Publications | Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems

94 results (View BibTeX file of all listed publications)

2014

Series of Multilinked Caterpillar Track-type Climbing Robots

Lee, G., Kim, H., Seo, K., Kim, J., Sitti, M., Seo, T.

Journal of Field Robotics, November 2014 (article)

Abstract

Climbing robots have been widely applied in many industries involving hard to access, dangerous, or hazardous environments to replace human workers. Climbing speed, payload capacity, the ability to overcome obstacles, and wall-to-wall transitioning are significant characteristics of climbing robots. Here, multilinked track wheel-type climbing robots are proposed to enhance these characteristics. The robots have been developed for five years in collaboration with three universities: Seoul National University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Yeungnam University. Four types of robots are presented for different applications with different surface attachment methods and mechanisms: MultiTank for indoor sites, Flexible caterpillar robot (FCR) and Combot for heavy industrial sites, and MultiTrack for high-rise buildings. The method of surface attachment is different for each robot and application, and the characteristics of the joints between links are designed as active or passive according to the requirement of a given robot. Conceptual design, practical design, and control issues of such climbing robot types are reported, and a proper choice of the attachment methods and joint type is essential for the successful multilink track wheel-type climbing robot for different surface materials, robot size, and computational costs.

DOI [BibTex]

2014

pi Lee, G., Kim, H., Seo, K., Kim, J., Sitti, M., Seo, T. Series of Multilinked Caterpillar Track-type Climbing Robots Journal of Field Robotics, November 2014 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

Geckogripper: A soft, inflatable robotic gripper using gecko-inspired elastomer micro-fiber adhesives

Song, S., Majidi, C., Sitti, M.

In Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2014), 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on, pages: 4624-4629, September 2014 (inproceedings)

Abstract

This paper proposes GeckoGripper, a novel soft, inflatable gripper based on the controllable adhesion mechanism of gecko-inspired micro-fiber adhesives, to pick-and-place complex and fragile non-planar or planar parts serially or in parallel. Unlike previous fibrillar structures that use peel angle to control the manipulation of parts, we developed an elastomer micro-fiber adhesive that is fabricated on a soft, flexible membrane, increasing the adaptability to non-planar three-dimensional (3D) geometries and controllability in adhesion. The adhesive switching ratio (the ratio between the maximum and minimum adhesive forces) of the developed gripper was measured to be around 204, which is superior to previous works based on peel angle-based release control methods. Adhesion control mechanism based on the stretch of the membrane and superior adaptability to non-planar 3D geometries enable the micro-fibers to pick-and-place various 3D parts as shown in demonstrations.

DOI [BibTex]

pi Song, S., Majidi, C., Sitti, M. Geckogripper: A soft, inflatable robotic gripper using gecko-inspired elastomer micro-fiber adhesives In Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2014), 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on, pages: 4624-4629, September 2014 (inproceedings)

DOI [BibTex]

Segmented molecular design of self-healing proteinaceous materials.

Sariola, V., Pena-Francesch, A., Jung, H., Çetinkaya, M., Pacheco, C., Sitti, M., Demirel, M. C.

Scientific reports, 5, pages: 13482-13482, Nature Publishing Group, July 2014 (article)

Abstract

Hierarchical assembly of self-healing adhesive proteins creates strong and robust structural and interfacial materials, but understanding of the molecular design and structure–property relationships of structural proteins remains unclear. Elucidating this relationship would allow rational design of next generation genetically engineered self-healing structural proteins. Here we report a general self-healing and -assembly strategy based on a multiphase recombinant protein based material. Segmented structure of the protein shows soft glycine- and tyrosine-rich segments with self-healing capability and hard beta-sheet segments. The soft segments are strongly plasticized by water, lowering the self-healing temperature close to body temperature. The hard segments self-assemble into nanoconfined domains to reinforce the material. The healing strength scales sublinearly with contact time, which associates with diffusion and wetting of autohesion. The finding suggests that recombinant structural proteins from heterologous expression have potential as strong and repairable engineering materials.

DOI [BibTex]

pi Sariola, V., Pena-Francesch, A., Jung, H., Çetinkaya, M., Pacheco, C., Sitti, M., Demirel, M. C. Segmented molecular design of self-healing proteinaceous materials. Scientific reports, 5, pages: 13482-13482, Nature Publishing Group, July 2014 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

Bio-Hybrid Cell-Based Actuators for Microsystems

Carlsen, R. W., Sitti, M.

Small, 10(19):3831-3851, June 2014 (article)

Abstract

As we move towards the miniaturization of devices to perform tasks at the nano and microscale, it has become increasingly important to develop new methods for actuation, sensing, and control. Over the past decade, bio-hybrid methods have been investigated as a promising new approach to overcome the challenges of scaling down robotic and other functional devices. These methods integrate biological cells with artificial components and therefore, can take advantage of the intrinsic actuation and sensing functionalities of biological cells. Here, the recent advancements in bio-hybrid actuation are reviewed, and the challenges associated with the design, fabrication, and control of bio-hybrid microsystems are discussed. As a case study, focus is put on the development of bacteria-driven microswimmers, which has been investigated as a targeted drug delivery carrier. Finally, a future outlook for the development of these systems is provided. The continued integration of biological and artificial components is envisioned to enable the performance of tasks at a smaller and smaller scale in the future, leading to the parallel and distributed operation of functional systems at the microscale.

DOI [BibTex]

pi Carlsen, R. W., Sitti, M. Bio-Hybrid Cell-Based Actuators for Microsystems Small, 10(19):3831-3851, June 2014 (article)

DOI [BibTex]