Surface Actuation and Sensing of a Tensegrity Structure Using Robotic Skins

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Tensegrity robots offer flexibility and robustness for unpredictable environments.
• Achieving locomotion in tensegrity robots is progressing, but shape measurement is challenging.
• Existing methods for shape measurement often require external hardware.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for controlling and measuring the shape of tensegrity structures using integrated robotic skins.
• To transform passive tensegrity structures into active robots capable of locomotion.
• To enable intrinsic state estimation for tensegrity robots.

Main Methods:

• Attaching planar, skin-like membranes with integrated actuators and sensors to the exterior of tensegrity structures.
• Utilizing sensors on tensegrity rod ends for direct orientation measurement relative to the ground.
• Developing algorithms for surface-driven actuation and state estimation.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the transformation of passive tensegrity structures into active robots.
• Successfully controlled and measured the shape of tensegrity structures from their surface.
• Enabled locomotion and intrinsic state estimation capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The developed robotic skins provide a platform for surface-driven actuation and intrinsic state estimation.
• This approach overcomes the challenge of measuring dynamic tensegrity shapes without external hardware.
• The technology is expected to enable precise closed-loop motions for future tensegrity robots in real-world applications.