关键词： robot industry   medical robotics   technology commercialization   data mining  

摘要： The robot industry is a key field of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Among them, the interest in medical robotics is increasing due to aging and changes in living patterns. In the medical robotics market, a small number of companies dominate the market, causing problems such as increased costs. To prevent such problems, various companies need to enter the market. In order for new entrants to secure technology efficiently, technology commercialization such as technology transfer is necessary. However, in the field of medical robotics, few companies have major skills and perform most of the technology transfer. In this paper, we propose a model for providing technology commercialization information to new entrants. The experimental data uses patents related to vascular surgery robots registered in the USPTO. As a result of the experiment, high applicants have advanced into various countries in order to secure market power, and have a technique for analyzing the internal image of the body mainly through endoscopy.

关键词： buckling   mechanical instabilities   programmable matter   snap through   soft robotics  

摘要： The rapidly expanding field of soft robotics has provided multiple examples of how entirely soft machines and actuators can outperform conventional rigid robots in terms of adaptability, maneuverability, and safety. Unfortunately, the soft and flexible materials used in their construction impose intrinsic limitations on soft robots, such as low actuation speeds and low output forces. Nature offers multiple examples where highly flexible organisms exploit mechanical instabilities to store and rapidly release energy. Guided by these examples, researchers have recently developed a variety of strategies to overcome speed and power limitations in soft robotics using mechanical instabilities. These mechanical instabilities provide, through rapid transitions from structurally stable states, a new route to achieve high output power amplification and attain impressive actuation speeds. Here, an overview of the literature related to the development of soft robots and actuators that exploit mechanical instabilities to expand their actuation speed, output power, and functionality is presented. Additionally, strategies using structural phase transitions to address current challenges in the area of soft robotic control, sensing, and actuation are discussed. Approaches using instabilities to create entirely soft logic modules to imbue soft robots with material intelligence and distributed computational capabilities are also reviewed.

关键词： dentistry   robots   robotics  

摘要： Robotics is a disruptive technology that will change diagnostics and treatment protocols in dental medicine. Robots can perform repeated workflows for an indefinite length of time while enhancing the overall quality and quantity of patient care. Early robots required a human operator, but robotic systems have advanced significantly over the past decade, and the latest medical robots can perform patient intervention or remote monitoring autonomously. However, little research data on the therapeutic reliability and precision of autonomous robots are available. The present paper reviews the promise and practice of robots in dentistry by evaluating published work on commercial robot systems in dental implantology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, prosthetic and restorative dentistry, endodontics, orthodontics, oral radiology as well as dental education. In conclusion, this review critically addresses the current limitations of dental robotics and anticipates the potential future impact on oral healthcare and the dental profession.

关键词： Legged robot   Leg hydraulic drive system (LHDS)   Dynamics compensation   Impedance based motion control  

摘要： Aimed at the negative effect of dynamics characteristics of leg hydraulic drive system (LHDS) on the accuracy of motion control of the hydraulic drive legged robot, a dynamics compensation control method is proposed. First, according to the mechanical structure of LHDS, the kinematics and statics models of LHDS are analyzed and obtained respectively. Based on the principle of force-based impedance control of LHDS, an impedance based motion control simulation model of LHDS is built and analyzed. The simulation results show that the dynamics characteristics have a great influence on the accuracy of impedance based motion control. Then, a dynamics compensation method considering gravity and inertia force is proposed to solve this problem. Finally, the effect of the dynamics compensation method is verified on the robot single leg test platform. The experimental results show that the compensation method reduces the negative effect of the dynamics characteristics of LHDS on impedance based motion control accuracy, and the position tracking accuracy of the robot's foot end can be improved by more than 65%. The theory proposed in this paper provides a theoretical basis for the motion control of the whole robot prototype. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

关键词： actuators   artificial muscles   human–   machine interfaces   soft electronics   soft robotics  

摘要： Artificial muscles are the core components of the smart and interactive soft robotic systems, providing the capabilities in shape morphing, manipulation, and mobility. Intense research efforts in the development of artificial muscles are based on the dielectric elastomer actuators, pneumatic actuators, electrochemical actuators, soft magnetic actuators, and stimulus responsive polymers. Recent progress has presented artificial muscles with impressive specific power output exceeding that of the natural muscles, dexterous shape morphing behavior that can be programmed and reconfigured, and exceptional high maneuverability to traverse surfaces with obstacles and different textures. Here, a succinct and critical summary is provided on the materials and strategies that have contributed to the important advancement of the artificial muscles in recent research. On that basis, the exciting opportunities are discussed in the integration of soft electronic devices with artificial muscles to enable smart and interactive soft robotic systems.

关键词： Hopping robot   Hopping-height control   Energy control   Energy   phase control  

摘要： Hopping height control is one of the difficult problems in legged control. Many kinds of research employ a leg spring for the supplement of energy, and model the robot as a spring-mass model. Feedback linearization enables to cancel the nonlinear terms theoretically. However, it is difficult to identify the nonlinear terms including the parameters precisely in the real world. This paper nominalizes the robot dynamics as the desired spring-mass system applying a disturbance observer. In order to realize the desired characteristics of the spring and the mass, the disturbance including the nonlinear terms is rejected firstly by a disturbance observer. To make the mass in the workspace as constant, the nominal inertia of the disturbance observer in the joint space is varied. Next, by adding the desired virtual elastic force, the robot dynamics is nominalized as the desired spring-mass system. Based on the nominalized spring-mass dynamics, hopping-height control using energy/phase control is implemented. While energy control is often used for hopping height control, the energy/phase control enables the hopping-height control and the spring-mass oscillation simultaneously. Constant hopping-height and stepwise hopping height are realized experimentally through the proposed control method. The simulations in the case of the ideal dynamics are also conducted for comparison.

关键词： barriers to innovation   assistive robotics   market barriers   healthcare innovation  

摘要： Demographic changes are putting the healthcare industry under pressure. However, while other industries have been able to automate their operation through robotic and autonomous systems, the healthcare sector is still reluctant to change. What makes robotic innovation in healthcare so difficult? Despite offering more efficient, and consumer-friendly care, the assistive robotics market has lacked penetration. To answer this question, we have broken down the development process, taking a market transformation perspective. By interviewing assistive robotics companies at different business stages from France and the UK, this paper identifies new insight into the main barriers of the assistive robotics market that are inhibiting the sector. Their impact is analysed during the different stages of the development, exploring how these barriers affect the planning, conceptualisation and adoption of these solutions. This research presents a foundation for understanding innovation barriers that high-tech ventures face in the healthcare industry, and the need for public policy measures to support these technology-based firms.

关键词： camouflage skins   imperceptible robotics   soft robotics   transparent soft actuators   transparent soft sensors  

摘要： The advent of soft robotics has led to great advancements in robots, wearables, and even manufacturing processes by employing entirely soft-bodied systems that interact safely with any random surfaces while providing great mechanical compliance. Moreover, recent developments in soft robotics involve advances in transparent soft actuators and sensors that have made it possible to construct robots that can function in a visually and mechanically unobstructed manner, assisting the operations of robots and creating more applications in various fields. In this aspect, imperceptible soft robotics that mainly consist of optically transparent imperceptible hardware components is expected to constitute a new research focus in the forthcoming era of soft robotics. Here, the recent progress regarding extended imperceptible soft robotics is provided, including imperceptible transparent soft robotics (transparent soft actuators/sensors) and imperceptible nontransparent camouflage skins. Their principles, materials selections, and working mechanisms are discussed so that key challenges and perspectives in imperceptible soft robotic systems can be explored.