Flexible sliding actuator using a flat tube and its application to the rescue operation
This paper proposes a novel flexible sliding actuator driven by fluid power. The actuator called Λ -drive is basically composed of a flat tube and a slider. In the slider the tube is bent, then the buckling point occurs, which helps to cut off the fluid passage in order to provide the driving force to the slider when pressurizing one side of the tube. The proposed actuator is applicable to not only the straight path but the spiral and the curved one as well. Moreover, the design method to drive stably and the analysis of the output force are discussed in this paper. Finally, “Fluid Ropeway” is also proposed as the application of Λ-drive aiming to search and rescue survivors in the half collapsed houses, and its feasibility is verified through the experiment.
Design and analysis of a pneumatic high-impact force drive mechanism for in-pipe inspection robots
Graphical Abstract A pneumatic actuator is suitable and safe for in-pipe inspection robots in inflammable circumstances because of its ability to withstand explosions. However, ordinary pneumatic actuators limit driving speed because of their slow response. In this paper, we propose a novel pneumatic drive mechanism that can produce a high-impact force to move the in-pipe robot forward with sufficient speed by a catastrophic phenomenon using rapid release between a magnet and springs. We also introduce an anisotropic friction mechanism that uses a self-locking phenomenon to transmit the impact force to the pipe walls efficiently. A pin retraction mechanism that releases the self-locking condition is applied to retrieve the robot from the pipes. Optimizations of the proposed design were conducted based on a motion simulation model and verified in experiments. The experimental results obtained for maximum driving speeds in a straight pipe with different material types were approximately 90 and 50 mm/s for horizontal and vertical pipes, respectively. Stable strokes were also observed at different driving frequencies from 0.5 to 2.0 Hz.
Immersive haptic interaction with media
New 3D video representations enable new modalities of interaction, such as haptic interaction, with 2D and 3D video for truly immersive media applications. Haptic interaction with video includes haptic structure and haptic motion for new immersive experiences. It is possible to compute haptic structure signals from 3D scene geometry or depth information. This paper introduces the concept of haptic motion, as well as new methods to compute haptic structure and motion signals for 2D video-plus-depth representation. The resulting haptic signals can be rendered using a haptic cursor attached to a 2D or 3D video display.