1,721,381 research outputs found
Development of a mechatronic system for the mirror therapy
Full text linkThis paper fits into the field of research concerning robotic systems for rehabilitation. Robotic systems are going to be increasingly used to assist fragile persons and to perform rehabilitation tasks for persons affected by motion injuries. Among the recovery therapies, the mirror therapy was shown to be effective for the functional recovery of an arm after stroke. In this paper we present a master/slave robotic device based on the mirror therapy paradigm for wrist rehabilitation. The device is designed to orient the affected wrist in real time according to the imposed motion of the healthy wrist. The paper shows the kinematic analysis of the system, the numerical simulations, an experimental mechatronic set-up, and a built 3D-printed prototype
Analytical and graphical methods to synthesize three poses rigid body guidance
No full textThe kinematic synthesis of planar mechanisms for a rigid body guidance through three-poses is a common task in the industrial environment, because it is quite usual to assign the starting and final poses of the coupler link, along with one additional intermediate pose between them, in order to avoid strange movements before to reach the final pose. Moreover, the type synthesis can require different mechanisms, as four-bar linkages (4R), slidercrank/rocker mechanisms (3RP), double-sliders (2R2P), guiding mechanisms (RPRP), where R and P state for Revolute and Prismatic joints, respectively. This paper deals with the application of graphical methods by means of SolidWorks, along with the formulation of a specific algorithm, for the kinematic synthesis of three-poses rigidbody guidance mechanisms, which is mainly based on the Suh &Radcliffe method. However, a suitable use of the analytical geometry has allowed the formulation of a more general algorithm for including also the synthesis of linkages provided of prismatic joints. In particular, the proposed algorithm allows the synthesis of three-poses rigid-body guidance mechanisms of type 2R2P, as the generalized Cardan mechanism with non-orthogonal guides, along with its kinematic inversion, as the corresponding generalized Oldham coupling. Mechanisms of type RPRP, as the generalized Rapson slide and/or the Davis steering mechanism, are also considered to test the formulation. Several graphical and numerical examples are shown in this paper by validating the proposed algorithm through a careful comparison between the graphical and numerical results. © 2017 Centro Servizi d'Ateneo S.r.l. All rights reserved
Design and development of an Inspection Robotic System for indoor applications
Full text linkThe inspection and monitoring of industrial sites, structures, and infrastructure are important issues for their sustainability and further maintenance. Although these tasks are repetitive and time consuming, and some of these environments may be characterized by dust, humidity, or absence of natural light, classical approach relies on large human activities. Automatic or robotic solutions can be considered useful tools for inspection because they can be effective in exploring dangerous or inaccessible sites, at relatively low-cost and reducing the time required for the relief. The development of a paradigmatic system called Inspection Robotic System (IRS) is the main objective of this paper to demonstrate the feasibility of mechatronic solutions for inspection of industrial sites. The development of such systems will be exploited in the form of a tool kit to be flexible and installed on a mobile system, in order to be used for inspection and monitoring, possibly introducing high efficiency, quality and repetitiveness in the related sector. The interoperability of sensors with wireless communication may form a smart sensors tool kit and a smart sensor network with powerful functions to be effectively used for inspection purposes. Moreover, it may constitute a solution for a broad range of scenarios spacing from industrial sites, brownfields, historical sites or sites dangerous or difficult to access by operators. First experimental tests are reported to show the engineering feasibility of the system and interoperability of the mobile hybrid robot equipped with sensors that allow real-time multiple acquisition and storage
Hybrid Inspection Robot for Indoor and Outdoor Surveys
Full text linkIn this paper, simulation and experimental tests are reported for a hybrid robot being used for indoor and outdoor inspections. Automatic or tele-operated surveys can be performed by mobile robots, which represent the most efficient solution in terms of power consumption, control, robustness, and overall costs. In the context of structures and infrastructure inspection, robots must be able to move on horizontal or sloped surfaces and overpass obstacles. In this paper, the mechatronic design, simulations, and experimental activity are proposed for a hybrid robot being used for indoor and outdoor inspections, when the environmental conditions do not allow autonomous navigation. In particular, the hybrid robot is equipped with external and internal sensors to acquire information on the main structural elements, avoiding the need for experienced personnel being directly inside the inspection site, taking information from the environment and aiding the pilot to understand the best maneuvers/decisions to take. Given the current state of research and shortcomings worldwide, this paper discusses inspection robots taking into account the main issues in their use, functionality and standard systems, and how internal sensors can be set in order to improve inspection robots’ performances. On this basis, an illustrative study case is proposed
Functional design for customizing sit-to-stand assisting devices
No full textStanding up refers to the transition from the seating to the standing postures to perform a movement that involves several body segments and requires both voluntary action and equilibrium control during an important displacement of the body Centre of Gravity (COG). This task can be considered very important for people with reduced mobility to achieve minimal independence in Activity of Daily Living (ADL). In this paper, we propose solutions for the homecare of persons with reduced mobility, describing a functional design to customize assisting devices for the Sit-to-Stand (STS). In particular, the support mechanism that generates the requested motion and sustains the body of a person can be synthesized ad-hoc according to the experimental data of the subject. Experimental tests carried out during the Sit-To-Stand are used to track and record point trajectories and the orientation of the trunk of an individual, and they are used to design a 1-DOF mechanism able to reproduce the assigned rigid-body motion. A four-bar linkage has been synthesized according to the desired features. Simulation results are reported to illustrate the engineering soundness of the proposed mechatronic solution
Design and implementation of a mobile robot for the mechatronic survey
No full textMechatronic survey has becoming a topic of great interest because of the importance for the sustainability, management and preservation of heritage and historical assets. In fact, the main concerns refer to the accessibility of the sites to inspect and invasiveness of the investigation, which are very often time consuming and high-cost due to security issues. In this paper, we discuss a mechatronic solution for the survey based on a mobile robotic platform, on which equipment and sensors are installed to perform automatic or semi-automatic survey. In this regard, a suitable simulation of the operation is very useful for training and verification of the robot motion capabilities. Simulation tests are reported for the robot carrying equipment, together with experimental tests. The developed solution may be used for indoor or outdoor inspections
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
Mechatronic Design of Low-Cost Control Systems for Rehabilitation and Assisting Devices
No full textIn this chapter, authors focus on mechatronic solutions for low-cost control devices for the homecare of elderly and people with reduced mobility, having the goal of assisting people in daily-life activities. The development of such systems can be exploited in the form of a toolkit to be flexible and applied either to rehabilitation or assistive systems, in order to aid movements with controlled position, force/torque, and acceleration, possibly introducing reliability, repetitiveness, and low cost in the related sector. In particular, the development of a low-cost control system design allows the applicability of the solution to a broad range of devices for the home-care. The authors aim to develop low-cost technologies for the homecare of elderly and people with motor impairments trying to reduce significantly the overall costs to facilitate wider use of assisting and rehabilitation systems. In particular, a Sit-To-Stand (STS) assisting device is considered as a paradigmatic example to illustrate design considerations
Kinematic Synthesis of Rotary Machines Generated by Regular Curve-Polygons
No full textThe subject of this paper is the kinematic synthesis of volumetric rotary machines, also known as GeRotors (GEnerated ROTORs), which are based on the planetary motion of suitable regular curve-polygons. In particular, the outer and inner conjugate profiles of a generating regular curve-polygon with any number of lobes and different circumcircle and rounded corner radii were synthesized as envelope curves of the polycentric profiles. This also enabled a regular curve-polygon with cusp corners to be obtained, as in the case of the Reuleaux triangle. The proposed formulation was then implemented in a matlab code and validated by means of several significant examples of rotary machines
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