A Lightweight Universal Gripper with Low Activation Force for Aerial Grasping

E-print/Working paper (2022)

Soft robotic grippers have numerous advantages that address challenges in dynamic aerial grasping. Typical multi-fingered soft grippers recently showcased for aerial grasping are highly dependent on the ... [more ▼]

Soft robotic grippers have numerous advantages that address challenges in dynamic aerial grasping. Typical multi-fingered soft grippers recently showcased for aerial grasping are highly dependent on the direction of the target object for successful grasping. This study pushes the boundaries of dynamic aerial grasping by developing an omnidirectional system for autonomous aerial manipulation. In particular, the paper investigates the design, fabrication, and experimental verification of a novel, highly integrated, modular, sensor-rich, universal jamming gripper specifically designed for aerial applications. Leveraging recent developments in particle jamming and soft granular materials, the presented gripper produces a substantial holding force while being very lightweight, energy-efficient and only requiring a low activation force. We show that the holding force can be improved by up to 50% by adding an additive to the membrane’s silicone mixture. The experiments show that our lightweight gripper can develop up to 15N of holding force with an activation force as low as 2.5N, even without geometric interlocking. Finally, a pick and release task is performed under real-world conditions by mounting the gripper onto a multi-copter. The developed aerial grasping system features many useful properties, such as resilience and robustness to collisions and the inherent passive compliance which decouples the UAV from the environment. [less ▲]

Linear buckling analysis of cracked plates by SFEM and XFEM

in Journal of Mechanics of Material and Structures (2011), 6(9-10), 1213-1238

In this paper, the linear buckling problem for isotropic plates is studied using a quadrilateral element with smoothed curvatures and the extended finite element method. First, the curvature at each point ... [more ▼]

In this paper, the linear buckling problem for isotropic plates is studied using a quadrilateral element with smoothed curvatures and the extended finite element method. First, the curvature at each point is obtained by a nonlocal approximation via a smoothing function. This element is later coupled with partition of unity enrichment to simplify the simulation of cracks. The proposed formulation suppresses locking and yields elements which behave very well, even in the thin plate limit. The buckling coefficient and mode shapes of square and rectangular plates are computed as functions of crack length, crack location, and plate thickness. The effects of different boundary conditions are also studied. © 2011 by Mathematical Sciences Publishers. [less ▲]

A Linear Programming Approach to Parameter Fitting for the Master Equation

in IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control (2009), 54(10), 2451-2455

This technical note proposes a new framework for the design of continuous time, finite state space Markov processes. In particular, we propose a paradigm for selecting an optimal matrix within a pre ... [more ▼]

This technical note proposes a new framework for the design of continuous time, finite state space Markov processes. In particular, we propose a paradigm for selecting an optimal matrix within a pre-specified pencil of transition rate matrices. Given any transition rate matrix specifying the time-evolution of the Markov process, we propose a class of figures of merit that upper-bounds the long-term evolution of any statistical moment. We show that optimization with respect to the aforementioned class of cost functions is tractable via dualization and linear programming methods. In addition, we suggest how this approach can be used as a tool for the sub-optimal design of the master equation, with performance guarantees. Our results are applied to illustrative examples. [less ▲]

Linear smoothed extended finite element method for fatigue crack growth simulations

in Engineering Fracture Mechanics (2018), 206

In this paper, the recently proposed linear smoothed extended finite element method (LSmXFEM) is employed to simulate the fatigue crack growth. Unlike the conventional extended finite element method, the ... [more ▼]

In this paper, the recently proposed linear smoothed extended finite element method (LSmXFEM) is employed to simulate the fatigue crack growth. Unlike the conventional extended finite element method, the LSmXFEM does not require special numerical integration technique to integrate the terms in the stiffness matrix. The stress intensity factors (SIFs) are evaluated by using the domain form of the interaction integral technique. The fatigue crack growth rate is evaluated using the generalized Paris’ law in conjunction with the maximum hoop stress criterion. The robustness of the method is demonstrated with a few examples for which the results are available in the literature. Then, the fatigue crack growth from the numerical simulation is compared with the experimental investigations performed on CR5 grade cold formed steel. It is seen that the fatigue life and the crack path obtained from the proposed method is in close agreement with the experimental observation. [less ▲]

Linear smoothed polygonal and polyhedral finite elements

E-print/Working paper (n.d.)

It was observed in [1, 2] that the strain smoothing technique over higher order elements and arbitrary polytopes yields less accurate solutions than other techniques such as the conventional polygonal ... [more ▼]

It was observed in [1, 2] that the strain smoothing technique over higher order elements and arbitrary polytopes yields less accurate solutions than other techniques such as the conventional polygonal finite element method. In this work, we propose a linear strain smoothing scheme that improves the accuracy of linear and quadratic approximations over convex polytopes. The main idea is to subdivide the polytope into simplicial subcells and use a linear smoothing function in each subcell to compute the strain. This new strain is then used in the computation of the stiffness matrix. The convergence properties and accuracy of the proposed scheme are discussed by solving few benchmark problems. Numerical results show that the proposed linear strain smoothing scheme makes the approximation based on polytopes to deliver improved accuracy and pass the patch test to machine precision. [less ▲]

Linear smoothing over arbitrary polytopes

Scientific Conference (n.d.)

The conventional constant strain smoothing technique yields less accurate solutions that other techniques such as the conventional polygonal finite element method [1, 2]. In this work, we propose a linear ... [more ▼]

The conventional constant strain smoothing technique yields less accurate solutions that other techniques such as the conventional polygonal finite element method [1, 2]. In this work, we propose a linear strain smoothing scheme that improves the accuracy of linear and quadratic approximations over convex poly- topes. The method relies on sub-division of the polytope into simplical subcells; however instead of using a constant smoothing function, we employ a linear smoothing function over each subcell. This gives a new definition for the strain to compute the stiffness matrix. The convergence properties and accuracy of the proposed scheme are discussed by solving few benchmark problems. Numerical results show that the proposed linear strain smoothing scheme makes the approximation based on polytopes able to deliver the optimal convergence rate as in traditional quadrilateral and hexahedral finite elements. The accuracy is also improved, and all the methods tested pass the patch test to machine precision. [less ▲]

Link Optimization in Future Generation Satellite Systems

Doctoral thesis (2018)

In recent years, communication networks have seen a huge growth in the amount of requested throughput, pushed from the combination of two main drivers: the introduction of new services and the improvement ... [more ▼]

In recent years, communication networks have seen a huge growth in the amount of requested throughput, pushed from the combination of two main drivers: the introduction of new services and the improvement of existing ones, requiring increased amount of traffic (e.g. higher quality of video content). These effects mandate the constant evolution of current systems in order to cope with the growing user demand and should be tackled from multiple angles. On the one hand, better utilization of available resources might help in the short term to keep up with the market and has always been an important priority for operators of terrestrial and satellite networks alike. On the other hand, acquisition and exploitation of currently unused resources might fuel the growth for a significantly longer period of time, ensuring longevity and thus enabling future-proofing of current systems. Both these topics are addressed in this thesis with specific applications relevant to satellite communication networks. In the first part, this thesis focuses on maximization of the user capacity by better exploiting the available radio resources. Motivated by the substantial capacity gains enabled by a higher bandwidth allocation, we investigate the optimization of satellite systems employing full-frequency reuse on the user downlink. Unlike most of the literature on the subject, usually resorting to precoding techniques to mitigate the interference, we propose a combination of predistortion and precoding to jointly counteract on-board non-linear distortions and multi-user interference. First, a flexible framework for the optimization of transmit processing schemes in communication chains is presented. This framework expands on the application of the well known gradient descent technique by applying it to the maximization of the received Signal to Noise plus Interference ratio in complex communication systems. To do so, it identifies a suitable mathematical representation of various key blocks of the system and exploits the chain rule of the derivative to compute the overall gradient as a cascade of the single components. Afterwards, this framework is validated by optimizating the coefficients of the proposed predistortion architecture for the satellite system in analysis. The obtained results highlight the flexibility of the developed optimization framework and the benefits of the suggested predistortion strategy compared to existing state of the art solutions. In the second part of the thesis, the focus is shifted towards investigating the exploitation of novel resources by looking at the use of optical frequencies for ground-to-space feeder links. The topic is introduced by a survey of existing benefits and limitations of free space optical communications. Subsequently, the implications of employing optical frequencies in long distance ground-to-space feeder links with transparent satellites are addressed. Furthermore, a powerful and flexible simulation tool was developed and exploited during the course of this thesis to model and assess the Physical (PHY) layer performance of hybrid optical/Radio Frequencies (RF) satellite networks. This tool is presented together with the scenarios and results obtained as part of the project ONSET (Optical Feeder Links Study for Satellite Networks - ESA Contract No. 40000113462/15/NL/NDe). Finally, the thesis investigates a scenario that combines the transmit processing techniques analyzed in the first part and the context of optical feeder links evaluated in the second part. A hybrid optical/RF system is considered with an electrical predistorter in place to counteract the impairments induced by the combined effects of electrical and optical non-linearities encountered along the end-to-end chain. The developed mathematical framework is exploited to jointly optimize the predistortion coefficients and the working point for the electro-optical modulator. The performance results obtained after the optimization procedure demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach for hybrid optical/RF systems with analog modulations. [less ▲]

A local dynamic route and green time swapping control algorithm maximizing total network capacity

in Proceedings of the 25th Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation, MED 2017 (2017)

This paper deals with the traffic signal control problem. More specifically it investigates the impact at a network level of simple dynamic local traffic control policies. A dynamic route swapping rule is ... [more ▼]

This paper deals with the traffic signal control problem. More specifically it investigates the impact at a network level of simple dynamic local traffic control policies. A dynamic route swapping rule is adopted to model the behavioral response of the travellers to signal changes, while a dynamic signal control swapping rule based on an equi-pressure policy is used to implicitly consider the flow response within the control updating process. Results on a simple network show that the flow responsive control policy outperforms pre-timed control, as well as a more conventional local control policy based on signal equi-saturation. Numerical results show also that the swapping rule based on equi-pressure is less susceptible to local optima, to systematically improve total network throughput, and to increase its effectiveness with when demand increases. © 2017 IEEE. [less ▲]

Local vs. Global Search Strategies in Evolutionary GRID-based Conformational Sampling & Docking

in 2009 IEEE CONGRESS ON EVOLUTIONARY COMPUTATION, VOLS 1-5 (2009)

Conformational sampling, the computational prediction of the experimental geometries of small proteins (folding) or of protein-ligand complexes (docking), is often cited as one of the most challenging ... [more ▼]

Conformational sampling, the computational prediction of the experimental geometries of small proteins (folding) or of protein-ligand complexes (docking), is often cited as one of the most challenging multimodal optimization problems. Due to the extreme ruggedness of the energy landscape as a function of geometry, sampling heuristics must rely on an appropriate trade-off between global and local searching efforts. A previously reported "planetary strategy", a generalization of the classical island model used to deploy a hybrid genetic algorithm on computer grids, has shown a good ability to quickly discover low-energy geometries of small proteins and sugars, and sometimes even pinpoint their native structures - although not reproducibly. The procedure focused on broad exploration and used a tabu strategy to avoid revisiting the neighborhood of known solutions, at the risk of "burying" important minima in overhastily set tabu areas. The strategy reported here, termed "divide-and-conquer planetary model" couples this global search procedure to a local search tool. Grid nodes are now shared between global and local exploration tasks. The phase space is cut into "cells" corresponding to a specified sampling width for each of the N degrees of freedom. Global search locates cells containing low-energy geometries. Local searches pinpoint even deeper minima within a cell. Sampling width controls the important trade-off between the number of cells and the local search effort needed to reproducibly sample each cell. The probability to submit a cell to local search depends on the energy of the most stable geometry found within. Local searches are allotted limited resources and are not expected to converge. However, as long as they manage to discover some deeper local minima, the explored cell remains eligible for further local search, now relying on the improved energy level to enhance chances to be picked again. This competition prevents the system to waste too much effort in fruitless local searches. Eventually, after a limited number of local searches, a cell will be "closed" and used - first as "seed", later as tabu zone - to bias future global searches. Technical details and some folding and docking results will be discussed. [less ▲]

Localized meshless point collocation method for time-dependent magnetohydrodynamics flow through pipes under a variety of wall conductivity conditions

in Computational Mechanics (2011), 47(2), 137-159

In this article a numerical solution of the time dependent, coupled system equations of magnetohydrody- namics (MHD) flow is obtained, using the strong-form local meshless point collocation (LMPC) method ... [more ▼]

In this article a numerical solution of the time dependent, coupled system equations of magnetohydrody- namics (MHD) flow is obtained, using the strong-form local meshless point collocation (LMPC) method. The approxima- tion of the field variables is obtained with the moving least squares (MLS) approximation. Regular and irregular nodal distributions are used. Thus, a numerical solver is developed for the unsteady coupled MHD problems, using the collo- cation formulation, for regular and irregular cross sections, as are the rectangular, triangular and circular. Arbitrary wall conductivity conditions are applied when a uniform mag- netic field is imposed at characteristic directions relative to the flow one. Velocity and induced magnetic field across the section have been evaluated at various time intervals for sev- eral Hartmann numbers (up to 105) and wall conductivities. The numerical results of the strong-form MPC method are compared with those obtained using two weak-form mesh- less methods, that is, the local boundary integral equation (LBIE) meshless method and the meshless local Petrov– Galerkin (MLPG) method, and with the analytical solutions, where they are available. Furthermore, the accuracy of the method is assessed in terms of the error norms L 2 and L ∞ , the number of nodes in the domain of influence and the time step length depicting the convergence rate of the method. Run time results are also presented demonstrating the efficiency and the applicability of the method for real world problems. [less ▲]