{"id":613558,"date":"2024-03-20T21:00:01","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T18:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/researchers-design-a-spring-assisted-actuator-that-could-enhance-next-gen-robots\/"},"modified":"2024-03-20T21:00:01","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T18:00:01","slug":"researchers-design-a-spring-assisted-actuator-that-could-enhance-next-gen-robots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/researchers-design-a-spring-assisted-actuator-that-could-enhance-next-gen-robots\/","title":{"rendered":"#Researchers design a spring-assisted actuator that could enhance next-gen robots"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40c445c5e13\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40c445c5e13\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/researchers-design-a-spring-assisted-actuator-that-could-enhance-next-gen-robots\/#Motors_that_can_do_more\" >Motors that can do more<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2024\/a-replacement-for-trad.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2024\/a-replacement-for-trad.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Energy-recycling actuator prototype. Credit: Erez Krimsky\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2024\/a-replacement-for-trad.jpg\" alt=\"A replacement for traditional motors could enhance next-gen robots\" title=\"Energy-recycling actuator prototype. Credit: Erez Krimsky\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Energy-recycling actuator prototype. Credit: Erez Krimsky<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Whether it&#8217;s a powered prosthesis to assist a person who has lost a limb or an independent robot navigating the outside world, we are asking machines to perform increasingly complex, dynamic tasks. But the standard electric motor was designed for steady, ongoing activities like running a compressor or spinning a conveyor belt\u2014even updated designs waste a lot of energy when making more complicated movements.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers at Stanford University have invented a way to augment electric motors to make them much more efficient at performing dynamic movements through a new type of actuator, a device that uses energy to make things move. Their actuator, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/scirobotics.adj7246\">published<\/a> in <i><a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science<\/a> Robotics<\/i>, uses springs and clutches to accomplish a variety of tasks with a fraction of the energy usage of a typical electric motor.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Rather than wasting lots of electricity to just sit there humming away and generating heat, our actuator uses these clutches to achieve the very high levels of efficiency that we see from electric motors in continuous processes, without giving up on controllability and other features that make electric motors attractive,&#8221; said Steve Collins, associate professor of mechanical engineering and senior author of the paper.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"mb-4\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"A replacement for traditional motors could enhance next-gen robots\"\/><meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch\/?v=DHNciv9K_k0\"\/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"A conventional motor provides power input and fine torque control, and an array of elastomer springs provides efficient torque production and energy recovery. Lowpower clutches rapidly engage and disengage springs and keep them stretched when disengaged. Spring torque is controlled by choosing which springs are engaged. We developed a prototype actuator to demonstrate these properties. Credit: Erez Krimsky\"\/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2024-03-20T05:32:53-04:00\"\/><meta itemprop=\"embedUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DHNciv9K_k0\"\/><meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/DHNciv9K_k0\/maxresdefault.jpg\"\/><br \/>\n             <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Researchers design a spring-assisted actuator that could enhance next-gen robots\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DHNciv9K_k0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up mt-4\" itemprop=\"caption\">A conventional motor provides power input and fine torque control, and an array of elastomer springs provides efficient torque production and energy recovery. Lowpower clutches rapidly engage and disengage springs and keep them stretched when disengaged. Spring torque is controlled by choosing which springs are engaged. We developed a prototype actuator to demonstrate these properties. Credit: Erez Krimsky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><b>Springing into action<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The actuator works by harnessing the ability of springs to produce force without using energy\u2014springs resist being stretched out and try to rebound to their natural length when released. When the actuator is, say, lowering something heavy, the researchers can engage the springs so that they stretch, taking some of the load off the motor. Then, by locking the springs in the stretched-out position, that energy can be stored to assist the motor in another task later on.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                            The key to engaging and disengaging the springs quickly and efficiently is a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of electroadhesive clutches. Each rubber spring is sandwiched between two clutches: one that connects the spring to the joint to assist the motor and one that locks the spring in a stretched position when it&#8217;s not being used.<\/p>\n<p>These clutches consist of two electrodes\u2014one attached to the spring and one attached to the frame or motor\u2014that slide smoothly past each other when they aren&#8217;t active. To engage a clutch, the researchers <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ly a large voltage to one of its electrodes. The electrodes are drawn together with an audible click\u2014like a faster, stronger version of the static electricity that makes a balloon stick to the wall after you rub it on carpet. Releasing the spring is as simple as grounding the electrode and dropping its voltage back to zero.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They&#8217;re lightweight, they&#8217;re small, they&#8217;re really energy efficient, and they can be turned on and off rapidly,&#8221; said Erez Krimsky, lead author of the paper, who recently completed his Ph.D. in Collins&#8217; lab. &#8220;And if you have lots of clutched springs, it opens up all these exciting possibilities for how you can configure and control them to achieve interesting outcomes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The actuator built by Collins and Krimsky has a motor augmented with six identical clutched springs, which can be engaged in any combination. The researchers ran the design through a series of challenging motion tests that included rapid acceleration, changing loads, and smooth, steady movement. At every task, the augmented motor used at least 50% less power than a standard electric motor and, in the best case, reduced power consumption by 97%.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Motors_that_can_do_more\"><\/span>Motors that can do more<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>With significantly more efficient motors, robots could <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> further and accomplish more. A robot that can run for a full day, instead of only an hour or two before needing to recharge, has the potential to undertake much more meaningful tasks. And there are plenty of unsafe situations\u2014involving toxic materials, hazardous environments, or other dangers\u2014where we would much prefer to send a robot than risk a person.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This has implications for assistive devices like prosthetics or exoskeletons as well,&#8221; Krimsky said. &#8220;If you don&#8217;t need to constantly recharge them, they can have a more significant impact for the people that use them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Currently, it takes a few minutes for the actuator&#8217;s controller to calculate the most efficient way to use the combination of springs to accomplish a brand new task, but the researchers have plans to shorten that timeframe considerably. They envision a system that can learn from previous tasks, creating a growing database of increasingly efficient movements and using artificial intelligence to intuit how to effectively accomplish something new.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There are a bunch of little control and design tweaks we&#8217;d like to make, but we think that the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> is really at a place where it&#8217;s ready for commercial translation,&#8221; Collins said. &#8220;We&#8217;d be excited to try to spin this out from the lab and start a company to begin making these actuators for the robots of the future.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-main__more p-4\">\n                                                                                                <strong>More information:<\/strong><br \/>\n                                                Erez Krimsky et al, Elastic Energy-Recycling Actuators for Efficient Robots, <i>Science Robotics<\/i> (2024). <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-doi=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1126\/scirobotics.adj7246\">DOI: 10.1126\/scirobotics.adj7246<\/a>. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/scirobotics.adj7246\">www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/scirobotics.adj7246<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n                                                Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                    Stanford University<br \/>\n                                                                                                        <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"http:\/\/www.stanford.edu\/\"><br \/>\n                                                        <svg><use href=\"https:\/\/techx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v2\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>                                                <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                Researchers design a spring-assisted actuator that could enhance next-gen robots (2024, March 20)<br \/>\n                                                retrieved 20 March 2024<br \/>\n                                                from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2024-03-actuator-gen-robots.html<\/p>\n<p>                                            This document is subject to copyright. 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Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/science\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2024-03-actuator-gen-robots.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Energy-recycling actuator prototype. Credit: Erez Krimsky Whether it&#8217;s a powered prosthesis to assist a person who has lost a limb or an independent robot navigating the outside world, we are asking machines to perform increasingly complex, dynamic tasks. But the standard electric motor was designed for steady, ongoing activities like running a compressor or spinning&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":613559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2024\/a-replacement-for-trad.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-613558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=613558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/613559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=613558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=613558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=613558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}