Enabling Technologies for Actuated Continuum Surfaces Undergoing Large Deformations

Controllable Large Displacement Continuum Surfaces, LCDS, hold the potential for application across a diverse range of applications including the highly dexterous manipulation of parts in manufacturing environments, soft/flexible exoskeleton systems in healthcare, and jointless surface control in the aerospace, automotive, energy and food processing industries. Another application with immediate benefit across multiple industries would be to replace conventional mould surfaces used in the development of bespoke carbon fibre components with a single, reconfigurable surface capable of forming on-demand to desired mould profiles from digital files. Currently low volume production line moulds are produced through expensive (hand carved, milling, turning, and more recently 3D printing) methods that can account for upwards of 20% of a component's manufacturing cost. The use of LCDS systems to form on-demand mould shapes for low volume parts would result in massive savings to the production of such components.

The problem is that to date LDCS operate in 'open loop' with little or no sensor feedback capability to maintain desired curvature under changing conditions, or consideration as to how external forces might best be accounted for. Additionally, placement of actuation elements on the surface to achieve complex profiles is largely accomplished through user intuition and experience, limiting efficiency at the design stage. This results in 'trial and error' methods to LDCS design and control that increase production costs and reduce surface performance under operation. To move beyond 'trial by error' design and control of LDCS undergoing large elastic deformations, accurate, yet computationally efficient, methodologies to model and simulate in both the kinematic and dynamic domains are required.

This project will advance the use of LDCS into the next realm by providing the tools necessary to enable robust procedures for their design and control based not on 'trial and error', but physical model information within an accurate and efficient structure. This will not only make direct, meaningful contributions to the use of LDCS in carbon fibre production. But open further applications of LDCS to areas such as the highly dexterous manipulation of parts in manufacturing environments, soft/flexible exoskeleton systems in healthcare, and deformable surface control in the aerospace, automotive, energy and food processing industries.

In the short-term, the main beneficiaries of the research will be academic. This research will provide valuable insight into the design, simulation and control of actuated Large Displacement Continuum Surfaces, LDCS. For the first time resulting models will provide a direct link between physical systems and kinematic and dynamic simulations to enable the formation of inverse kinematic and forward dynamic techniques to determine relevant actuator displacements from desired surface profiles, and/or to predict actuator actions based on force interactions respectively. When combined with model based control algorithms and impedance control techniques this will enable whole body compliant, position and force, control of surface interfaces across a number of application industries.

In the long-term the results acquired from this research will assist in the development of improved analytical and numerical design tools for LCDS, giving the UK a direct competitive advantage across a number of industries including the mouldless production of bespoke carbon fibre parts; highly dexterous manipulation of a variety of parts (geometry and material, including deformable objects) in manufacturing environments through compliant whole end-effector systems that are more adaptable and robust to part changes; soft/flexible exoskeleton systems in healthcare to improve patient mobility and comfort by reducing the need for rigid body based systems that are bulky and cumbersome to use; mobile platforms that explore difficult to reach areas using "squishy" robots that manipulate their entire form to provide motion; and the development of whole surface deformation control for the aerospace, automotive, energy and food processing industries that can optimize surface area to improve and/or direct flow over the structure as desired. Links within the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing, IfAM, will be utilized to engage with industrial entities through connections to the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry, (where the University of Nottingham is a partner), Manufacturing Technology Engineering Doctorate Centre (MTEDC), and National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol to accelerate impact.

The expertise gained by the research team will be extremely valuable and lead to further developments across multiple domains. The skills and experience acquired by the early career researchers involved in this project will assist in their long-term development. The integration of international collaborators with parallel research interests ensures maximum impact from the start, and will help develop an appreciation of the complexity of the problem.

Additionally, robotics is a growing area of interest to the public and media, evidenced by the PI's recent involvement in the BBC2 programme "Biomimetics: Designed by Nature". The PI will leverage this interest by engaging the University of Nottingham press office to release news about the project via the University web pages and work with contacts at the BBC on potential follow up activities. The PI will also use his involvement in University outreach activities such as community open days and UCAS visit days to present his research to a wider public audience and inspire the next generation of engineers.