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Robotics, Micronanosensor and Smart Devices for Control of Complex and Emergent Systems

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A1: Smart Grids and Microgrids".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2021) | Viewed by 21823

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Luigi Fortuna

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Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica Elettronica e Informatica, Universitá degli Studi di Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
Interests: robust control; nonlinear science and complexity; chaos; cellular neural networks; softcomputing strategies for control; robotics; micronanosensor and smart devices for control; nanocellular neural networks modeling
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Dr. Arturo Buscarino

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Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica Elettronica e Informatica, Universitá degli Studi di Catania, viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
Interests: nonlinear circuits for energy; distributed networks dynamics; control of large scale systems; Tokamak and nuclear fusion control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The interest in robotics and automation is still increasing. Studies and applications have covered a wide range of topics and applications, including industry, automotive, biomedicine, and domotics. Indeed, the area of robotics does include numerous fields, and involves the definition of innovative solutions, especially in the area of mobile micro- and nano-sensors, necessary to have distributed information, and in the area of smart devices to achieve control strategies improving the reliability of the systems. Furthermore, the energy saving problem in robotics is becoming fundamental, in particular, for autonomous robots.

This Special Issue will aim at considering these concepts under the point of view of complex and emergent systems. This Special Issue covers original research and studies related to the above-mentioned topics, including, but not limited to, the following: innovative and cooperative robots, ensembles of micro- and nano-robot control, energy harvesting in robotics and automatic control systems, methods of energy saving and sharing in robots, alternative supply in robots, green energy-based robots, bio-inspired robots with emphasis on small devices, the coordination of flying and aerial robots, new materials for biomedical robots, and energy saving innovative controls for sustainable robots.

Prof. Dr. Luigi Fortuna
Dr. Arturo Buscarino
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Micro- and nano-robots
Energy harvesting in robotics
Cooperative robots
Energy saving in robots
Green-energy-based robots
Bio-inspired robots
Flying and aerial robots
New materials for biomedical robots
Sustainable robots
Collective behavior of robots

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 5510 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toward a Self-Powered Vibration Sensor: The Signal Processing Strategy

by Bruno Andò, Salvatore Baglio, Adi R. Bulsara and Vincenzo Marletta

Energies 2021, 14(3), 754; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14030754 - 01 Feb 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1760

Abstract

This paper, for the first time, investigates the possibility of exploiting a nonlinear bistable snap-through buckling structure employing piezoelectric transducers, to implement an autonomous sensor of mechanical vibrations, with an embedded energy harvesting functionality. The device is operated in the presence of noisy vibrations superimposed on a subthreshold deterministic (sinusoidal) input signal. While the capability of the device to harvest a significant amount of energy has been demonstrated in previous works, here, we focus on the signal processing methodology aimed to extract from the sensor output the information about the noise level (in terms of the standard deviation) and the root mean square amplitude of the deterministic component. The developed methodology, supported by experimental evidence, removes the contribution to the overall piezoelectric output voltage ascribable to the deterministic component using a thresholding and windowing algorithm. The contribution to the output voltage due to the noise can be used to unambiguously estimate the noise level. Moreover, an analytical model to estimate, from the measurement of the output voltage, the RMS amplitude of the deterministic input and the noise-related component is proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Robotics, Micronanosensor and Smart Devices for Control of Complex and Emergent Systems)

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16 pages, 4301 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Efficiency of a Quadruped Robot with Neuro-Inspired Control in Complex Environments

by Paolo Arena, Luca Patanè and Salvatore Taffara

Energies 2021, 14(2), 433; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14020433 - 14 Jan 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3308

Abstract

This paper proposes an analysis of the energy efficiency of a small quadruped robotic structure, designed based on the MIT Mini Cheetah, controlled using a central pattern generator based on the FitzHugh–Nagumo neuron. The robot’s performance evaluated on structurally complex terrain in a dynamic simulation environment is compared with other robotic structures on wheels and with hybrid architectures. The energy cost involved in carrying out an assigned task involving the need to traverse uneven terrain is calculated as a relevant index to be taken into account. In particular, simple control strategies impacting the leg trajectories are taken into account as the main factors affecting the energy efficiency in different terrain configurations. The adaptation of the leg trajectories is evaluated depending on the terrain characteristics, improving the locomotion performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Robotics, Micronanosensor and Smart Devices for Control of Complex and Emergent Systems)

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17 pages, 7097 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Combining Radar and Optical Satellite Imagery with Machine Learning to Map Lava Flows at Mount Etna and Fogo Island

by Claudia Corradino, Giuseppe Bilotta, Annalisa Cappello, Luigi Fortuna and Ciro Del Negro

Energies 2021, 14(1), 197; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14010197 - 02 Jan 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3676

Abstract

Lava flow mapping has direct relevance to volcanic hazards once an eruption has begun. Satellite remote sensing techniques are increasingly used to map newly erupted lava, thanks to their capability to survey large areas with frequent revisit time and accurate spatial resolution. Visible and infrared satellite data are routinely used to detect the distributions of volcanic deposits and monitor thermal features, even if clouds are a serious obstacle for optical sensors, since they cannot be penetrated by optical radiation. On the other hand, radar satellite data have been playing an important role in surface change detection and image classification, being able to operate in all weather conditions, although their use is hampered by the special imaging geometry, the complicated scattering process, and the presence of speckle noise. Thus, optical and radar data are complementary data sources that can be used to map lava flows effectively, in addition to alleviating cloud obstruction and improving change detection performance. Here, we propose a machine learning approach based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform to analyze simultaneously the images acquired by the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensor, on board of Sentinel-1 mission, and by optical and multispectral sensors of Landsat-8 missions and Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI), on board of Sentinel-2 mission. Machine learning classifiers, including K-means algorithm (K-means) and support vector machine (SVM), are used to map lava flows automatically from a combination of optical and SAR images. We describe the operation of this approach by using a retrospective analysis of two recent lava flow-forming eruptions at Mount Etna (Italy) and Fogo Island (Cape Verde). We found that combining both radar and optical imagery improved the accuracy and reliability of lava flow mapping. The results highlight the need to fully exploit the extraordinary potential of complementary satellite sensors to provide time-critical hazard information during volcanic eruptions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Robotics, Micronanosensor and Smart Devices for Control of Complex and Emergent Systems)

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14 pages, 27369 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Portable Energy Harvesting Device Mounted on Shoes: Performance and Impact on Wearer

by Zhuo Wang, Xinyu Wu, Yu Zhang, Youfu Liu, Yida Liu, Wujing Cao and Chunjie Chen

Energies 2020, 13(15), 3871; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13153871 - 28 Jul 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2577

Abstract

With the rapid development of microelectronic technology, increasing wearable devices are available for us in daily lives. These wearable devices are usually powered by batteries, so the endurance of wearable devices is limited by battery capacity. Biomechanical energy harvesting (EH) is a promising approach to extend the endurance or replace batteries to power microelectronic devices. In this paper, we would first review the different types of EH devices and analyze the key technologies. Secondly, to compare the advantages and disadvantages of different EH devices, the design guidelines of the EH device is proposed. According to the design guidelines, an EH device with a weight of only 110 g is designed, which is lighter than the suspended-load backpack (38 kg) and the knee harvester (1.6 kg). Our EH device is able to convert the vibrations energy generated by the motion of lower limbs into electrical energy. Finally, to verify whether our EH device meets the design guidelines, three sets of experiment are conducted to evaluate the performance of the EH device. Experiment A is used to monitor the metabolic energy and electricity energy. According to experiment data, we calculate the COH and TCOH of EH device. The lowest COH and TCOH are 58 and 59, respectively. The TCOH of our EH device is higher than suspended-load backpack (30.7) and the knee harvester (13.6). Experiment B is used to test the adaptability of the EH device under the different conditions of terrains and walking speeds. The EH device is able to harvest energy in different terrains (up and down stair, at the treadmill with a slope of 0

^{°}

, 5

^{°}

and 10

^{°}

) and at different speeds(4 km/h~8 km/h). The converted electrical power is up to 7.71 mW during walking at the speed of 8 km/h and is up to 5.28 mW when going up stairs. Experiment C is conducted to investigate the influence of the EH device on human motion by measuring the torque of the ankle, knee, and hip joints. When comparing the curves of torque, the EH device does not influence the biological moment of joints, indicating the EH device does not interfere with the movement. At the same time, another method to calculate the TCOH by calculating the net work done by the muscle in a gait cycle is proposed. When comparing the TCOH calculated by the metabolic energy with the TCOH calculated by the additional work done by the muscle, the results are basically the same. Meanwhile, the variation of the latter calculation result is smaller, indicating the method proposed by us is more precise. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Robotics, Micronanosensor and Smart Devices for Control of Complex and Emergent Systems)

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16 pages, 1399 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Force Feedback Assistance in Remote Ultrasound Scan Procedures

by Maide Bucolo, Arturo Buscarino, Luigi Fortuna and Salvina Gagliano

Energies 2020, 13(13), 3376; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13133376 - 01 Jul 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2440

Abstract

In this contribution, we approached a new aspect in robotic applications. We investigated human–machine modeling for remote ultrasound scan equipment. While robotic systems for ultrasound scan applications with remote operations have been widely studied, in this research, remote force-feedback control was tested. The goal is for the human operator to receive, as physical input, the correct force perception transmitted by the remote ultrasound scan equipment in analyzing the body of the patient. Two principal aspects were investigated. The first was an artificial body model to receive the control signals from the remote equipment. The second aspect was to study a suitable feedback control law that attempts to compensate for the uncertainty between the artificial body and the patient’s body, while also taking into account the transmission delay. Therefore, the task was to give the operator relevant information while considering the force effect; thus, providing a reliable and efficient platform in order to work in remote conditions with ultrasound scan equipment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Robotics, Micronanosensor and Smart Devices for Control of Complex and Emergent Systems)

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26 pages, 10812 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Generalized Modeling of Soft-Capture Manipulator with Novel Soft-Contact Joints

by Xiaodong Zhang, Sheng Xu, Chen Jia, Gang Wang and Ming Chu

Energies 2020, 13(6), 1530; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13061530 - 24 Mar 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2552

Abstract

The space-borne manipulator has been playing an important part in docking tasks. Docking collision can easily lead to instability of both the manipulator and floating base. Aiming at the problem of soft capture, a novel soft-contact joint with dual working modes is developed, especially to buffer and unload the spatial collision momentum. Furthermore, considering a series-wound soft-capture manipulator with multi-joints, a generalized modeling method was established by using the Kane approach. Both the benefits of soft-contact joint and the effectiveness of dynamics equations are verified in MATLAB and Adams software by simulations of a two-joint manipulator with eight-DOF. The comparative simulation results showed the advantages of the proposed soft-contact joint in reducing instability from spatial impact. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Robotics, Micronanosensor and Smart Devices for Control of Complex and Emergent Systems)

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24 pages, 8573 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Optimal Design of an Electromagnetic Actuation System towards a Large Homogeneous Magnetic Field and Accessible Workspace for Magnetic Manipulation

by Laliphat Manamanchaiyaporn, Tiantian Xu and Xinyu Wu

Energies 2020, 13(4), 911; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13040911 - 18 Feb 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4796

Abstract

Untethered nano-/microrobots have been appealing to biomedical applications under magnetic guidance. Numerous actuation systems are specifically designed to generate either uniform or non-uniform fields which are unable to support all actuating mechanisms of magnetic robots. The size of their accessible space does not enable applications in life sciences (e.g., placing around human parts for tasks or an in vivo experiment in animals). Moreover, homogeneity of uniform magnetic fields is limited in a small region. Here, we propose an electromagnetic coil system that is optimally designed based on numerical simulation investigations to derestrict the mentioned constraints. The built-up system provides a large bore in which magnetic field generation by passing a 10 A current is strong enough for nano-/micromanipulation switchable between uniformity in a large-homogeneous region about 50-mm-wide along the x- and y-axes and 80-mm-wide along the z-axis, and with a non-uniformity of about 12 mT with 100 mT/m. It experimentally carries out potential and versatile controls to manipulate several commonly used microrobots that require a particular type of magnetic field to perform multi-DOF locomotion in diverse viscous environments. (e.g., helical propulsion by rotating magnetic field in the 3D-large workspace and in the complex network path, side-to-side sweeping-slip locomotion by oscillating fields, translation and rocking-slip locomotion by gradient-based fields). Besides, the system can be reproduced into any accessible space size regarding the square coil size to support diverse applications and guarantee the result in both uniformity of magnetic field in the large homogeneous region and a sufficiently strong gradient over the workspace. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Robotics, Micronanosensor and Smart Devices for Control of Complex and Emergent Systems)

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