolved from coexisting orthogonal and tetragonal ferroelectric phases to a relaxor pseudocubic phase along with the strong destruction of the long-range ferroelectric order. Domain switching in Sm-modified ceramics with a relaxor pseudocubic phase became difficult, evident from the PFM images. Consequently, large electrostrictive effect with an electrostrictive coefficient of 0.022 m4/C2 was obtained in 1.0 mol% Sm-modified samples. With regard to long-term stability, the materials exhibited temperature-independent (20–100 °C) and fatigue−free (up to 105 cycles) behavior, which guarantees their application in various devices. The KNNS–0.035BNKH–xSm ceramics have the advantages of photoluminescence performance with bright orange emission under 407 nm visible light excitation. Overall, KNNS−0.035BNKH−xSm ceramics have broad application prospects in multifunction devices due to their large electrostrictive effect, excellent photoluminescence performance, and long-term stability.

Microfluidic devices and micro-pumps are increasingly necessitated in many fields ranging from untethered soft robots, to pharmaceutical and biomedical technology. While realization of such devices is limited by miniaturization constraints of conventional actuators, these restrictions can be resolved by using smart material transducers instead. This paper proposes and investigates the first ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuator-driven linear peristaltic pump. With the aim of designing a monolithic device, our concept is based on a single IPMC actuator that is etched on both sides and cut with kirigami-inspired slits by laser ablation. Our pump has a planar configuration, operates with low activation voltages (< 5 V) and is simple to manufacture and thus miniaturize. We build proof-of-principle prototypes of an open and closed design of our proposed pump concept, model the closed design, and evaluate both configurations experimentally. Results show the feasibility of the proposed IPMC-driven pump. Without any optimization, the open pump achieved pumping rates of 669 pL/s, while the closed pump configuration attained a 4.57 Pa pressure buildup and 9.18 nL/s pumping rate. These results indicate feasibility of the concept, and future work will focus on design optimization.

A 1D MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) mirror for LiDAR applications, based on vertically asymmetric comb-drive electrostatic actuators, is presented in this work employing a novel fabrication process. This novel micromachining process combines typical SOI-based bulk micromachining and grayscale lithography, enabling the fabrication of combs actuators with asymmetric heights using a single lithography step in the active layer. With this technique, the fabrication process is simplified, and the overall costs are reduced since the number of required lithography steps decrease. The fabricated mirrors present self-aligned electrodes with a 2.8 mu m gap and asymmetric heights of the movable and the fixed electrodes of 20 mu m and 50 mu m, respectively. These asymmetric actuators are an essential feature for the operation mode of this device, enabling both in resonant and static mode operation. A mirror field of view (FOV) of 54 degrees at 838 Hz was achieved under low-pressure, when resonantly operated, and a FOV of 0.8 degrees in the static mode., This work was supported by the European Structural and Investment Funds in the FEDER Component through the Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme (COMPETE 2020) under Project 037902 (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-037902). The work of Carlos Ferreira was supported by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) under Grant PD/BDE/135102/2017. Subject Editor M. Rais-Zadeh.

Electroactive polymer (EAP) is a kind of smart material, which can change its shape under the stimulation of electric field. Dielectric elastomer (DE) is an important member of the EAP. DE has the characteristics of excellent performance, such as light weight, low noise, low cost, and so on, which guarantee its wide applications in the fields of actuators, generators, sensors. In this review, the principles of energy conversion, the research status and latest development of new technologies for DEs, and the performance characteristics of DEs are summarised. Simultaneously, it points out the development problems and feasible countermeasures. At last, the application prospects of DE are discussed, combined with the research direction of the international frontier.

© 2020 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works. Earth Observation missions have increasingly demanding requirements, i.e., higher spatial resolutions and SNR, and lower revisit times, etc. High-resolution images have to be captured with precise pointing accuracy which is achieved by the satellite's attitude determination and control system (ADCS). This subsystem embeds multiple sensors and actuators capable of changing the satellite attitude by changing the torque applied to the platform. In small satellites, magnetorquers, and more recently reaction wheels as well, are the most frequently used actuators. These components fulfill their main purpose, but exhibit some drawbacks, notably a nonconstant jitter that provokes nondesired oscillations of the spacecraft, which may result in blurred images. This work presents a deblurring methodology that uses data coming from the ADCS sensors to infer a spatially variant point-spread function. Moreover, the impact of having a lower temporal resolution than the ideal on the sensors is analyzed and a method is presented to improve it. This work has been supported by project "Sensing with pioneering opportunistic techniques-SPOT," Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación Grant RTI2018-099008-B-C21 and EU ERDF funds, and UPC-CommSensLab María de Maeztu Unit Grant MDM-2016-0600.

Remotely addressable actuators are of great interest in fields like microrobotics and smart textiles because of their simplicity, integrity, flexibility, and lightweight. However, most of the existing actuator systems are composed of complex assemblies and/or offer a low response rate. Here, the actuation performance of a light-driven, highly oriented film based on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE), containing a photo-responsive additive, 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4,6-ditertpentylphenol (BZT), is reported. The material exhibits a fast (

Highly compact and geometrically complex piezoceramics are required by a variety of electromechanical devices owing to their outstanding piezoelectricity, mechanical stability and extended application scenarios. 3D printing is currently the mainstream technology for fabricating geometrically complex piezoceramic components. However, it is hard to print piezoceramics in a curve shape while also keeping its compactness due to restrictions on the ceramic loading and the viscosity of feedstocks. Here, we report a gravity-driven sintering (GDS) process to directly fabricate curved and compact piezoceramics by exploiting gravitational force and high-temperature viscous behavior of sintering ceramic specimens. The sintered lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics possess curve geometries that can be facilely tuned via the initial mechanical boundary design, and exhibit high piezoelectric properties comparable to those of conventional-sintered compact PZT (d33 = 595 pC/N). In contrast to 3D printing technology, our GDS process is suitable for scale-up production and low-cost production of piezoceramics with diverse curved surfaces. Our GDS strategy is an universal and facile route to fabricate curved piezoceramics and other functional ceramics with no compromise of their functionalities., Fabricating geometrically complex piezoceramics in compact sintered bodies has been difficult to achieve. Here the authors demonstrate a gravity-driven sintering strategy where high-temperature viscous behavior of piezoceramic allows for forming of complex shaped sintered bodies.

Highlights The Internet of Things era related electronics were updated based on carbon nanotube transistors, radiofrequency circuits and energy storage devices.The applications in healthcare and biomedical devices were discussed including sensory, data processors and actuators.The fabrication of wafer-scale carbon nanotubes has been introduced as well as the machine learning strategy for prediction of optimal synthesis parameters., The post-Moore's era has boosted the progress in carbon nanotube-based transistors. Indeed, the 5G communication and cloud computing stimulate the research in applications of carbon nanotubes in electronic devices. In this perspective, we deliver the readers with the latest trends in carbon nanotube research, including high-frequency transistors, biomedical sensors and actuators, brain–machine interfaces, and flexible logic devices and energy storages. Future opportunities are given for calling on scientists and engineers into the emerging topics.

Photoactuators have attracted significant interest for soft robot and gripper applications, yet most of them rely on free-space illumination, which requires a line-of-site low-loss optical path. While waveguide photoactuators can overcome this limitation, their actuating performances are fundamentally restricted by the nature of standard optical fibres. Herein, we demonstrated miniature photoactuators by embedding optical fibre taper in a polydimethylsiloxane/Au nanorod-graphene oxide photothermal film. The special geometric features of the taper endow the designed photoactuator with microscale active layer thickness, high energy density and optical coupling efficiency. Hence, our photoactuator show large bending angles (>270°), fast response (1.8 s for 180° bending), and low energy consumption (, Despite promising devices, waveguide photoactuators actuating performances have been fundamentally restricted by the nature of standard optical fibres. To overcome these challenges, authors propose an optical fibre taper-enabled waveguide photoactuator and show enhanced performance.

The implementation of automated micro-irrigation in urban gardens using wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSAN) is being more popular. However, the use of WSAN in automated irrigation brings various technical challenges, for example, achieving low cost, long life battery, adequate communication range and compactness. In this paper, a WSAN is designed and implemented for controlling drip irrigation of urban garden that can achieve long battery life, low cost, compactness with the sufficient range of communication. The designed WSAN consists of end-devices and a coordinator, each of which is fitted with single-chip microcontroller along with wireless transceiver. Each end-device is equipped with a microcontroller, a water valve, a soil moisture sensor, a temperature sensor, a rain sensor, battery charger through solar panel and a ZigBee transceiver. The end-device reads the garden temperature, soil moisture level, battery charge status and rain presence and controls the water valve based on these data values. At the same time, the read data is transmitted to the coordinator station through ZigBee ad-hoc network. The coordinator receives the data from each end-device and presents to the interfaced user application. Due to being powered up by an energy limited resource, special techniques and algorithms are developed and only low-power electronic components are selected carefully. This paper includes implemented hardware and software results for the wireless nodes.

This paper designs an active fault-tolerant control system for spacecraft attitude control in the presence of actuator faults, fault estimation errors, and control input constraints. The developed fault-tolerant control system is able to detect the actuator fault without false alarms caused by external disturbances, and also estimate the total fault effects accurately through an indirect fault identification approach, in which an auxiliary variable is utilized to build the relation between fault and system states. Once the fault identification is completed with certain degree of reconstruction accuracy, a fault-tolerant backstepping controller using the nonlinear virtual control input is reconfigured to accommodate the detected actuator faults effectively, in spite of actuator saturation limitations and fault estimation errors. Numerical simulation is carried out to demonstrate that the proposed active fault-tolerant control system is successful in fault detection, identification, and controller reconfiguration for handling actuator faults in attitude control systems.

Significance The range of allowed deformation modes currently described for the actuation of microstructures is limited. In this work we introduce magnetic-field–guided encoding of highly controlled molecular anisotropy into 3D liquid-crystalline elastomer microstructures capable of displaying unique multiresponsive, shape-changing behaviors. The richness of the predetermined and self-regulated deformations and region-specific motions in these microstructural arrays gives rise to physicochemical insights, as well as potential applications in controlled adhesion, information encryption, soft robotics, and self-regulated light–material interactions., Dynamic functions of biological organisms often rely on arrays of actively deformable microstructures undergoing a nearly unlimited repertoire of predetermined and self-regulated reconfigurations and motions, most of which are difficult or not yet possible to achieve in synthetic systems. Here, we introduce stimuli-responsive microstructures based on liquid-crystalline elastomers (LCEs) that display a broad range of hierarchical, even mechanically unfavored deformation behaviors. By polymerizing molded prepolymer in patterned magnetic fields, we encode any desired uniform mesogen orientation into the resulting LCE microstructures, which is then read out upon heating above the nematic–isotropic transition temperature (TN–I) as a specific prescribed deformation, such as twisting, in- and out-of-plane tilting, stretching, or contraction. By further introducing light-responsive moieties, we demonstrate unique multifunctionality of the LCEs capable of three actuation modes: self-regulated bending toward the light source at T < TN–I, magnetic-field–encoded predetermined deformation at T > TN–I, and direction-dependent self-regulated motion toward the light at T > TN–I. We develop approaches to create patterned arrays of microstructures with encoded multiple area-specific deformation modes and show their functions in responsive release of cargo, image concealment, and light-controlled reflectivity. We foresee that this platform can be widely applied in switchable adhesion, information encryption, autonomous antennae, energy harvesting, soft robotics, and smart buildings.

In this paper, an innovative piezo-hydraulic actuator (PHA) is considered that is intended to realize a fully variable valve control in camless combustion engines. A nonlinear model of the hydraulic system part is presented along with linear models of the remaining system parts. Accurate tracking of desired valve trajectories as well as soft landing despite disturbance forces and measurement noise is achieved using a combined control strategy. It consists of an input–output linearization of the nonlinear part as well as feedforward and linear quadratic integral (LQI) feedback control of the linear system part. Given measurements of the valve spool and engine valve positions, a Cascaded Extended Kalman Filter (CEKF) structure provides estimates for the immeasurable states. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Summarization: We develop a predictor-based adaptive cruise control design with integral action (based on a nominal constant time-headway policy) for the compensation of large actuator and sensor delays in vehicular systems utilizing measurements of the relative spacing as well as of the speed and the short-term history of the desired acceleration of the ego vehicle. By employing an input-output approach, we show that the predictor-based adaptive cruise control law with integral action guarantees all of the four typical performance specifications of adaptive cruise control designs, namely, 1) stability, 2) zero steady-state spacing error, 3) string stability, and 4) non-negative impulse response, despite the large input delay. The effectiveness of the developed control design is shown in simulation considering various performance metrics. Presented on: IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems

Magnetic miniature robots (MMRs) are small-scale, untethered actuators which can be controlled by magnetic fields. As these actuators can non-invasively access highly confined and enclosed spaces; they have great potential to revolutionize numerous applications in robotics, materials science, and biomedicine. While the creation of MMRs with six-degrees-of-freedom (six-DOF) represents a major advancement for this class of actuators, these robots are not widely adopted due to two critical limitations: i) under precise orientation control, these MMRs have slow sixth-DOF angular velocities (4 degree s-1 ) and it is difficult to apply desired magnetic forces on them; ii) such MMRs cannot perform soft-bodied functionalities. Here a fabrication method that can magnetize optimal MMRs to produce 51-297-fold larger sixth-DOF torque than existing small-scale, magnetic actuators is introduced. A universal actuation method that is applicable for rigid and soft MMRs with six-DOF is also proposed. Under precise orientation control, the optimal MMRs can execute full six-DOF motions reliably and achieve sixth-DOF angular velocities of 173 degree s-1 . The soft MMRs can display unprecedented functionalities; the six-DOF jellyfish-like robot can swim across barriers impassable by existing similar devices and the six-DOF gripper is 20-folds quicker than its five-DOF predecessor in completing a complicated, small-scale assembly. Nanyang Technological University Submitted/Accepted version G.Z.L. was funded by the start-up grant awarded by Nanyang Technological University.

Self-oscillating systems that enable autonomous, continuous motions driven by an unchanging, constant stimulus would have significant applications in intelligent machines, advanced robotics, and biomedical devices. Despite efforts to gain self-oscillations have been made through artificial systems using responsive soft materials of gels or liquid crystal polymers, these systems are plagued with problems that restrict their practical applicability: few available oscillation modes due to limited degrees of freedom, inability to control the evolution between different modes, and failure under loading. Here we create a phototunable self-oscillating system that possesses a broad range of oscillation modes, controllable evolution between diverse modes, and loading capability. This self-oscillating system is driven by a photoactive self-winding fiber actuator designed and prepared through a twistless strategy inspired by the helix formation of plant-tendrils, which endows the system with high degrees of freedom. It enables not only controllable generation of three basic self-oscillations but also production of diverse complex oscillatory motions. Moreover, it can work continuously over 1270000 cycles without obvious fatigue, exhibiting high robustness. We envision that this system with controllable self-oscillations, loading capability, and mechanical robustness will be useful in autonomous, self-sustained machines and devices with the core feature of photo-mechanical transduction., Self-oscillating systems that enable autonomous motions driven by a constant stimulus find applications in numerous fields but these systems are plagued with problems that restrict their practical applicability. Here, the authors create a photoactive self-winding fiber actuator that possesses a broad range of oscillation modes, controllable evolution between diverse modes, and loading capability.

This paper presents the design, modelling, control, and experimental validation of a novel flapping wing aerial robot built with servo actuators that could be applied in search, rescue, and assistance to injured people. The proposed concept design is intended to facilitate the construction of this kind of aerial robots following a modular and reconfigurable approach, consisting of a series of Servo-Flapping Engine (SFE) modules attached to the carbon fibre tube used as fuselage, and a tail servo, covering the structure with a light nylon cloth. The SFE modules are built with a pair of servos that rotate the wing rods with desired amplitude, frequency, and relative phase. Combining two SFE modules, it is possible to generate different flapping patterns and control the orientation of the aerodynamic surfaces. The paper covers the parametrization of the design, the hardware/software implementation, as well as the modelling and control. The proposed design is validated through gliding and flapping tests in an outdoor environment. Comisión Europea - ERC Advanced Grant GRIFFIN Action 788247 Comisión Europea - Proyecto AERIAL-CORE H2020-2019-871479

Low back pain is a common, expensive, and disabling condition in industrialized countries. There is still no consensus for its ideal management. Believing in the beneficial effect of traction, we developed a novel external dynamic distraction device. The purpose of this work was to demonstrate that external distraction allows limiting the pressure exerted in standing-up position on the lower intervertebral discs. Numerical and cadaveric studies were used as complementary approaches. Firstly, we implemented the device into a numerical model of a validated musculoskeletal software (Anybody Modeling System) and we calculated the lower disc pressure while traction forces were applied. Secondly, we performed an anatomical study using a non-formalin preserved cadaver placed in a sitting position. A pressure sensor was placed in the lower discs under fluoroscopic control through a Jamshidi needle. The intradiscal pressure was then measured continuously at rest while applying a traction force of 200 N. Both numerical and cadaveric studies demonstrated a decrease in intradiscal pressures after applying a traction force with the external device. Using the numerical model, we showed that tensile forces below 500 N in total were sufficient. The application of higher forces seems useless and potentially deleterious. External dynamic distraction device is able to significantly decrease the intradiscal pressure in a sitting or standing position. However, the therapeutic effects need to be proven using clinical studies.

Objective Hill-type muscle models are widely employed in simulations of human movement. Yet, the parameters underlying these models are difficult or impossible to measure in vivo. Prior studies demonstrate that Hill-type muscle parameters are encoded within dynamometric data. But, a generalizable approach for estimating these parameters from dynamometric data has not been realized. We aimed to leverage musculoskeletal models and artificial neural networks to classify one Hill-type muscle parameter (maximum isometric force) from easily measurable dynamometric data (simulated lateral pinch force). We tested two neural networks (feedforward and long short-term memory) to identify if accounting for dynamic behavior improved accuracy. Methods We generated four datasets via forward dynamics, each with increasing complexity from adjustments to more muscles. Simulations were grouped and evaluated to show how varying the maximum isometric force of thumb muscles affects lateral pinch force. Both neural networks classified these groups from lateral pinch force alone. Results Both neural networks achieved accuracies above 80% for datasets which varied only the flexor pollicis longus and/or the abductor pollicis longus. The inclusion of muscles with redundant functions dropped model accuracies to below 30%. While both neural networks were consistently more accurate than random guess, the long short-term memory model was not consistently more accurate than the feedforward model. Conclusion Our investigations demonstrate that artificial neural networks provide an inexpensive, data-driven approach for approximating Hill-type muscle-tendon parameters from easily measurable data. However, muscles of redundant function or of little impact to force production make parameter classification more challenging.

In current literature, a number of studies have separately considered path-tracking (PT) control and control allocation (CA) method, but few of studies have integrated them together. This study proposes an integrated PT and CA method for autonomous electric vehicle with independent steering and driving actuators in the limit handling scenario. The high-level feedback PT controller can determine the desired total tire forces and yaw moment, and is designed to guarantee yaw angle error and lateral deviation converge to zero simultaneously. The low-level CA method is formulated as a compact quadratic programming (QP) optimization formulation to optimally allocate individual control actuator. This CA method is designed for a prototype experiment electric vehicle with particularly steering and driving actuator arrangement. The proposed integrated PT controller is validate through numerical simulation based on a high-fidelity CarMaker model on highspeed limit handling scenario.

Body area networks (BANs), cloud computing, and machine learning are platforms that can potentially enable advanced healthcare outside the hospital. By applying distributed sensors and drug delivery devices on/in our body and connecting to such communication and decision-making technology, a system for remote diagnostics and therapy is achieved with additional autoregulation capabilities. Challenges with such autarchic on-body healthcare schemes relate to integrity and safety, and interfacing and transduction of electronic signals into biochemical signals, and vice versa. Here, we report a BAN, comprising flexible on-body organic bioelectronic sensors and actuators utilizing two parallel pathways for communication and decision-making. Data, recorded from strain sensors detecting body motion, are both securely transferred to the cloud for machine learning and improved decision-making, and sent through the body using a secure body-coupled communication protocol to auto-actuate delivery of neurotransmitters, all within seconds. We conclude that both highly stable and accurate sensing—from multiple sensors—are needed to enable robust decision making and limit the frequency of retraining. The holistic platform resembles the self-regulatory properties of the nervous system, i.e., the ability to sense, communicate, decide, and react accordingly, thus operating as a digital nervous system.

Trabajo presentado en la 7th International Conference on Control, Decision and Information Technologies (CoDIT), celebrada en Praga (República Checa), del 29 de junio al 2 de julio de 2020, The intrinsic redundancy of large-scale control systems allows to differentiate between the nominal system configuration, where the dynamics of the plant are controlled through a specific subset of actuators, and the possible configurations that arise from the combination of all the existing actuators (nominal plus back-up ones). After the occurrence of an unexpected event (component fault, isolation of a specific area due to security concerns, etc), some of the back-up system actuators can be used in order to guarantee that the system performance will remain within some admissible margins. Thus, given a scenario that causes a non-admissible system operation with the nominal configuration, the possibility to use back-up actuators in order to improve the system performance expands the traditional fault tolerant control scenario defining a new problem. Accordingly, this work is devoted to the introduction of the problem which is solved by formulating the actuator selection as a mixed-integer programming optimization. A water distribution network is used with the aim to illustrate the new problem implications as well as to demonstrate the validity of the proposed solution.

Stimuli-responsive hydrogel actuators have promising applications in various fields. However, the typical hydrogel actuation relies on the swelling and de-swelling process caused by osmotic-pressure changes, which is slow and normally requires the presence of water environment. Herein, we report a light-powered in-air hydrogel actuator with remarkable performances, including ultrafast motion speed (up to 1.6 m/s), rapid response (as fast as 800 ms) and high jumping height (~15 cm). The hydrogel is operated based on a fundamentally different mechanism that harnesses the synergetic interactions between the binary constituent parts, i.e. the elasticity of the poly(sodium acrylate) hydrogel, and the bubble caused by the photothermal effect of the embedded magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. The current hydrogel actuator exhibits controlled motion velocity and direction, making it promising for a wide range of mobile robotics, soft robotics, sensors, controlled drug delivery and other miniature device applications., Actuation of hydrogel actuators relies on slow swelling and de-swelling process which hampers its application in many fields. Here the authors report a light-powered in-air hydrogel actuator with remarkable performances including fast motion, speed and rapid response time.

We propose a modular architecture for neuromorphic closed-loop control based on bistable relaxation oscillator modules consisting of three spiking neurons each. Like its biological prototypes, this basic component is robust to parameter variation but can be modulated by external inputs. By combining these modules, we can construct a neural state machine capable of generating the cyclic or repetitive behaviors necessary for legged locomotion. A concrete case study for the approach is provided by a modular robot constructed from flexible plastic volumetric pixels, in which we produce a forward crawling gait entrained to the natural frequency of the robot by a minimal system of twelve neurons organized into four modules., 22 pages, 11 figures

[Abstract] Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) devices have evolved significantly in the last years, providing immersive AR/MR experiences that allow users to interact with virtual elements placed on the real-world. However, to make AR/MR devices reach their full potential, it is necessary to go further and let them collaborate with the physical elements around them, including the objects that belong to the Internet of Things (IoT). Unfortunately, AR/MR and IoT devices usually make use of heterogeneous technologies that complicate their intercommunication. Moreover, the implementation of the intercommunication mechanisms requires involving specialized developers with have experience on the necessary technologies. To tackle such problems, this article proposes the use of a framework that makes it easy to integrate AR/MR and IoT devices, allowing them to communicate dynamically and in real time. The presented AR/MR-IoT framework makes use of standard and open-source protocols and tools like MQTT, HTTPS or Node-RED. After detailing the inner workings of the framework, it is illustrated its potential through a practical use case: a smart power socket that can be monitored and controlled through Microsoft HoloLens AR/MR glasses. The performance of such a practical use case is evaluated and it is demonstrated that the proposed framework, under normal operation conditions, enables to respond in less than 100 ms to interaction and data update requests. Xunta de Galicia; IN853B-2018/02

Compact and entirely soft optics with tunable and adaptive properties drive the development of life‐like soft robotic systems. Yet, existing approaches are either slow, require rigid components, or use high operating voltages of several kilovolts. Here, soft focus‐tunable lenses are introduced, which operate at practical voltages, cover a high range of adjustable focal lengths, and feature response times in the milliseconds range. The nature‐inspired design comprises a liquid‐filled elastomeric lens membrane, which is inflated by zipping electroactive polymers to tune the focal length. An analytic description of the tunable lens supports optimized designs and accurate prediction of the lens characteristics. Focal length changes between 22 and 550 mm (numerical aperture 0.14–0.005) within 260 ms, equal in performance to human eyes, are demonstrated for a lens with 3 mm aperture radius, while applying voltages below 500 V. The presented model, design rules, and fabrication methods address central challenges of soft electrostatic actuators and optical systems, and pave the way toward autonomous bio‐inspired robots and machines., Zipping electroactive polymer (ZEAP) actuators drive bioinspired tunable lenses with large focal length changes, are low‐cost, and fast. They achieve actuation speeds and focal length changes comparable to the human eye, switching the focus from 550 to 22 mm within 260 ms. Being overall soft, ZEAP tunable lenses advance bio‐mimetic vision systems and actuators.

This work focuses on the definition of a home automation system based on power line communication. A low cost and non invasive system has been developed and tested with successful results. It is based on the Cypress CY8CPLC10, an integrated power line communication chip which embeds both a PHY modem and a network protocol stack. The information management and data generation processes are demanded to a microcontroller, in this first prototype, being implemented with a standard commercial board. Combining the use of a microcontroller with a power line modem and a dedicated software application it is possible to manage sensors and actuators in the neighbors through the power grid and without modifying the existing electrical and network systems.

An integration of an electric motor and a drive with wide-bandgap (WBG) devices possesses numerous attractive features for electrified and decentralized actuation systems. The WBG devices can operate at a high-junction temperature (>170 °C) with improved efficiency due to fast switching speed and low on-state resistance. It also leads to better performance and higher power density electro-hydrostatic actuators (EHAs) than the traditional solutions, which are being widely adopted in industrial applications such as aerospace, robotics, automobiles, manufacturing, wind turbine, and off-road vehicles. This paper introduces and investigates the benefits of the integrated motor drive with the WBG-based power electronics for the EHA systems.

The crucial role played by social interactions between smart objects in the Internet of Things (IoT) is being rapidly recognized by the social IoT (SIoT) vision. In this paper, we build upon the recently introduced vision of Speaking Objects—“things” interacting through argumentation—to show how different forms of human dialogue naturally fit cooperation and coordination requirements of the SIoT. In particular, we show how Speaking Objects can exchange arguments in order to seek for information, negotiate over an issue, persuade others, deliberate actions, and so on, namely, striving to reach consensus about the state of affairs and their goals. In this context, we illustrate how argumentation naturally enables such a form of conversational coordination through practical examples and a case study scenario.

International audience; In this chapter we present considerations on the impact of the turbulence characteristics of most flows of industrial interest on the flow control interpretations or strategies. In the second part we will give an overview of the CFD approaches, including actuator integration methods. The actuators characteristics will then be presented with the associated detection methods. Considerations on the spatial and time characteristics of flow control will be provided.

To many, fog computing is considered the next step beyond the current centralized cloud that will support the forthcoming Internet of Things (IoT) revolution. While IoT devices will still communicate with applications running in the cloud, localized fog clusters will appear with IoT devices communicating with application logic running on a proximate fog node. This will add proximity-based machine-to-machine (M2M) communications to standard cloud-computing traffic, and it calls for efficient mobility management for entire fog clusters and energy-efficient communication within them. In this context, long-term evolution-advanced (LTE-A) technology is expected to play a major role as a communication infrastructure that guarantees low deployment costs, native mobility support, and plug-andplay seamless configuration.

The papers in this special section examine the deploying of industrial wireless sensor networks as it applies to the industrial Internet of Things. Industrial networks connect sensors and actuators in various industrial facilities, such as oil and gas production facilities, paper plants, car manufactories, and underground mines. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a paradigm that involves a network of physical objects containing embedded technologies to collect, communicate, sense, and interact with their internal states or the external environment through wireless or wired connections brilliant machines, advanced analytics, and people at work and deliver valuable new insights like never before. These insights can then help drive smarter, faster business decisions for industrial companies. Since the Internet is designed for best effort services, there is a fundamental challenge to design and support applications in the industrial automation domain that demands real-time performance at different levels.

Urgency of the research. Mechatronics products become more sophisticated and complicated. Mechatronic engineers should be prepared for this complex design process. Practical experimental model helps improve educational process as preparing for practice.Target setting. Miniaturized model of the lift suitable for practical training on subjects focused to microcontrollers, sensors, actuators etc. Students have possibility to make practice on laboratory exercises, where they can verify theoretical knowledge obtained on lectures. The arrangement of the model has modular character, because of possibility to rearrange or adding of new function into model. The aim was to create minimized model of real lift with all functions and systems.Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. Many universities are oriented only to finished robotic kits and do not support creativity of students. Open access and open structure model missing in this field. There is a need for fast prototyping model, which allows the creation of new design of product.Uninvestigated parts of general matters defining. The question of the design of printed circuit board are uninvestigated, because they need more time than allows normal exercises.The research objective. The main aim of educational process is to educate engineers with basic knowledge, skills and handicraft. Practical models help as support devices for fulfil of this aim. All mechatronic students can practice a training on these practical models. They become as more skilled and well-oriented engineers..The statement of basic materials. Construction consist of upper and lower base plate connected with four pillars used as linear guide for moving of lift cage. Lower base plate includes base microcontrollers boards, resistor network, power transistor array board, power supply terminals, relay modules, PWM module and signals terminals. Upper base plate consist of DC motor with gearing and screw mechanism for moving the lift cage.Conclusions. The model enables supports the creativity of the students. The starting point of the using of the model can be without any wired connections. Students should connect every part and try functionality of every function. The students receive the defined several problems and they have to analyze it and make any proposal for solution of defined problems., Актуальность темы исследования. Мехатронные изделия становятся все более сложными. Инженеры мехатроники должны быть готовы к сложности процесса проектирования. Практическая экспериментальная модель помогает улучшить учебный процесс при подготовке к практической деятельности.Постановка проблемы. Миниатюрная модель лифта, подходящая для практического изучения предметов, ориентирована микроконтроллеры, датчики, приводы и т. д. У студентов есть возможность практиковать лабораторные занятия, где они могут проверять теоретические знания, полученные на лекциях. Строение модели имеет модульный характер, что дает возможность перегруппировки или добавления новой функции в модель. Цель заключалась в создании миниатюрной модели реального лифта со всеми функциями и системами.Анализ последних исследований и публикаций. Многие университеты ориентированы только на готовые роботизированные комплекты и не поддерживают творчество студентов. В этом поле отсутствует модель открытого доступа и открытой структуры. Существует необходимость в быстрой модели прототипирования, которая позволяет создавать новый дизайн продукта.Выделение неисследованных частей общей проблемы. Вопрос о дизайне печатной платы не до-исследуемым, потому что ему нужно больше времени, чем позволяют обычные действия.Постановка задачи. Основной целью учебного процесса является обучение инженеров базовых знаний, навыков и умений. Практичные модели помогают в качестве вспомогательных устройств для достижения этой цели. Все студенты-мехатроники могут практиковаться на этих практических моделях. Они становятся более квалифицированными и хорошо ориентированными инженерами.Изложение основного материала. Конструкция состоит из верхней и нижней опорной плиты, связанной с четырьмя колоннами, которые используются в качестве линейной направляющей для перемещения подъемной клетки. Нижняя опорная плита включает в себя базовые платы микроконтроллеров, резисторную сеть, плату с массивом силовых транзисторов, клеммы источника питания, модули реле, модуль PWM и терминалы сигналов. Верхняя опорная плита состоит из двигателя постоянного тока с зубчатым зацеплением и винтового механизма для перемещения подъемной клетки.Выводы в соответствии со статьей. Модель позволяет поддерживать творческий потенциал студентов. Соединение с точкой управления моделью может быть беспроводным. Студенты должны подключить каждую часть и попробовать возможности каждой функции. Студенты получают определенные задачи, им приходится анализировать их и делать любые предложения для решения определенных проблем., Актуальність теми дослідження. Мехатронні вироби стають все більш складними. Інженери мехатроніки повинні бути готові до складності процесу проектування. Практична експериментальна модель допомагає поліпшити навчальний процес при підготовці до практичної діяльності.Постановка проблеми. Мініатюрна модель ліфта, підходяща для практичного вивчення предметів, орієнтована на мікроконтролери, датчики, приводи і т. ін. У студентів є можливість практикувати лабораторні заняття, де вони можуть перевіряти теоретичні знання, отримані на лекціях. Будова моделі має модульний характер, що дає можливість перегрупування або додавання нової функції в модель. Мета полягала в створенні мініатюрної моделі реального ліфта з усіма функціями і системами.Аналіз останніх досліджень і публікацій.. Багато університетів орієнтовані тільки на готові роботизовані комплекти і не підтримують творчість студентів. У цьому полі відсутня модель відкритого доступу і відкритої структури. Існує необхідність в швидкій моделі прототипування, яка дозволяє створювати новий дизайн продукту.Виділення недосліджених раніше частин загальної проблеми. Питання про дизайн друкованої плати не досліджено, тому що йому потрібно більше часу, ніж дозволяють звичайні дії.Постановка завдання. Основною метою навчального процесу є навчання інженерів базових знань, навичок і умінь. Практичні моделі допомагають в якості допоміжних пристроїв для досягнення цієї мети. Всі студенти-мехатроніки можуть практикуватися на цих практичних моделях. Вони стають більш кваліфікованими і добре орієнтованими інженерами.Викладення основного матеріалу. Конструкція складається з верхньої і нижньої опорної плити, пов'язаної з чотирма колонами, які використовуються в якості лінійної напрямної для переміщення підйомної клітки. Нижня опорна плита включає в себе базові плати мікроконтролерів, резисторну мережу, плату з масивом силових транзисторів, клеми джерела живлення, модулі реле, модуль PWM і термінали сигналів. Верхня опорна плита складається з двигуна постійного струму з зубчастим зачепленням і гвинтового механізму для переміщення підйомної клітки.Висновки. Модель дозволяє підтримувати творчий потенціал студентів. З'єднання з точкою управління моделлю може бути безпровідним. Студенти повинні підключити кожну частину і спробувати можливості кожної функції. Студенти отримують певні завдання, їм доводиться аналізувати їх і робити будь-які пропозиції для вирішення певних проблем.

Accumulation of excess air and water in the lungs leads to breakdown of respiratory function and is a common cause of patient hospitalization. Compact and non-invasive methods to detect the changes in lung fluid accumulation can allow physicians to assess patients’ respiratory conditions. In this paper, an acoustic transducer and a digital stethoscope system are proposed as a targeted solution for this clinical need. Alterations in the structure of the lungs lead to measurable changes which can be used to assess lung pathology. We standardize this procedure by sending a controlled signal through the lungs of six healthy subjects and six patients with lung disease. We extract mel-frequency cepstral coefficients and spectroid audio features, commonly used in classification for music retrieval, to characterize subjects as healthy or diseased. Using the \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{upgreek} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document} }{}$K$ \end{document}-nearest neighbors algorithm, we demonstrate 91.7% accuracy in distinguishing between healthy subjects and patients with lung pathology., An acoustic transducer and digital stethoscope system are proposed as a targeted solution for detection of fluid in the lung. In a clinical trial, the system demonstrated 91.7% accuracy in distinguishing between healthy subjects and subjects with lung pathology.

The current method of controlling the focus of an accommodating intraocular lens is based on ciliary muscle contraction and cannot be used in older patients with presbyopia. We aimed to develop a dynamically accommodating intraocular lens powered by a membrane-shaped ion polymer metal composite actuator that is thin enough to be inserted in the eye. This study addresses two key problems identified in our previous accommodating intraocular lens prototype: the lack of repeatability due to the use of swine lenses instead of artificial lenses and the occurrence of a sixth order aberration. Thus, we present a new accommodating intraocular lens design and a method to transfer energy to actuators. To accommodate lens deformation and depth of focus, we used a membrane-shaped ion polymer metal composite actuator, thin enough to be inserted in the eye, and used an artificial silicone lens. To prevent the sixth order aberration, we included a ring between the ion polymer metal composite actuator and the lens. Different voltage patterns were applied to the IPMC actuator and changes in focus were observed. We were able to obtain repeatability and prevent the sixth order aberration. The dioptric power changed to ±0.23 D when ±1.5 V was used; however, at >1.5 V, a large accommodating range occurred, in addition to astigmatic vision. Thus, we have developed a novel prototype that is completely artificial, allowing reproducible and repeatable results. Visual accommodative demands were successfully met; however, although astigmatic vision was lessened, it was not completely eradicated.

The purpose of the project is create a PV panels orientation system after the sun, with return to home position when dark is coming. The system must be energetically autonomous, and also have the ability to constantly provide power. The orientation of photovoltaic panels is an important factor that we must take into account in the design of energy production systems based on solar radiation. Solar guidance systems increase the efficiency of the power generation system by keeping the panels in a position perpendicular to the light rays. The two-axis orientation method was used. The wiring diagram has been designed so that the guidance system works in both manual and automatic modes. For the system to be energy-independent and, linked to the power supply of the drive motors for the two axis, we used a MPPT charger for the battery used as a energy source. Finding the best solutions for increasing system efficiency and energy independence will be presented in this paper.

The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013) / ERC Grant Agreement n. 321132, project TRAMAN21. Summarization: The development and deployment of simple, yet efficient, coordinated and integrated control tools for motorway traffic control remains a challenge. A generic integrated feedback-based motorway traffic flow control concept is proposed in this paper. It is based on the combination and suitable extension of control algorithms and tools proposed or deployed in other studies, such as ramp metering or variable speed limit (VSL)-enabled cascade-feedback mainstream traffic flow control, and allows for consideration of multiple bottlenecks. The new controller enables coordination of ramp metering actions at a series of on-ramps, as well as integration with VSL control actions, toward a common control goal, which is bottleneck throughput maximization. While doing this, the approach considers a pre-specified (desired) balancing of the incurred delays upstream of the employed actuators, via a suitably designed knapsack problem. Despite the multitude of the offered configurations, options, and possibilities, the generic control algorithm remains simple, efficient, and suitable for field implementation. The control algorithm is demonstrated and evaluated using a validated macroscopic traffic flow model for a number of scenarios. Presented on: IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems

This paper deals with an adaptive control strategy based on the resonance concept to minimize the regulation energy of a new generation of actuators for intake valves of camless engines. The new actuator contains different parts, but basically it consists of a piezo part and a hydraulic one. Even though this work considers a particular application, the solutions proposed in the paper are quite general. The regulator consists of a cascade structure which combines feedforward actions with an external resonance controller strategy. These controllers guarantee that each single part of the actuator works at the frequency given by the velocity of the revolution of the engine. The parameters of the valve controller and of its feedforward action change adaptively in accordance with any change in the velocity of the revolution of the engine. Real measurements on an intake valve of a camless engine are shown.

In aircraft wing design, engineers aim to provide the best possible aerodynamic performance under cruise flight conditions in terms of lift-to-drag ratio. Conventional control surfaces such as flaps, ailerons, variable wing sweep and spoilers are used to trim the aircraft for other flight conditions. The appearance of the morphing wing concept launched a new challenge in the area of overall wing and aircraft performance improvement during different flight segments by locally altering the flow over the aircraft’s wings. This paper describes the development and application of a control system for an actuation mechanism integrated in a new morphing wing structure. The controlled actuation system includes four similar miniature electromechanical actuators disposed in two parallel actuation lines. The experimental model of the morphing wing is based on a full-scale portion of an aircraft wing, which is equipped with an aileron. The upper surface of the wing is a flexible one, being closed to the wing tip; the flexible skin is made of light composite materials. The four actuators are controlled in unison to change the flexible upper surface to improve the flow quality on the upper surface by delaying or advancing the transition point from laminar to turbulent regime. The actuators transform the torque into vertical forces. Their bases are fixed on the wing ribs and their top link arms are attached to supporting plates fixed onto the flexible skin with screws. The actuators push or pull the flexible skin using the necessary torque until the desired vertical displacement of each actuator is achieved. The four vertical displacements of the actuators, correlated with the new shape of the wing, are provided by a database obtained through a preliminary aerodynamic optimization for specific flight conditions. The control system is designed to control the positions of the actuators in real time in order to obtain and to maintain the desired shape of the wing for a specified flight condition. The feasibility and effectiveness of the developed control system by use of a proportional fuzzy feed-forward methodology are demonstrated experimentally through bench and wind tunnel tests of the morphing wing model. Proportional fuzzy feed-forward architecture control validation by wind tunnel tests of a morphing wing.

This paper identifies the class of actuators called clutched elastic actuators (CEAs). CEAs use clutches to control the energy flow into springs. CEAs in exoskeletons, prostheses, legged robots, and robotic arms have shown the ability to reduce the energy consumption and motor requirements, such as peak torque and peak power. Because of those abilities, they are increasingly used in robotics. In this paper, we categorize existing CEA designs, identify trends in those designs, and provide a method to analyze their functionality. Based on a literature survey, current CEA designs are placed in nine categories, depending on their morphology. The main trend is that CEA designs are becoming more complex, meaning that the number of clutches and springs increases. We show with the introduced mathematical analysis that the functionality can be analyzed with a constraint matrix, a stiffness matrix, and multiplication of a clutch-dependent diagonal matrix with an oriented incidence matrix. This method eases the analysis of the functionality of CEAs. Furthermore, it can lead to new CEA designs in which the number of resulting stiffnesses grows exponentially with the number of springs and clutches.

We propose a new scan waveform ideally suited for high-speed atomic force microscopy. It is an optimization of the Archimedean spiral scan path with respect to the X , Y scanner bandwidth and scan speed. The resulting waveform uses a constant angular velocity spiral in the center and transitions to constant linear velocity toward the periphery of the scan. We compare it with other scan paths and demonstrate that our novel spiral best satisfies the requirements of high-speed atomic force microscopy by utilizing the scan time most efficiently with excellent data density and data distribution. For accurate X , Y , and Z positioning our proposed scan pattern has low angular frequency and low linear velocities that respect the instrument's mechanical limits. Using Sensor Inpainting we show artifact-free high-resolution images taken at two frames per second with a 2.2 $\mu \text{m}$ scan size on a moderately large scanner capable of 40 $\mu \text{m}$ scans.

This paper presents the analysis and multiobjective optimization of a magnetic actuator. By varying just 8 parameters of the magnetic actuator’s model the design space grows to more than 6 million configurations. Much more, the 8 objectives that must be optimized are conflicting and generate a huge objectives space, too. To cope with this complexity, we use advanced heuristic methods for Automatic Design Space Exploration. FADSE tool is one Automatic Design Space Exploration framework including different state of the art multi-objective meta-heuristics for solving NP-hard problems, which we used for the analysis and optimization of the COMSOL and MATLAB model of the magnetic actuator. We show that using a state of the art genetic multi-objective algorithm, response surface modelling methods and some machine learning techniques, the timing complexity of the design space exploration can be reduced, while still taking into consideration objective constraints so that various Pareto optimal configurations can be found. Using our developed approach, we were able to decrease the simulation time by at least a factor of 10, compared to a run that does all the simulations, while keeping prediction errors to around 1%.