Kwang Mok Jung

In-pipe inspection robot system with active steering mechanism

We present a robot system for in-pipe inspection of underground urban gas pipelines. The robot is configured as an articulated structure like a snake with a tether cable. Two active driving vehicles are located in front and rear of the system, and passive modules such as a control module are chained between the active vehicles. The proposed robot has outstanding mobility offered by a new steering mechanism, called double active universal joint, which makes it possible to cope with complicated configurations of underground pipelines. Characteristic features of the system are described and the construction of the system is briefly outlined.

Tactile display as a Braille display for the visually disabled

Tactile sensation is one of the most important sensory functions along with the auditory sensation for the visually impaired because it replaces the visual sensation of the persons with sight. In this paper, we present a tactile display device as a dynamic Braille display that is the unique tool for exchanging information among them. The proposed tactile cell of the Braille display is based on the dielectric elastomer and it has advantageous features over the existing ones with respect to intrinsic softness, ease of fabrication, cost effectiveness and miniaturization. We introduce a new idea for actuation and describe the actuating mechanism of the Braille pin in details capable of realizing the enhanced spatial density of the tactile cells. Finally, results of psychophysical experiments are given and its effectiveness is confirmed.

Soft actuator for robotic applications based on dielectric elastomer: quasi-static analysis

In this paper a new soft actuator based on dielectric elastomer is proposed. The actuator, called an antagonistically-driven linear actuator (ANTLA), has the muscle-like characteristics capable of performing the motions such as forward/backward/controllable compliance. Due to its simplicity of configuration and ease of fabrication, it has the advantage to be scale-independently implemented in meso- or micro-scale robotic applications. Its basic concepts are introduced and a quasi-static analysis is performed with experimental verifications.

Soft actuator for robotic applications based on dielectric elastomer: dynamic analysis and applications

In this paper a new soft actuator based on dielectric elastomer is proposed. The actuator, called an antagonistically-driven linear actuator (ANTLA), has the muscle-like characteristics capable of performing the motions such as forward/backward/controllable compliance. In this paper, its dynamic analysis is performed with experimental verifications, and applications for robotic actuating devices are introduced.

A Face Robot Actuated With Artificial Muscle Based on Dielectric Elastomer

Face robots capable of expressing their emotional status, can be adopted as an efficient tool for friendly communication between the human and the machine In this paper, we present a face robot actuated with artificial muscle based on dielectric elastomer By exploiting the properties of dielectric elastomer, it is possible to actuate the covering skin, eyes as well as provide human-like expressivity without employing complicated mechanisms The robot is driven by seven actuator modules such eye, eyebrow, eyelid, brow, cheek, jaw and neck module corresponding to movements of facial muscles Although they are only part of the whole set of facial motions, our approach is sufficient to generate six fundamental facial expressions such as surprise, fear, angry, disgust, sadness, and happiness In the robot, each module communicates with the others via CAN communication protocol and according to the desired emotional expressions, the facial motions are generated by combining the motions of each actuator module A prototype of the robot has been developed and several experiments have been conducted to validate its feasibility

Multiple degree-of-freedom digital soft actuator for robotic applications

In this paper we present a packaged actuator to be applied for micro and macro robotic applications. The actuator is based on polymer dielectrics, and intrinsically has musclelike characteristics capable of performing motions such as forward/backward/controllable compliance. The actuator is featured in several aspects such as simplicity and lightness in weight, cost-effectiveness, multiple DOF-actuation, and digital interface. In this paper, its basic concepts are briefly introduced and the issues about design, fabrication and applications are discussed.

Fabrication and characterization of linear motion dielectric elastomer actuators

This paper presents a new artificial muscle actuator produced from dielectric elastomer, called Tube-Spring Actuator(TSA). The new actuator construction includes two steps: the first part is a cylindrical actuator manufactured with dielectric elastomer and the second is a compressed spring inserted inside the tube. An inner spring is used to maximize the axial deformation while constraining the radial one. This unique design enables linear actuation with the largest strain of active length up to 14% without any additional means. As a result this actuator was applied to a robot hand. This study lays the foundation for the future work on dielectric polymer actuator.

Digital polymer motor for robotic applications

In this paper we present a packaged actuator to be applied for micro- and macro- robotic applications. The actuator is based on polymer dielectrics, and intrinsically has muscle-like characteristics capable of performing motions such as forward/backward/controllable compliance. The actuator is featured in several aspects such as simplicity and lightness in weight, cost-effectiveness, multiple DOF-actuation, and digital interface. In this paper, its basic concepts are briefly introduced and the issues about design, fabrication and applications are discussed.

Electrostatically Driven Soft Polymer Actuator Based on Dielectric Elastomer

ElectroActive Polymers (EAPs) are emerging as new actuating means replacing the existing technologies such as piezoelectric, electrostatic, SMA etc. The dielectric elastomer actuator is regarded as the one of the most practically applicable actuators in the near future among the EAPs. In this paper, we introduce a new material capable of being employed as the dielectric elastomer actuator. The proposed material, which is a kind of the synthetic rubber, produces larger deformation as well as higher enegy efficiency, since it has a much higher dielectric constant compared to the previous ones. Beginning with the method of material synthesis, we give the description of its basic material properties by comparing with those of the existing materials for the dielectric elastomers. Also, the advantages of the proposed material as the actuating means are discussed with the several results of the experiments.

Design and Control of Three-DOF Dielectric Polymer Actuator

Smart polymer based actuators have demonstrated various benefits over the traditional electromagnetic or piezoelectric-material actuators. One of the most significant contributions of the polymers is its soft actuation mechanisms. Hence morphological freedom for actuator construction benefits production of either small scale complex mechanisms or human-like applications. Although many actuation paradigms of polymer actuators are presented in various publications, no significant contributions are made for investigation of modeling and control methods of the material. In the present work, a smart polymer based actuator is constructed. It is then modeled and analyzed for feasible control scheme selection.