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Design and control of compliant tensegrity robots through simulation and hardware validation

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Abstract
To better understand the role of tensegrity structures in biological systems and their application to robotics, the Dynamic Tensegrity Robotics Lab at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA, has developed and validated two software environments for the analysis, simulation and design of tensegrity robots. These tools, along with newcontrol methodologies and the modular hardware components developed to validate them, are presented as a system for the design of actuated tensegrity structures. As evidenced from their appearance in many biological systems, tensegrity ('tensile-integrity') structures have unique physical properties that make them ideal for interaction with uncertain environments. Yet, these characteristics make design and control of bioinspired tensegrity robots extremely challenging. This work presents the progress our tools have made in tackling the design and control challenges of spherical tensegrity structures. We focus on this shape since it lends itself to rolling locomotion. The results of our analyses include multiple novel control approaches for mobility and terrain interaction of spherical tensegrity structures that have been tested in simulation. A hardware prototype of a spherical six-bar tensegrity, the Reservoir Compliant Tensegrity Robot, is used to empirically validate the accuracy of simulation.
Keywords
LOCOMOTION, central pattern generators, MODEL, DYNAMIC-ANALYSIS, soft robotics, COMMUNICATION, FRAMEWORKS, GENERATORS, compliant robotics, RULES, bioinspired locomotion, tensegrity, planetary exploration

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MLA
Caluwaerts, Ken, et al. “Design and Control of Compliant Tensegrity Robots through Simulation and Hardware Validation.” JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE, edited by Leslie Dutton, vol. 11, no. 98, 2014, doi:10.1098/rsif.2014.0520.
APA
Caluwaerts, K., Despraz, J., Iscen, A., Sabelhaus, A., Bruce, J., Schrauwen, B., & SunSpiral, V. (2014). Design and control of compliant tensegrity robots through simulation and hardware validation. JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE, 11(98). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2014.0520
Chicago author-date
Caluwaerts, Ken, Jérémie Despraz, Atil Iscen, Andrew Sabelhaus, Jonathan Bruce, Benjamin Schrauwen, and Vytas SunSpiral. 2014. “Design and Control of Compliant Tensegrity Robots through Simulation and Hardware Validation.” Edited by Leslie Dutton. JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE 11 (98). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2014.0520.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Caluwaerts, Ken, Jérémie Despraz, Atil Iscen, Andrew Sabelhaus, Jonathan Bruce, Benjamin Schrauwen, and Vytas SunSpiral. 2014. “Design and Control of Compliant Tensegrity Robots through Simulation and Hardware Validation.” Ed by. Leslie Dutton. JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE 11 (98). doi:10.1098/rsif.2014.0520.
Vancouver
1.
Caluwaerts K, Despraz J, Iscen A, Sabelhaus A, Bruce J, Schrauwen B, et al. Design and control of compliant tensegrity robots through simulation and hardware validation. Dutton L, editor. JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE. 2014;11(98).
IEEE
[1]
K. Caluwaerts et al., “Design and control of compliant tensegrity robots through simulation and hardware validation,” JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE, vol. 11, no. 98, 2014.
@article{4230911,
  abstract     = {{To better understand the role of tensegrity structures in biological systems and their application to robotics, the Dynamic Tensegrity Robotics Lab at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA, has developed and validated two software environments for the analysis, simulation and design of tensegrity robots. These tools, along with newcontrol methodologies and the modular hardware components developed to validate them, are presented as a system for the design of actuated tensegrity structures. As evidenced from their appearance in many biological systems, tensegrity ('tensile-integrity') structures have unique physical properties that make them ideal for interaction with uncertain environments. Yet, these characteristics make design and control of bioinspired tensegrity robots extremely challenging. This work presents the progress our tools have made in tackling the design and control challenges of spherical tensegrity structures. We focus on this shape since it lends itself to rolling locomotion. The results of our analyses include multiple novel control approaches for mobility and terrain interaction of spherical tensegrity structures that have been tested in simulation. A hardware prototype of a spherical six-bar tensegrity, the Reservoir Compliant Tensegrity Robot, is used to empirically validate the accuracy of simulation.}},
  articleno    = {{20140520}},
  author       = {{Caluwaerts, Ken and Despraz, Jérémie and Iscen, Atil and Sabelhaus, Andrew and Bruce, Jonathan and Schrauwen, Benjamin and SunSpiral, Vytas}},
  editor       = {{Dutton, Leslie}},
  issn         = {{1742-5662}},
  journal      = {{JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE}},
  keywords     = {{LOCOMOTION,central pattern generators,MODEL,DYNAMIC-ANALYSIS,soft robotics,COMMUNICATION,FRAMEWORKS,GENERATORS,compliant robotics,RULES,bioinspired locomotion,tensegrity,planetary exploration}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{98}},
  pages        = {{14}},
  title        = {{Design and control of compliant tensegrity robots through simulation and hardware validation}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2014.0520}},
  volume       = {{11}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}

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