Convergence Accelerator Track M: Bio-Inspired Design of Robot Hands for Use-Driven Dexterity

融合加速器轨道 M：机器人手的仿生设计，实现使用驱动的灵活性

• 批准号: 2344109
• 负责人: Nancy Pollard
• 金额: $ 65万
• 依托单位: Carnegie-Mellon University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-15 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2344109&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Convergence; Accelerator; Track; Bio; Inspired

The goal of this project is to create a transformative, bio-inspired re-design of the robotic hand. A new approach to robot hand design can bring results with national impact. For example, it has been estimated that 400,000 Americans are living with some form of upper limb loss. Yet existing devices show high rates of abandonment and are not meeting basic needs. Many Americans are placed in occupational circumstances that are unhealthful or hazardous, including exposure to toxic materials due to the current need for human dexterity in these occupations. Such circumstances arise even in tasks as apparently mundane as recycling. Labor shortages hamper efforts to empower the medium sized farmer and stabilize our food supply. Redesigning the robot hand for greater functional dexterity can help to address these and other challenges, improving individual health and national circumstances. To accomplish this goal, the project will bring together end-users, hand surgeons, human motion scientists, materials chemists, and robot designers to develop a "wetware" concept for a robotic hand with an ionic liquid permeating soft, porous material surrounding a hard skeleton. This approach enables combined strength and dexterity, lubrication of joints and tendons, built-in contact and proprioceptive sensing, soft contact with the world, separation of intrinsic vs. extrinsic muscles, and a waterproof, easy to clean exterior. The team will pursue a convergent research approach with initial focus on end-users with upper limb loss. Three research thrusts are (1) optimization of hand anatomy for functional dexterity, including an explainable optimization tool to facilitate communication of anatomical choices with end-users, hand surgeons, and other team members; (2) prototype engineering of the bio-inspired robot hand design concept to obtain for the first time ever tendon and joint lubrication in conjunction with proprioceptive sensing and contact sensing all over the hand; and (3) targeted design of novel active polymers to create intrinsic muscles to enhance dexterity in a lightweight and compact package. Outreach and mentoring activities include initiation of an undergraduate research network and development of hands-on demos that leverage the interdisciplinary nature of this research effort to attract underrepresented students to careers in robotics and STEM.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目的目标是对机器人手进行变革性的、受生物启发的重新设计。机器人手设计的新方法可以带来具有全国影响力的成果。例如，据估计有 40 万美国人患有某种形式的上肢丧失。然而，现有设备的废弃率很高，并且不能满足基本需求。 许多美国人处于不健康或危险的职业环境中，包括由于目前这些职业需要人类灵活性而接触有毒物质。即使在像回收这样看似平凡的任务中也会出现这种情况。劳动力短缺阻碍了赋予中型农民权力和稳定粮食供应的努力。 重新设计机器人手以提高功能灵活性有助于解决这些和其他挑战，改善个人健康和国情。 为了实现这一目标，该项目将汇集最终用户、手外科医生、人体运动科学家、材料化学家和机器人设计师，开发一种机器人手的“湿件”概念，该机器人手用离子液体渗透软质多孔材料，周围是硬质材料。骨骼。这种方法可以实现力量和灵巧性的结合、关节和肌腱的润滑、内置接触和本体感觉传感、与世界的柔软接触、内在肌肉与外在肌肉的分离，以及防水、易于清洁的外部。 该团队将采用聚合研究方法，最初重点关注上肢丧失的最终用户。 三个研究重点是（1）优化手部解剖结构以提高功能灵活性，包括可解释的优化工具，以促进与最终用户、手外科医生和其他团队成员之间的解剖学选择沟通； (2) 仿生机器人手设计概念的原型工程，首次获得肌腱和关节润滑以及整个手部的本体感觉传感和接触传感； (3)有针对性地设计新型活性聚合物，以创造内在肌肉，从而在轻巧紧凑的包装中增强灵活性。外展和指导活动包括启动本科生研究网络和开发实践演示，利用这项研究工作的跨学科性质来吸引代表性不足的学生从事机器人和 STEM 职业。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为是值得的通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来提供支持。