1,721,049 research outputs found
A Cartesian Cable-Suspended Robot for improving end-users' mobility in an urban environment
No full textIn the near future, the flexibility and safety of robotic systems will allow them to interact directly with a patient without the need for an operator which will, at most, have to switch a system on or off. In this
new scenario, end-users will have more chance of attaining enhanced independence and comfort in their daily life, even in outdoor activities, by using a simple and safe technology. In this paper we propose Cable System for Improving Mobility (CaSIMo), which has been developed with the aim of improving the mobility of end-users in an urban environment as regards traversing architectural barriers like canals or roads, when classical solutions such as bridges cannot be adopted. The cable system has been developed for large-scale handling (or aiding transfer) for applications in urban, civil and naval environments. The main issue of the system proposed, which belongs to the class of Cartesian Cable-Suspended Robots (CCSR), is that it can provide translational motion of the suspended end-effector, and may thus be considered well suited to a number of applications including that proposed herein. In this paper we focus our attention on a spatial version designed to improve the mobility of end-users in an urban environment. In particular, modeling for kinetostatic and dynamic analyses are proposed and discussed. The proposed system does not require structures of large dimensions, and its environmental impact can thus be greatly reduced with regard to other analogous devices. Moreover, it has a low-cost design if compared to other systems such as bridges, and can be installed and removed relatively easily. A laboratory prototype of the planar version has been built for experimental tests. Dynamic simulations of the large-scale spatial version have been reported to show the engineering significance of the
proposed design in both nominal operation and critical conditions, i.e. in the case of a cable breaking
THROO: A Tracked Hybrid Rover to Overpass Obstacles
No full textIn this paper the design, simulation and experimental tests are presented for THROO: a Tracked Hybrid Rover, which has been developed to Overpass Obstacles. The proposed mobile robot has 3-DOFs and it is capable of straight motion, turning ability and two operations, namely rover-like motion with tracks on flat terrain and walking-like motion with track and legs to overpass obstacles on move on uneven terrain. The leg mechanism is composed by a four-bar linkage, which has been synthesized according to desired features. In particular, the Burmester problem, which aims at finding the geometric parameters of a four-bar linkage required for a prescribed set of finitely separated poses is solved for the case understudy. Dynamic simulations have been carried out and a prototype has been built. The proposed results show the hybrid rover ability to overpass obstacles, which size is comparable or greater than the track high
Analysis and Mechanical Design Solutions for Sit-To-Stand Assisting Devices
Full text linkSit-to-stand can be considered the most common daily-life activity and it can be defined as a change of posture, in which the base of support is transferred from the seat to the feet. It requires both voluntary movement of different body segments that contribute to the equilibrium and control during an important displacement of the Centre Of Gravity of the body. This activity can be considered of crucial importance for elderly and people with reduced mobility to achieve minimal independence in daily-life at home. In this study, we present and compare three design solutions for the support mechanisms to be used in assisting mechatronic devices. The reported solutions and considerations are supported by experimental activity, which was carried out during trials to track and record trajectories and the orientation of the trunk of the body during the sit-to-stand
Kinematic Analysis of Slider-Cranks Derived from the λ -Mechanism
No full textIn this paper a kinematic analysis is presented for slider-cranks derived from the λ-mechanism. In particular, for this linkage the coupler curves traced by a reference point are Berard curves. By properly choosing the design parameters of the mechanism the coupler curves are represented by quartics, which have been identified and classified
Synthesis and Prototyping of a Sit-to-Stand Assisting Device
Full text linkAssistive and rehabilitation technologies deal with solutions aiming at sustaining or enhancing individual’s capabilities and autonomy, thereby improving their overall welfare. In the framework of devices developed for daily life activities, we focus our attention on Sit-to-Stand (STS) devices, by proposing an innovative solution based on a mechanism that has been synthesized, designed, built and tested as a prototype version for accomplishing the task. The developed mechatronic system serves the requested motions of standing and sitting, possessing the main features of compactness and customization for being embedded in chairs and conventional seats, according to a procedure that will be detailed in the paper. A simulation in a realistic scenario using a 3D model of an individual was carried out to size and verify the mechanical design and actuation. The mechatronic design of the system and its operations were reported using a laboratory prototype to show its engineering soundness and first experimental tests
Digital and Mechatronic Technologies Applied to the Survey of Brownfields
No full textThe brownfields are amongst the most relevant historical evidences of the socio-economic heritage of
populations. The rehabilitation of these sites, often aimed at inserting them in a newly conceived connective
tissue of the cities, requires complete and accurate knowledge of their historical and architectural
value: the former use of spaces, constructive technologies, environmental conditions and present
deterioration must be investigated. The width and complexity of these architectural/urban areas requires
complex survey methodologies. These analyses take advantage from digital mechatronic tools such as
hybrid rover equipped with sensors to provide information on the damage of structures, degradation of
plaster and in general on the state of the materials forming the different parts of the brownfield. This
Chapter analyze a procedure combining traditional survey with mobile robot technology, aimed at recovering
the geometrical and architectural features of these complex sites. The mechatronic survey is
schematized as composed by main five tasks, which are described in the Chapter
The Heritage Management and Preservation Using the Mechatronic Survey
No full textThe management and preservation of heritage assets are important issues for their sustainability and further maintenance. Classical approaches mainly rely on human activities that are time consuming with high costs. In addition, mandatory actions required, often clash with the difficulty of access to the sites, high cost, and invasiveness of investigations. Mechatronic advanced tools can be developed and efficiently used as technological solutions to address the problem. Our
project’s aim is to test low-cost technologies to monitor and manage cultural heritage trying to significantly reduce the acquisition and maintenance costs and widespread their use. Main features of these systems for automatic survey can be based on ground or aerial solutions to access heritage assets. Specifically, in indoor or underground survey, information on textural data of the materials constituting the various objects and the state of decay can be investigated. In
outdoor survey, digital images can be collected to create a BIM. In this contribution, basic components and use of such tools are described. Experimental tests were performed in a historical small town in Valcomino by using a ground robotic system, an outdoor relief of the historical city center Borgo San Rocco located in Sora was used to build a BI
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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