Design and evaluation of a continuum robot with extendable balloons

Feb 7, 2018·
Efe Yarbasi
Efe Yarbasi
,
Evren Samur
· 0 min read
Continuum robot with extendable balloons
Abstract
This article presents the design and preliminary evaluation of a novel continuum robot actuated by two extendable balloons. Extendable balloons are utilized as the actuation mechanism of the robot, and they are attached to the tip from their slack sections. These balloons can extend very much in length without having a significant change in diameter. Employing two balloons in an axially extendable, radially rigid flexible shaft, radial strain becomes constricted, allowing high elongation. As inflated, the balloons apply a force on the wall of the tip, pushing it forward. This force enables the robot to move forward. The air is supplied to the balloons by an air compressor and its flow rate to each balloon can be independently controlled. Changing the air volumes differently in each balloon, when they are radially constricted, orients the robot, allowing navigation. Elongation and force generation capabilities and pressure data are measured for different balloons during inflation and deflation. Afterward, the robot is subjected to open field and maze-like environment navigation tests. The contribution of this study is the introduction of a novel actuation mechanism for soft robots to have extreme elongation (2000 %) in order to be navigated in substantially long and narrow environments.
Type
Publication
Mechanical Sciences, 9(1), 51-60
Status
Peer-reviewed Open access
publications
Robotics Soft Robots Continuum Robots
Efe Yarbasi
Authors
Efe Yarbasi
Assistant Research Scientist

Efe Yarbasi is an Assistant Research Scientist in the Engineering Systems Group at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). His research covers the safety of automated and driver-assistance systems and the electrification of transportation. He serves as principal investigator and co-principal investigator on projects sponsored by NHTSA, Toyota Motor North America, and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program. He co-leads the Low Altitude Airspace Working Group at M-Air.

He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech. There he worked in the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory under Prof. Dimitri Mavris and developed methods to find and reduce the uncertainties that matter most in complex, multi-disciplinary designs. He is a member of AIAA and IEEE.

Students, please get in touch. I am looking for curious, motivated students to join my research. Projects range from crash analysis and AI for safety to EV charging and low-altitude airspace, and I mentor undergraduate and graduate students. If any of this sounds interesting, send me an email with a short note about your background and what you want to work on.