To accelerate innovation in robotics, the Notre Dame University plans to create an intercollegiat... more To accelerate innovation in robotics, the Notre Dame University plans to create an intercollegiate mechatronic football league; the teams in the league compete against each other in robot football games. The first game was successfully organized and reported as a featured story by many influential media such as USA Today and NFL. The next step for Notre Dame University is to promote this league to a national level. With the sponsorship of Notre Dame University, our Senior Design group has successfully built a football-playing robot team and participated in a game between our school and IUPUI held in Notre Dame stadium. The goal of this senior design project is to build a football-playing robot team that will be competing in the Intercollegiate Mechatronic Football game at University of Notre Dame in April, 2013. Due to time constrain and limited team size, only three different robots of a complete robotic team are built. The selected robots are the quarterback, receiver, and center....
Rapidly developed information technologies (IT) have continuously empowered manufacturing systems... more Rapidly developed information technologies (IT) have continuously empowered manufacturing systems and accelerated the evolution of manufacturing system paradigms, and smart manufacturing (SM) has become one of the most promising paradigms. The study of SM has attracted a great deal of attention for researchers in academia and practitioners in industry. However, an obvious fact is that people with different backgrounds have different expectations for SM, and this has led to high diversity, ambiguity, and inconsistency in terms of definitions, reference models, performance matrices, and system design methodologies. It has been found that the state of the art SM research is limited in two aspects: (1) the highly diversified understandings of SM may lead to overlapped, missed, and non-systematic research efforts in advancing the theory and methodologies in the field of SM; (2) few works have been found that focus on the development of generic design methodologies for smart manufacturing...
Handbook of Research on Fireworks Algorithms and Swarm Intelligence, 2020
In recent years, computer technology and artificial intelligence have developed rapidly, and rese... more In recent years, computer technology and artificial intelligence have developed rapidly, and research in the field of mobile robots has continued to deepen with development of artificial intelligence. Path planning is an essential content of mobile robot navigation of computing a collision-free path between a starting point and a goal. It is necessary for mobile robots to move and maneuver in different kinds of environment with objects and obstacles. The main goal of path planning is to find the optimal path between the starting point and the target position in the minimal possible time. A new firework algorithm (FWA) integrated with a graph theory, Dijkstra's algorithm developed for autonomous robot navigation, is proposed in this chapter. The firework algorithm is improved by a local search procedure that a LIDAR-based local navigator algorithm is implemented for local navigation and obstacle avoidance. The grid map is utilized for real-time intelligent robot mapping and navig...
Elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) is a type of fluid-film lubrication where hydrodynamic behav... more Elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) is a type of fluid-film lubrication where hydrodynamic behaviors at contact surfaces are affected by both elastic deformation of surfaces and lubricant viscosity. Modelling of contact interfaces under EHL is challenging due to high nonlinearity, complexity, and the multi-disciplinary nature. This paper aims to understand the state of the art of computational modelling of EHL by (1) examining the literature on modeling of contact surfaces under boundary and mixed lubricated conditions, (2) emphasizing the methods on the friction prediction occurring to contact surfaces, and (3) exploring the feasibility of using commercially available software tools (especially, Simulia/Abaqus) to predict the friction and wear at contact surfaces of objects with relative reciprocating motions.
Actuators are essential components for motion in machines, and warranty service lives are basic s... more Actuators are essential components for motion in machines, and warranty service lives are basic specifications of actuators. However, fatigue damage or wear of actuators are very complex and related to many design factors, such as materials properties, surface conditions, loads, and operating temperature. Actuator manufacturers still rely heavily on physical experiments to determine the fatigue lives of actuators. This paper investigates the state-of-the-art of using numerical simulations for fatigue analysis of mechanical actuators. Failure criteria of machine elements are discussed extensively; existing works on using finite element methods for machine element designs are examined to (1) explore the feasibility of using a numerical simulation for fatigue analysis and (2) discuss the technical challenges in practice. Moreover, a systematic procedure is suggested to predict fatigue lives of mechanical actuators with Teflon impregnated hard coatings. A virtual fatigue analysis allows...
Due to multi-factor coupling behavior, the performance evaluation of an accelerometer subject to ... more Due to multi-factor coupling behavior, the performance evaluation of an accelerometer subject to high-temperature and high-impact loads poses a significant challenge during its design phase. In this paper, the simulation-based method is applied to optimize the design of the accelerometer. The proposed method can reduce the uncertainties and improve the fidelity of the simulation in the sense that (i) the preloading conditions of fasteners are taken into consideration and modeled in static analysis; (ii) all types of loadings, including bolt preloads, thermal loads, and impact loads, are defined in virtual dynamic prototype of the accelerometer. It is our finding that from static and dynamic analysis, an accelerometer is exposed to the risk of malfunction and even a complete failure if the temperature rises to a certain limit; it has been proved that the thermal properties of sensing components are the most critical factors for an accelerometer to achieve its desired performance. Acc...
High-power fiber laser welding is an efficient and effective way to produce heavy section structu... more High-power fiber laser welding is an efficient and effective way to produce heavy section structures. However, there is a significant challenge in producing the welds with free of imperfections such as nail-head-shaped welds, spatters, and root sagging. This is partially due to a lack of understanding of the welding mechanism of high-power fiber laser. In this paper, we were especially interested in the mechanism to improve the appearance of welds, and we focused on the autogenous laser welding on thick stainless steel plates by a 10 kW fiber laser. To look into the relations of process parameters and the quality of welds, a high-speed imaging system was applied to observe the molten pool flow and vapor plume during the welding process. The appearances of welds subjected to different welding conditions were analyzed. The results showed that (1) nail-head-shaped welds were suppressed by using a gas jet during laser welding process. (2) In the forward welding, a gentle upwelling molte...
Objective This study aimed to determine if superselective renal artery embolization is a safe and... more Objective This study aimed to determine if superselective renal artery embolization is a safe and effective method of treating bleeding complications after percutaneous renal biopsy. Methods From January 2006 to December 2017, 43 patients (22 men and 21 women, mean age: 44.5 ± 14.0 years) underwent angiography for post-biopsy bleeding complications following percutaneous biopsy. Patients underwent angiography and superselective artery embolization. We recorded serum creatinine and hemoglobin values to assess the effect of embolization. Results Successful embolization was achieved in all patients. There was a pseudoaneurysm in 10 cases, arteriovenous fistula in eight, contrast media extravasation in 16, arteriovenous fistula combined with contrast media extravasation in five, and pseudoaneurysm combined with arteriovenous fistula in four. The embolic substance was a microcoil only or combined with a gelatin sponge. The mean creatinine value was not different at 1 day and 1 week after...
SUMMARYThis paper presents a model-based approach for the first time to identify the crack locati... more SUMMARYThis paper presents a model-based approach for the first time to identify the crack location for the hinge-based planar RRR compliant mechanism, a parallel micro-motion stage driven by piezoelectric (PZT) actuators. However, cracks more likely occur on a flexure hinge because it usually undergoes a periodic deformation in service, which eventually compromises mechanism's performance, positioning accuracy for instance. In this work, the pseudo-rigid-body method is used to develop kinematic and dynamic models of the RRR mechanism both in healthy and damaged conditions, where the crack is considered in terms of the rotational compliance of a flexible hinge. The crack location is determined by measuring PZT elongations, which represents the driving toque deviation because of the crack presence. Numerical simulation is conducted to verify the proposed approach, and the results show good match of the identified crack location with the assumed location. Finally, experiments on t...
Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association, 2011
This paper introduces the theoretical design of reconfigurable machine tools using modular design... more This paper introduces the theoretical design of reconfigurable machine tools using modular design approach. First, the general concept of modular robot and its growing need is introduced. Second, the design of reconfigurable parallel kinematic machines is discussed and the geometric modeling of such figures is presented and explained, and potential applications are described. Finally, a case study for proposed structure is conducted for its kinematic modeling and design optimization and some results are concluded.
We have conducted a critical review on the development of rehabilitation robots to identify the l... more We have conducted a critical review on the development of rehabilitation robots to identify the limitations of existing studies and clarify some promising research directions in this field. This paper is presented to summarize our findings and understanding. The demands for assistive technologies for elderly and disabled population have been discussed, the advantages and disadvantages of rehabilitation robots as assistive technologies have been explored, the issues involved in the development of rehabilitation robots are investigated, some representative robots in this field by leading research institutes have been introduced, and a few of critical challenges in developing advanced rehabilitation robots have been identified. Finally to meet the challenges of developing practical rehabilitation robots, reconfigurable and modular systems have been proposed to meet the identified challenges, and a few of critical areas leading to the potential success of rehabilitation robots have been...
To accelerate innovation in robotics, the Notre Dame University plans to create an intercollegiat... more To accelerate innovation in robotics, the Notre Dame University plans to create an intercollegiate mechatronic football league; the teams in the league compete against each other in robot football games. The first game was successfully organized and reported as a featured story by many influential media such as USA Today and NFL. The next step for Notre Dame University is to promote this league to a national level. With the sponsorship of Notre Dame University, our Senior Design group has successfully built a football-playing robot team and participated in a game between our school and IUPUI held in Notre Dame stadium. The goal of this senior design project is to build a football-playing robot team that will be competing in the Intercollegiate Mechatronic Football game at University of Notre Dame in April, 2013. Due to time constrain and limited team size, only three different robots of a complete robotic team are built. The selected robots are the quarterback, receiver, and center....
Rapidly developed information technologies (IT) have continuously empowered manufacturing systems... more Rapidly developed information technologies (IT) have continuously empowered manufacturing systems and accelerated the evolution of manufacturing system paradigms, and smart manufacturing (SM) has become one of the most promising paradigms. The study of SM has attracted a great deal of attention for researchers in academia and practitioners in industry. However, an obvious fact is that people with different backgrounds have different expectations for SM, and this has led to high diversity, ambiguity, and inconsistency in terms of definitions, reference models, performance matrices, and system design methodologies. It has been found that the state of the art SM research is limited in two aspects: (1) the highly diversified understandings of SM may lead to overlapped, missed, and non-systematic research efforts in advancing the theory and methodologies in the field of SM; (2) few works have been found that focus on the development of generic design methodologies for smart manufacturing...
Handbook of Research on Fireworks Algorithms and Swarm Intelligence, 2020
In recent years, computer technology and artificial intelligence have developed rapidly, and rese... more In recent years, computer technology and artificial intelligence have developed rapidly, and research in the field of mobile robots has continued to deepen with development of artificial intelligence. Path planning is an essential content of mobile robot navigation of computing a collision-free path between a starting point and a goal. It is necessary for mobile robots to move and maneuver in different kinds of environment with objects and obstacles. The main goal of path planning is to find the optimal path between the starting point and the target position in the minimal possible time. A new firework algorithm (FWA) integrated with a graph theory, Dijkstra's algorithm developed for autonomous robot navigation, is proposed in this chapter. The firework algorithm is improved by a local search procedure that a LIDAR-based local navigator algorithm is implemented for local navigation and obstacle avoidance. The grid map is utilized for real-time intelligent robot mapping and navig...
Elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) is a type of fluid-film lubrication where hydrodynamic behav... more Elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) is a type of fluid-film lubrication where hydrodynamic behaviors at contact surfaces are affected by both elastic deformation of surfaces and lubricant viscosity. Modelling of contact interfaces under EHL is challenging due to high nonlinearity, complexity, and the multi-disciplinary nature. This paper aims to understand the state of the art of computational modelling of EHL by (1) examining the literature on modeling of contact surfaces under boundary and mixed lubricated conditions, (2) emphasizing the methods on the friction prediction occurring to contact surfaces, and (3) exploring the feasibility of using commercially available software tools (especially, Simulia/Abaqus) to predict the friction and wear at contact surfaces of objects with relative reciprocating motions.
Actuators are essential components for motion in machines, and warranty service lives are basic s... more Actuators are essential components for motion in machines, and warranty service lives are basic specifications of actuators. However, fatigue damage or wear of actuators are very complex and related to many design factors, such as materials properties, surface conditions, loads, and operating temperature. Actuator manufacturers still rely heavily on physical experiments to determine the fatigue lives of actuators. This paper investigates the state-of-the-art of using numerical simulations for fatigue analysis of mechanical actuators. Failure criteria of machine elements are discussed extensively; existing works on using finite element methods for machine element designs are examined to (1) explore the feasibility of using a numerical simulation for fatigue analysis and (2) discuss the technical challenges in practice. Moreover, a systematic procedure is suggested to predict fatigue lives of mechanical actuators with Teflon impregnated hard coatings. A virtual fatigue analysis allows...
Due to multi-factor coupling behavior, the performance evaluation of an accelerometer subject to ... more Due to multi-factor coupling behavior, the performance evaluation of an accelerometer subject to high-temperature and high-impact loads poses a significant challenge during its design phase. In this paper, the simulation-based method is applied to optimize the design of the accelerometer. The proposed method can reduce the uncertainties and improve the fidelity of the simulation in the sense that (i) the preloading conditions of fasteners are taken into consideration and modeled in static analysis; (ii) all types of loadings, including bolt preloads, thermal loads, and impact loads, are defined in virtual dynamic prototype of the accelerometer. It is our finding that from static and dynamic analysis, an accelerometer is exposed to the risk of malfunction and even a complete failure if the temperature rises to a certain limit; it has been proved that the thermal properties of sensing components are the most critical factors for an accelerometer to achieve its desired performance. Acc...
High-power fiber laser welding is an efficient and effective way to produce heavy section structu... more High-power fiber laser welding is an efficient and effective way to produce heavy section structures. However, there is a significant challenge in producing the welds with free of imperfections such as nail-head-shaped welds, spatters, and root sagging. This is partially due to a lack of understanding of the welding mechanism of high-power fiber laser. In this paper, we were especially interested in the mechanism to improve the appearance of welds, and we focused on the autogenous laser welding on thick stainless steel plates by a 10 kW fiber laser. To look into the relations of process parameters and the quality of welds, a high-speed imaging system was applied to observe the molten pool flow and vapor plume during the welding process. The appearances of welds subjected to different welding conditions were analyzed. The results showed that (1) nail-head-shaped welds were suppressed by using a gas jet during laser welding process. (2) In the forward welding, a gentle upwelling molte...
Objective This study aimed to determine if superselective renal artery embolization is a safe and... more Objective This study aimed to determine if superselective renal artery embolization is a safe and effective method of treating bleeding complications after percutaneous renal biopsy. Methods From January 2006 to December 2017, 43 patients (22 men and 21 women, mean age: 44.5 ± 14.0 years) underwent angiography for post-biopsy bleeding complications following percutaneous biopsy. Patients underwent angiography and superselective artery embolization. We recorded serum creatinine and hemoglobin values to assess the effect of embolization. Results Successful embolization was achieved in all patients. There was a pseudoaneurysm in 10 cases, arteriovenous fistula in eight, contrast media extravasation in 16, arteriovenous fistula combined with contrast media extravasation in five, and pseudoaneurysm combined with arteriovenous fistula in four. The embolic substance was a microcoil only or combined with a gelatin sponge. The mean creatinine value was not different at 1 day and 1 week after...
SUMMARYThis paper presents a model-based approach for the first time to identify the crack locati... more SUMMARYThis paper presents a model-based approach for the first time to identify the crack location for the hinge-based planar RRR compliant mechanism, a parallel micro-motion stage driven by piezoelectric (PZT) actuators. However, cracks more likely occur on a flexure hinge because it usually undergoes a periodic deformation in service, which eventually compromises mechanism's performance, positioning accuracy for instance. In this work, the pseudo-rigid-body method is used to develop kinematic and dynamic models of the RRR mechanism both in healthy and damaged conditions, where the crack is considered in terms of the rotational compliance of a flexible hinge. The crack location is determined by measuring PZT elongations, which represents the driving toque deviation because of the crack presence. Numerical simulation is conducted to verify the proposed approach, and the results show good match of the identified crack location with the assumed location. Finally, experiments on t...
Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association, 2011
This paper introduces the theoretical design of reconfigurable machine tools using modular design... more This paper introduces the theoretical design of reconfigurable machine tools using modular design approach. First, the general concept of modular robot and its growing need is introduced. Second, the design of reconfigurable parallel kinematic machines is discussed and the geometric modeling of such figures is presented and explained, and potential applications are described. Finally, a case study for proposed structure is conducted for its kinematic modeling and design optimization and some results are concluded.
We have conducted a critical review on the development of rehabilitation robots to identify the l... more We have conducted a critical review on the development of rehabilitation robots to identify the limitations of existing studies and clarify some promising research directions in this field. This paper is presented to summarize our findings and understanding. The demands for assistive technologies for elderly and disabled population have been discussed, the advantages and disadvantages of rehabilitation robots as assistive technologies have been explored, the issues involved in the development of rehabilitation robots are investigated, some representative robots in this field by leading research institutes have been introduced, and a few of critical challenges in developing advanced rehabilitation robots have been identified. Finally to meet the challenges of developing practical rehabilitation robots, reconfigurable and modular systems have been proposed to meet the identified challenges, and a few of critical areas leading to the potential success of rehabilitation robots have been...
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