Exploiting dynamical complexity in a physical tensegrity. Robust learning of tensegrity robot control for locomotion. Design and control of tensegrity robots for locomotion. Efforts in the research of tensegrity structures applied to mobile robots have recently been focused on a purely tensegrity solution to all design requirements. Robustness, compactness, and portability of tensegrity robots make them suitable candidates for locomotion on unknown terrains. Viability of tensegrity robots in space exploration. Tensegrity robot locomotion under limited sensory inputs. The tensegrity robot consisting of rigid rods and flexible wires can vary its shape by changing rod or wirelengths or both. Modeling of caterpillar crawl using novel tensegrity structures. Sabelhaus1, jonathan bruce2, ken caluwaerts3, pavlo manovi2, roya fallah firoozi1, sarah dobi1, alice m. Tensegrity structures built from interconnected rods and cables have the potential to offer a revolutionary new robotic design that is lightweight, energyefficient, robust to failures, capable of unique modes of locomotion, impact tolerant, and compliant reducing damage between the robot and its environment. Citeseerx document details isaac councill, lee giles, pradeep teregowda.
Newswise before a signal even reaches your brain, your fingers can adjust the tension required to lift an object with their tendons. It was coined by buckminster fuller, the iconoclastic architect, engineer, and poet, to describe his vision of a new kind of architecture, one that looked like it was built by nature instead of by humans. Our initial focus is on a snake or spine like tensegrity robot, which is inspired by the models of a tensegrity spine created by tom flemons. This paper presents a prototype tensegrity, which can vary its shape to switch between two types of locomotion rolling and gain. Like many other soft robots, this tensegrity robot is resilient, and can resist damage. But as far as i know he didnt get around to inventing tensegrity robots. Learning to control complex tensegrity robots extended. Body deformation of tensegrity structure robots in this section, we discuss the methods by which a robotic bodywith tensegrity structure, made of struts and strings, can be deformed. Most related to the work in this paper are approaches to locomotion of tensegrity robots using evolutionary algorithms 5. In contrast to the pyramids, columns, and brickonbrick buildings of the past, which pile solid.
Tensegrity robots, composed of rigid rods connected by elastic cables, have a number of unique properties that make them appealing for use as planetary exploration rovers. System design and locomotion of superball, an untethered. Best locomotion speed, power consumption, and cost of transport for the gait that corresponds to. Adaptive and resilient soft tensegrity robots arxiv. Locomotion systems based on tensegrity structures are currently slow and complex to control. Orki o 2012 a model of caterpillar locomotion based on assur tensegrity structures msc thesis telaviv university, telaviv, il. Agogino1, senior member, ieee abstractthis work presents a novel spherical tensegrity robot, t12r, which is designed and prototyped based on a. Using the tensegrity robotics simulator that we have been developing over the last year, we have been exploring biologically inspired tensegrity robots. One weakness of vibrationbased approaches to locomotion is that vibration of. Request pdf design and control of tensegrity robots for locomotion the static properties of tensegrity structures have been widely. Prototype of a tensegrity robot with nine wires for switching. Design and control of tensegrity robots for locomotion request pdf.
However, locomotion control for these robotic systems remains difficult due to their nonlinear dynamics and highdimensional state space. The paper introduces a design methodology for fabricating tensegrity robots of varying morphologies with modular components. The best lab at uc berkeley has collaborated with researchers from nasa ames research center to explore the use of tensegrity robots for a variety of purposes. Lately, researchers have begun investigating more dynamical methods of tensegrity robot control. In a fun reversal, our science fact research has been turned into science fiction neal stephenson has including rolling tensegrity robots modeled off our superball design in his newest. Design and control of compliant tensegrity robots through. The emerging field of morphological computation seeks to understand how mechanical complexity in living systems can be advantageous, for instance by reducing the cost of control. A tensegrity structure can flex, stretch, compress when dropped or pressed, and then spring back into shape. Rolling locomotion of cabledriven soft spherical tensegrity robots. We apply miller index in crystallography to describe the gait of a prototype, and then. Learning to control complex tensegrity robots intelligent systems. Tensegrity robots were originally developed in the context of space exploration by researchers at nasa ames. It is useful for students and researchers in the field of robotics in general, bioinspired robots, multimodal locomotion, legged walking, motion control, and humanoid robots.
Rolling locomotion of deformable tensegrity structure. Paul et al 3 shows two di erent tensegrity robots that can perform a locomotion movement. However, control of tensegrity robots remains a difficult problem due to their unusual structures and complex dynamics. An added benefit of vibrational locomotion for soft robotics is that, although our current robot is tethered, it could in principle be easy to power soft tensegrity robots with an embedded battery, by contrast with the many fluidactuated soft robots, 4,8 which need innovative ways to store energy. Deep reinforcement learning for tensegrity robot locomotion. Viability of tensegrity robots in space exploration page 1 1 introduction 1. Nasa tensegrity and soft robotics technical exchange 2016. Tensegrity robot could be creeping through your ducts. Vibration has been proposed as a means of controlling much softer robots as well berger et al. The robots in this field are not hard robots basically the robot everyone is familiar withhard shells, heavy duty motors at every joint, etc. System design and locomotion of superball, an untethered tensegrity robot andrew p. Well, nasa is seriously working on robots based on these principles, for space exploration, which they call superball bot tensegrity planetary lander. Design and control of tensegrity robots for locomotion article in ieee transactions on robotics 225. Figure 3 shows a cablegraph 12 of a threestrut tensegrity system.
Tensegrity is a term with a rich and sprawling history. This survey considers the computational modeling of the dynamics and controls of tensegrity robots. Another recent development which feeds the augmented design approach is deep reinforcement learning for tensegrity robot locomotion zhang 2017. On july 14th we will be hosting a day long tensegrity robotics technical exchange meeting at nasa ames. Soft spherical tensegrity robots are novel steerable mobile robotic platforms that are compliant, lightweight, and robust. Yet, these characteristics make design and control of bioinspired tensegrity robots extremely challenging. Kinematic and static analysis of a novel tensegrity robot. Learning tensegrity locomotion using openloop control signals and coevolutionary algorithms. That, together with its resilience, makes tensegrity a useful framework for robots that need to withstand jolts or squeeze and twist themselves through.
Despite these advantages, challenges remain relating to ease of fabrication, shape morphing packingunpacking, and locomotion capabilities. These robots perform motion mostly by alternating between di erent con gurations and doing small hops and. We focus on this shape since it lends itself to rolling locomotion. In this paper, a new type of class 1 tensegrity robots, named as fusiform tensegrity robots ftrs, are proposed. Design of a spherical tensegrity robot for dynamic locomotion. This paper introduces robots based on tensegrity structures, which demonstrate that the dynamics of such structures can be utilized for locomotion. Many models of tensegrity robots can be found in the literature. Rapid prototyping design and control of tensegrity soft robot for locomotion. One of the descriptions used by the nasa innovative advanced concepts niac program that has supported our research for the last three years is. Design of a spherical tensegrity robot for dynamic locomotion kyunam kim 1, deaho moon2, jae young bin, and alice m. The use of mechanically compliant tensegrity structures in vibrationdriven mobile robots is an attractive research topic, due to the principal possibility to adjust their dynamic properties reversibly during locomotion.
Creating a tensegrity robot that can move robotics. Our project explored a potential solution to the problem. In this paper we explore the phenomenon of morphological computation in tensegrities unique structures with a high. Could the next planetary rover be a super ball bot. Presented locomotion of tensegrity robots at sustainable flexible automation technical committee of institute of systems, control and information engineers. In this project, seven meng students split into two groups to build two prototypes. More recently, researchers have begun investigating more dynamical methods of tensegrity robot control.
There are several advantages to a balllike design and thats why nasas innovative. A survey of the computational modeling and control of. These robots perform motion mostly by alternating between different. Tensegrity fung institute for engineering leadership. Proposal for grantinaid for scientific research dynamics in rolling and jumping of tensegrity structures was accepted. Rapid prototyping design and control of tensegrity soft. Paul et al shows two different tensegrity robots that can perform a locomotion movement. Adaptive and resilient soft tensegrity robots soft robotics. Tensegrity, the word itself, is a blending of tension and integrity. A new strategy for driving a tensegrity robot consisting of six struts and twentyfour identical helical springs was proposed by john rieffel using vibration energy. Robust learning of tensegrity robot control for locomotion through formfinding kyunam kim 1, adrian k.
In a tensegritytruss model, the loads distribute through the system only in tension or compression. These robots perform motion mostly by alternating between. Tensegrity robots are composed of rigid rods connected by elastic cables, and their unique lightweight yet compliant structure makes them an appealing choice for space exploration. Tensegrity rovers incorporate design principles that give rise to many desirable properties, such as adaptability and robustness, while also creating challenges in terms of locomotion control. Agogino 2, aliakbar toghyan, deaho moon 1, laqshya taneja, and alice m. In this work, we show how locomotion gaits can be learned automatically using a novel extension of mirror descent guided policy search mdgps applied to periodic locomotion movements, and we demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on tensegrity robot locomotion.
Most related to the work in this paper are approaches to locomotion of tensegrity robots using evolutionary algorithms 1. Although wheeled locomotion provides better efficiency over distances there is no literature available on. Its a mechanism fingers acting as a mind a phenomenon called morphological computation that john rieffel, assistant professor of computer science, is exploring with tensegrity robots. This survey also argues for merging tensegrity robotics with soft robotics. This work presents the progress our tools have made in tackling the design and control challenges of spherical tensegrity structures. Paul et al shows two di erent tensegrity robots that can perform a locomotion movement. The geometry of these robots is suitable for rolling locomotion, and they achieve this motion by properly deforming their structures using carefully chosen actuation strategies. Buckminster fuller, building on the highly original sculptures of kenneth snelson, coined the term, to indicate that the integrity of the structure derived from the balance of tension members, not the compression struts. Crawling by body deformation of tensegrity structure robots. Modeling of caterpillar crawl using novel tensegrity. However, control of tensegrity robots remains a difficult problem due to their unusual structures and. Agogino abstract robots based on tensegrity structures have the. It also has a high degree of compliance, which means it wont harm people or equipment around it.
Here we explore the hypothesis that the inherent resonance and dynamical. At the heart of this meeting will be presentations from four leading researchers who have received nasa grants to pursue tensegrity and soft robotics related technologies. Distributed control for tensegrity robots vytas sunspiral nasa ames research center intelligent systems division 1 motivation and nasa relevance exploration of our solar system increasingly involves physical interaction with the environment. Design and control of tensegrity robots for locomotion ieee xplore. Prototype of a tensegrity robot with nine wires for. Compact shape morphing tensegrity robots capable of locomotion. We take the model of the spherical underactuated planetary exploration robot ball. Tension and integrity tensegrity a balance of tension. For each of these robots, simulation models are designed, and automatic design of controllers for forward locomotion are performed in simulation using evolutionary algorithms. Buckmister fuller invented tensegrity, and a lot of other interesting ideas and popularized the term spaceship earth. We take the model of the spherical underactuated planetary exploration robot ball superball, an icosahedron tensegrity robot under production at nasa ames research center, develop a rolling locomotion algorithm, and study the learned behavior using an accurate model of the superball simulated in the nasa tensegrity robotics toolkit. Learning tensegrity locomotion using openloop control. A new model of the spine uses a tensegritytruss system that will model the spine right side up, upsidedown or in any position, static or dynamic.
In addition, gorilla type robot systems are described as hardware of multilocomotion robotic system. Build a simple robot with a tensegrity structure make. The mit press is a leading publisher of books and journals at the intersection of science, technology, and the arts. Keywords natural systems robots tensegrity structure. In a fun reversal, our science fact research has been turned into science fiction neal stephenson has including rolling tensegrity robots modeled off our superball design in his. Pdf adaptive and resilient soft tensegrity robots researchgate. In this paper, we propose that a deformable robot with a tensegrity structure can crawl and describe its performance in practical experiments and a gait description.
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