Robotics

Activity 1: Match the words or phrases with their definitions.

Column A Column B
1.) Manipulator a.) A flexible tube with a light and camera used in minimally invasive surgery
to allow surgeons to see inside the body without making large incisions
2.) Actuator b.) The remote control of a robotic system by a human operator, typically
over long distances, allowing for tasks such as remote surgery
3.) Exoskeleton c.) Robots that can perform tasks independently without human
intervention, often used for repetitive or dangerous tasks
4.) Haptic feedback d.) A mechanical component that converts energy into movement, enabling
robotic systems to perform physical tasks
5.) Teleoperation e.) A wearable robotic device designed to support, enhance or assist human
movements, particularly for individuals with mobility impairments or
injuries
6.) Robotic surgery f.) A robotic arm or device designed to carry out specific tasks such as
holding instruments or performing surgical operations
7.) Endoscope g.) Technology that provides the operator with tactile or force feedback
during robotic tasks, such as surgery, to simulate the sense of touch
8.) Robotic-assisted h.) The use of robotic systems to assist in the rehabilitation process, helping
rehabilitation patients regain movement and function after injuries or surgeries
9.) Autonomous robots i.) A form of surgery where robotic systems assist surgeons in performing
procedures with greater precision, flexibility and control

Answers:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Activity 2: Fill in the gaps with the following words or phrases: exoskeleton – manipulator – actuators –
autonomous robots – haptic feedback – robotic-assisted rehabilitation.

1.) The surgeon uses a …………………….. to control the robotic arms in surgery, ensuring precise
movements during the procedure.
2.) ……………………. devices help stroke patients regain motor skills through repetitive, guided motion.
3.) …………………… are used in hospitals for tasks such as cleaning, drug delivery, or inventory
management.
4.) Surgeons using robotic systems with ………………….. can feel the tissue during surgery to improve their
control and precision.
5.) In prosthetic limbs, ……………….. are responsible for moving the joint or fingers based on the user’s
intentions.
6.) An ………………………. can help people with spinal cord injuries to stand and walk.

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 Getting the right grip: Designing soft and sensitive robotic fingers
Although robotics has reshaped and even redefined many industrial sectors, there still exists a gap
between machines and humans in fields such as health and elderly care. For robots to safely manipulate
or interact with fragile objects and living organisms, new strategies to enhance their perception while
making their parts softer are needed.

One of the main challenges in the design of soft robotic grippers is integrating traditional sensors
onto the robot's fingers. Ideally, a soft gripper should have what's known as proprioception – a sense of
its own movements and position – to be able to safely execute varied tasks. However, traditional sensors
are rigid and compromise the mechanical characteristics of the soft parts.

To overcome these limitations, scientists at Ritsumeikan University, Japan, have been working on
novel soft gripper designs under the lead of Associate Professor Mengying Xie. In their latest study
published in Nano Energy, they successfully used multi-material 3D printing technology to fabricate soft
robotic fingers with a built-in proprioception sensor. Their design strategy offers numerous advantages
and represents a large step toward safer and more capable soft robots.

The soft finger has a reinforced inflation chamber that makes it bend in a highly controllable way
according to the input air pressure. In addition, the stiffness of the finger is also tunable by creating a
vacuum in a separate chamber. This was achieved through a mechanism called vacuum jamming, by which
multiple stacked layers of a bendable material can be made rigid by sucking out the air between them.

Most notable, however, is that a single piezoelectric layer was included among the vacuum jamming
layers as a sensor. The piezoelectric effect produces a voltage difference when the material is under
pressure. The scientists leveraged this phenomenon as a sensing mechanism for the robotic finger.

The use of multi-material 3D printing, a simple and fast prototyping process, allowed the researchers
to easily integrate the sensing and stiffness-tuning mechanisms into the design of the robotic finger itself.
“Our work suggests a way of designing sensors that contribute not only as sensing elements for robotic
applications but also as active functional materials to provide better control of the whole system without
compromising its dynamic behavior,” says Prof. Xie.

Another remarkable feature of their design is that the sensor is self-powered by the piezoelectric
effect, meaning that it requires no energy supply – essential for low-power applications.

Overall, this exciting new study will help future researchers find new ways of improving how soft
grippers interact with and sense the objects being manipulated. In turn, this will greatly expand the uses
of robots, as Prof. Xie indicates: “Self-powered built-in sensors will not only allow robots to safely interact
with humans and their environment but also eliminate the barriers to robotic applications that currently
rely on powered sensors to monitor conditions”.
(Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201210112044.htm)

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Activity 3: Choose the best answer from the options given.

1.) The new soft grip design developed by Associate Professor Mengying Xieuses presented

a) technologies of one-material 3-D printing

b) rigid mechanical plates

c) sensors with a sense of their own movements and position

d) silicone materials for increased tactility

2.) How does the soft finger work?

a) The water sensor creates a voltage difference between the electric field and the water

b) A piezoelectric sensor inserted into the vacuum layer creates a pressure difference

c) Several layers of metal stacked on top of each other create friction, and then current

d) It bends easily depending on the intensity

3.) What is the advantage of the printing system?

a) prototyping process becomes easy to implement and integrate

b) the dynamic behavior of the system becomes arbitrary and fast

c) the system becomes electrically stable

d) multi-layer material allows for circular movement

Activity 4: Say whether these sentences are TRUE or FALSE.

1.) To develop a more human-like robotic gripper, it is necessary to provide sensing capabilities to
the fingers. T/F

2.) Scientists have relied on the use of moisture sensors to develop gripping techniques. T/F

3.) Scientists' work represents a big step toward safer and more dexterous robotic handling, which
will extend the applications of robots to different fields. T/F

4.) The main disadvantage of traditional sensors is flexibility. T/F

5.) In the production of robotic fingers 3D printing uses one-component material. T/F

6.) Piezoelectric sensor does not require a power supply due to the fact that it is powered by the sun.
T/F

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Activity 5: Read the text and complete the table.

Difficulties met How it is achieved

1.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
............................
Designing soft and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
............................
sensitive robotic fingers
2.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . .. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . .
.

Activity 6: List two (2) main parts of the soft and sensitive robotic finger.

1.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Activity 7: Complete the sentences with words from the box.

eliminate – leveraged – grippers – layers – stiffness-tuning - proprioception – rigid

1.) One of the main challenges in the design of soft robotic ……………………….. is integrating traditional
sensors onto the robot's fingers.

2.) Traditional sensors are ………………………. and compromise the mechanical characteristics of the
soft parts.

3.) In their latest study published in Nano Energy, scientists at Ritsumeikan University, Japan,
successfully used multi-material 3D printing technology to fabricate soft robotic fingers with a
built-in …………………………. sensor.

4.) The scientists …………………………. the phenomenon as a sensing mechanism for the robotic finger.

5.) The use of multi-material 3D printing allowed the researchers to easily integrate the sensing and
……………………….. mechanisms into the design of the robotic finger itself.

6.) Self-powered built-in sensors will ……………….… the barriers to robotic applications that currently
rely on powered sensors to monitor conditions.

7.) By vacuum jamming multiple stacked ………………………. of a bendable material can be made rigid
by sucking out the air between them.

Activity 8: Work in pairs and discuss the advantages and drawbacks of robots used in healthcare.