Investigation and Development of a New Class of Mechanisms: Metamorphic Mechanisms with Reconfigurability

Mechanisms are fundamental parts of machines and robotic devices. The recently emerging new class of mechanisms have attracted a substantial number of researchers in the world with the changeable structures and mobility. The new class of mechanisms can subsequently change the functionality and adapt to various environments and different working tasks. This is the characteristic that distinguishes the new mechanisms from traditional mechanisms.This fundamental and adventurous research is to look into the characteristics particularly reconfigurability of the new mechanisms and investigate the topology synthesis which integrates the leading-edge synthesis method into the unique topology change of the new mechanisms to produce a sound and solid theoretical basis of the mechanisms and to develop both theoretical framework and practical use of the self-reconfigurability of the mechanisms. The metamorphic concept and its use in reconfigurability as well as dynamic reconfigruability are to be explored and a generic test rig is to be built as a development platform. Based on this platform, a topology based dynamic model and a control strategy of dynamic reconfigurability is to be developed, both stability and controllability are to be examined.The proposed research is the leading-edge research in mechanism development and adventurous in dynamic reconfigurability. It will establish a theoretical basis of the new mechanisms and provide researchers in both academic and industrial establishments with reconfigurability modelling, topology synthesis, dynamic analysis and control algorithms of the new mechanisms.