MechE PhD Prospectus Defense | Leah Gaeta
- Starts: 2:00 pm on Thursday, October 24, 2024
- Ends: 4:00 pm on Thursday, October 24, 2024
ABSTRACT: The inherent compliance of soft robots renders them safe for many applications such as object manipu-lation, surgery, haptics, and wearable devices. Stiffness modulation is thus an essential component of soft robot design so that these applications can implement compliance reversal and provide more rigidity when needed. Examples of when this is necessary include shape reconfigurability, weight-bearing tasks, and force transmission. However, current variable stiffening mechanisms still struggle to provide adequate stiffness changes that are fast enough to avoid affecting robot dynamics, or be interfaced with electronic components for enabling electronic control. In this dissertation prospectus, magnetorheological fluids (MRF), scaffolding structures, and electroni-cally controlled magnetic field generation are investigated as a means to induce stiffening within inherently compliant soft robotic systems. Specifically, magnetically induced stiffening is first explored with permanent magnets and scaffolding materials immersed in MRF to discover the stiffening range and how it can be amplified. Electropermanent magnets, or EPMs, are then incorporated to electronically induce an instanta-neous localized stiffening effect in a weight-bearing task. This variable stiffening mechanism is also examined in a wearable soft robotic glove targeted for hand rehabilitation. By exploiting rapid stiffness changes and magnetically attractive forces generated by EPMs, the glove aims to rehabilitate several motions at the dig-its. More specifically, instantaneous stiffening is used to provide resistance when moving the digits through flexion and extension in an effort to help patients with hand motor impairments strengthen through this motion. Attraction forces due to magnetism within the glove are also utilized to strengthen through the abduction, adduction, and pinch gripping motions. The purpose of this dissertation prospectus is to further develop a magnetic-based stiffening strategy that can provide the mechanical force and damping required in a variety of other soft robotic applications. In doing so, magnetically induced stiffening can prove to be an important design component in the development of soft robotic and wearable devices.
COMMITTEE: ADVISOR/CHAIR Professor Tommaso Ranzani, ME/MSE/BME; Professor Theresa Ellis, Department of Physical Therapy; Professor Douglas Holmes, ME/MSE; Professor Sheila Russo, ME/MSE
- Location:
- ENG 245, 110 Cummington Mall
- Hosting Professor
- Ranzani