HBS-1.2: Lightweight Socially Assistive Robot with 6-Ply Twisted Coiled Polymer Muscle-Actuated Hand

Singh, Abhishek Pratap; Palani, Darshan; Ahmed, Onan; Matharu, Pawandeep Singh; Linn, Tristan; Nguyen, Trung; Tadesse, Yonas

doi:10.3390/act12080312

Open AccessArticle

HBS-1.2: Lightweight Socially Assistive Robot with 6-Ply Twisted Coiled Polymer Muscle-Actuated Hand

by

Abhishek Pratap Singh

^1,2

,

Darshan Palani

^1,2,

Onan Ahmed

^1,2

,

Pawandeep Singh Matharu

^1,2

,

Tristan Linn

^1,2,

Trung Nguyen

³

and

Yonas Tadesse

^1,2,4,5,*

¹

The Humanoid Biorobotics and Smart Systems (HBS Lab), The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA

²

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA

³

Department of Neurology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA

⁴

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA

⁵

Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Actuators 2023, 12(8), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/act12080312

Submission received: 2 July 2023 / Revised: 24 July 2023 / Accepted: 25 July 2023 / Published: 1 August 2023

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Actuators in Assistive and Rehabilitation Robotics)

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Abstract

In this paper, a new socially assistive robot (SARs) called HBS-1.2 is presented, which uses 6-ply twisted and coiled polymer (TCP) artificial muscles in its hand to perform physical tasks. The utilization of 6-ply TCP artificial muscles in a humanoid robot hand is a pioneering advancement, offering cost effective, lightweight, and compact solution for SARs. The robot is designed to provide safer human–robot interaction (HRI) while performing physical tasks. The paper explains the procedures for fabrication and testing of the 6-ply TCP artificial muscles, along with improving the actuation response by using a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control method. Notably, the robot successfully performed a vision-based pick and place experiment, showing its potential for use in homecare and other settings to assist patients who suffer from neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. The study also found an optimal light intensity range between 34 to 108 lumens/m², which ensures minimal variation in calculated distance with 95% confidence intervals for robust performance from the vison system. The findings of this study have important implications for the development of affordable and accessible robotic systems to support elderly patients with dementia, and future research should focus on further improving the use of TCP actuators in robotics.

Keywords: socially assistive robot; artificial muscles; 6-ply twisted and coiled polymer (TCP); human–robot interaction (HRI); polymeric muscles; PID control; affordable robotics

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MDPI and ACS Style

Singh, A.P.; Palani, D.; Ahmed, O.; Matharu, P.S.; Linn, T.; Nguyen, T.; Tadesse, Y. HBS-1.2: Lightweight Socially Assistive Robot with 6-Ply Twisted Coiled Polymer Muscle-Actuated Hand. Actuators 2023, 12, 312. https://doi.org/10.3390/act12080312

AMA Style

Singh AP, Palani D, Ahmed O, Matharu PS, Linn T, Nguyen T, Tadesse Y. HBS-1.2: Lightweight Socially Assistive Robot with 6-Ply Twisted Coiled Polymer Muscle-Actuated Hand. Actuators. 2023; 12(8):312. https://doi.org/10.3390/act12080312

Chicago/Turabian Style

Singh, Abhishek Pratap, Darshan Palani, Onan Ahmed, Pawandeep Singh Matharu, Tristan Linn, Trung Nguyen, and Yonas Tadesse. 2023. "HBS-1.2: Lightweight Socially Assistive Robot with 6-Ply Twisted Coiled Polymer Muscle-Actuated Hand" Actuators 12, no. 8: 312. https://doi.org/10.3390/act12080312

APA Style

Singh, A. P., Palani, D., Ahmed, O., Matharu, P. S., Linn, T., Nguyen, T., & Tadesse, Y. (2023). HBS-1.2: Lightweight Socially Assistive Robot with 6-Ply Twisted Coiled Polymer Muscle-Actuated Hand. Actuators, 12(8), 312. https://doi.org/10.3390/act12080312

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HBS-1.2: Lightweight Socially Assistive Robot with 6-Ply Twisted Coiled Polymer Muscle-Actuated Hand

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