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SUMMARY:Smarter materials for simpler robotics - Andrew Conn
DTSTART:20230119T140000Z
DTEND:20230119T150000Z
UID:TALK195457@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Fulvio Forni
DESCRIPTION:Soft robotics has emerged as an important new paradigm within 
 robotics where compliance is exploited to create new types of system that 
 safely and intelligently interact with humans and uncertain environments. 
 Soft robotics represents a shift from the traditional basis of how a robot
  should be designed\, since intelligent responses and behaviours can be em
 bodied into the morphology of the robot. However\, limitations in soft act
 uators and sensors have become a technological bottleneck\, which has limi
 ted how effectively soft robots can be untethered and applied outside of l
 aboratory conditions.\nIn this talk\, I will first discuss how the use of 
 soft and compliant materials in soft robotics creates new opportunities to
  reimagine conventional control and planning loops in robotics. This inclu
 des the challenges of sensing and controlling the greatly increased number
  of degrees-of-freedom inherent to soft materials. Recent work on stimuli-
 responsive dielectric elastomers (DEs) will then be presented\, which offe
 r great potential as lightweight actuators in soft robotic systems and as 
 soft and stretchable energy harvesters. However\, their non-linear transdu
 ction response makes their design and control challenging. Methods to pred
 ict and exploit the highly non-linear dynamic response of coupled DE membr
 anes for advanced actuation performance will be discussed. Finally\, it wi
 ll be shown how these advances can increase actuator performance\, maximis
 e energy transmission and untether pneumatic soft robots.\n\nThe seminar w
 ill be held in the JDB Seminar Room\, Department of Engineering\, and onli
 ne (zoom): https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87986687566?pwd=MGJScmMwd2lwT0tVMHNmW
 mxSa05XZz09
LOCATION:Department of Engineering / Online (Zoom)
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