Renato Vidoni

Index

Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Biologically inspired robotics:ideas and success stories

eng. Renato Vidoni, PhD

Facoltà di Scienze e TecnologieSERIES OF LECTURES

June, 2011

Renato Vidoni

Index

Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Index

1 Index

2 Introduction

3 Lessons from nature and applications

4 Bio-robotics

Renato Vidoni

Index

Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Introduction

3.8 Gigayears of evolution

Nature has developed materials, processes and objects that function fromthe macroscale to the nanoscale with high performance

The understanding of functions provided by objects and processes found innature can guide us to imitate and produce nanomaterials, nanodevices andprocesses

Bio-inspiration and biomimetics:the idea of mimic and draw inspiration frombiology by looking and studying the nature, can serve as inspiration toengineers and roboticists

biomimetics: from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate

multifunctionality

Renato Vidoni

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Introduction

Industrial significanceLeonardo da Vinci: birds fly ⇒ flying machines1980s - IT: artificial intelligence and neural networks from thestudy of the human brainmid-1990s: lotus effect ⇒ surfaces for superhydrophobicity,self-cleaning, drag reductionshark skin ⇒ whole body swimsuits

the 100 largest biomimetic products had generated 1.5billion $ over 2005-2008

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Lessons from nature and applications: plants

Chemical energy conversionPhotosynthesis harnesses solar energy to support plant life

Chlorophyll (green pigment) + light energy ⇒ chemical energy thatdrives the biochemical machinery of plant cells.

dye-sensitized polymer-based solar cells(Dyesol - www.dyesol.com)

cheaper and flexible wrt photovoltaic arrays

Renato Vidoni

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Lessons from nature and applications: plants

Lotus effect The leaves of the Lotus plant remain clean and free ofcontaminants.

Micro-lumps and bumps of protruding epidermal cells, in turn covered inhydrophobic (water hating) wax crystals around one nanometre in diameter.

They repel water droplets and help prevent wetting of the leaf surface.

Renato Vidoni

Index

Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Lessons from nature and applications: plants

Lotus effect The leaves of the Lotus plant remain clean and free ofcontaminants.

Reduce the contact area between the surface and water molecules.

The water only makes contact with the leaf at the top of the lumps.

Water starts to roll and tumbles off the leaf picking up dirt particles

The energy required by the water to pick hydrophobic dirt particles up ismuch less than the energy required to stick them to the leaf.

Self-cleaning paints (Lotusan - www.stocorp.com), roof tiles and glass windowsare commercially available

Renato Vidoni

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Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Lessons from nature and applications: plants

Velcro effectFruits of the burdock plant consist of hooks.1948 - George de Mestal - found that their spines were tipped with tinyhooks that stick out from the seeds and provide a hook-and-loopconstruction, which grips instantly, but can be ungripped with a light force.Invention of a zip, called Velcro (1955).One side has stiff hooks as the burs and the other has loops in the fabric.The word Velcro was derived from the French words velour (velvet) andcrochet (hook).

Renato Vidoni

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Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Biologically inspired robots

Bio-inspired robot: engineers seek to reproduce some natural result

Bio-mimetic robot: engineers seek to reproduce both the result andthe means

Thus, the idea is to replace classical engineering solutions by amechanism or a process that can be reproduced from the observation ofnatural creatures.

1 Bio-inspired morphologies2 Bio-inspired sensors3 Bio-inspired actuators and locomotion

Renato Vidoni

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Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Bio-inspired morphologies

Bio-inspired morphologies are seldom inposed by functionalconsiderations

aim: facilitate the Human-Robot interaction (e.g. artificial pets)

Renato Vidoni

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Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Bio-inspired morphologies

Figure: Kismet - MIT, WE-4RII - Waseda Univ., Uando - OsakaUniv.

Human-friendly robotsaim: perceive and respond to human emotions

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Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Bio-inspired sensors

Visionfrom simple photosensitive devices to complex binocular devicesMarseilles’ Biorobotics Laboratory: eye of the housefly + the neuralprocessing of visual information obtained during flight ⇒ endow thisinsect with various reflexes mandatory for its survival.optoelectronics in order to wander while avoiding obstacles,automatically landing, ...desert ant: optic-flow + odometry ⇒ evaluate its travel distances; isable to use its compound eyes to perceive the polarization patternof the sky and infer its orientationSLAM

Renato Vidoni

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Bio-inspired sensors

Auditionphonotaxis behavior up to object recognition

Uni. Edimburgh: research on phonotaxis behaviour in crickets

female to meet a male, evade a bat

EU-CIRCE project: a bat head is used to investigate how the worldis perceived and explored by bats

antennas for wireless devices in motion

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Bio-robotics

Bio-inspired sensors

Toucha rat’s whisker consists of a single, flexible, tapered hair and hastactile sensors located only at its base.

The way in which two arrays of such sensors afford capacities ofobstacle avoidance, texture discrimination, and object recognitionhas inspired several robotic realizations

Humanoid robotics - University of Tokyo - a robotic hand callingupon organic transistors as pressure sensors has been produced.

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Bio-inspired actuators and locomotion: crawling

Move in environments inaccessible to humans, such as pipes orcollapsed buildingsSnake-like robots have been developed for exploration andinspection tasks, as well as for participation in search-and-rescuemissionsSalamandra robotica (EPFL) combines three modes of locomotion:serpentine crawling, swimming and walking.Central Pattern Generators (CPG) found in vertebrate spinal cords:neural circuits that generate periodic motor commands for rhythmicmovements such as locomotion

Renato Vidoni

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Salamandra robotica

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Bio-inspired actuators and locomotion: crawling

Structures for locomotion in the human body (BIOLOCH) project

Tiny cameras through patients’ bodies

Worm-inspired robot: a robot designed to crawl through the humangut by mimicking the wriggling motion of an undersea worm.

enhance the exploration capacities afforded by camera pills

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Bio-inspired actuators and locomotion: walking

Eight legsautonomous mine countermeasure operations in rivers, harbors,etc.microcontrollers, smart materials, and microelectronic deviceslocomotion capabilitiesRobster: biomimetic robot based on the American lobsterreverse-engineered from movies of lobsters behaving under thetarget conditions - tactile navigation, obstacle negotiation, andadaptation to surge.

Renato Vidoni

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Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Bio-inspired actuators and locomotion: walking

Six legsWater strider insects are able to walk on waterthese very light and small creatures balance their weight usingrepulsive surface tension forces produced by the hydrophobicmicrohairs that cover their legslocomotion capabilitiesWater Strider: a miniature microrobot, walks on water with legsmade from hydrophobic wires and a body made of carbon fiber forminimal weight

Renato Vidoni

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Water Strider

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Bio-inspired actuators and locomotion: walking

Four legsthe most advanced quadruped robot on earthBigDog of Small Mule: walks, runs and climbs on rough terrain, andcarries heavy loads.1m x 0.7m, 75 kg, 5km/h, climbed a 35deg slope, 50 kg loadpowered by a gasoline engine that drives a hydraulic actuationsystem for moving the articulated legs and compliant elements.touch sensors, gyroscope, vision

Renato Vidoni

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

BigDog

Renato Vidoni

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Bio-inspired actuators and locomotion: climbing

Natural principle: dry adhesion

Leg attachment pads of several animals, including many insects (e.g.beetles), spiders and lizards (e.g. geckos), are capable of attaching to avariety of surfacesare used for locomotion, even on vertical walls or across ceilingsas the size (mass) of the creature increases, the radius of the terminalattachment elements decreasesthe density of the last level of attachment elements increases with the massof the body

Renato Vidoni

Index

Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Bio-inspired actuators and locomotion: climbing

Natural principle: dry adhesion

Spiders and geckos can generate high dry adhesion, whereas beetles andflies increase adhesion by secreting liquids at the contacting interface.Safety factor: 80 - 160Van der Waals forcesAnti-bunching and self-cleaningpotential: tapes, fasteners and toys, and in high technology, such asmicroelectronic and space applications.Replication of the dynamic climbing and peeling ability of geckos could finduse in the treads of wall-climbing robots

Renato Vidoni

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Climbing robots

Stickybot

Gecko-inspired robothierarchical compliance for conforming at centimeter, millimeter, andmicrometer scalesdirectional adhesives so that the robot can control adhesion by controllingsheardistributed force control that works with compliance and anisotropy toachieve stability

Renato Vidoni

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Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Climbing robots

Stickybot: hierarchical compliance

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Climbing robots

Stickybot: differential system

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Stickybot

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Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Climbing robots

Spinybot and Rise

Rise project:

University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley,

Lewis and Clark University, Boston Dynamics.

Renato Vidoni

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Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

Climbing robots: spider

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Conclusions

Thank you for your attention

renato.vidoni@unibz.it

Renato Vidoni

Index

Introduction

Lessons fromnature andapplications

Bio-robotics

...sources and more info...

Handbook of Robotics, Springer, Siciliano and KhatibEditors, 2008biorob.epfl.ch/www-cdr.stanford.edu/biomimetics/www.bostondynamics.com/www.riserobot.org/www.esa.int/gsp/ACT/bio/index.htm