Mechatronics最新文献

{"title":"Snake robots: A state-of-the-art review on design, locomotion, control, and real-world applications","authors":"Syed Kumayl Raza Moosavi ,&nbsp;Muhammad Hamza Zafar ,&nbsp;Filippo Sanfilippo","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103418","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103418","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Snake robots have emerged as a transformative class of bio-inspired robotic systems, offering unparallelled adaptability in navigating complex unstructured terrains. Their limbless design, inspired by biological snakes, enables efficient movement across diverse environments, including rough terrains, confined spaces, and hazardous conditions where traditional wheeled or legged robots struggle. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the design and development of snake robots, covering their locomotion strategies, mechanical configurations, sensor integration, control schemas, and actuation mechanisms. The review further explores the evolution of mechanical structures from rigid, soft, and hybrid designs, emphasising advancements in actuation and sensor technologies in enhancing adaptability and navigation. Applications of snake robots extend across various domains, including search and rescue (SAR), industrial inspection, and exploration of extreme environments. Despite significant progress, challenges such as optimising energy efficiency, improving environmental perception, and achieving real-time adaptability remain open research areas. This review serves as a foundational reference for researchers and engineers working towards advancing the next generation of snake robots, paving the way for their integration into real-world applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"112 ","pages":"Article 103418"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145268531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physically feasible dynamic model identification and constrained control of robotic arms: A case study on the ViperX-300 6-DoF robotic manipulator","authors":"Mu’taz A. Momani,&nbsp;Mehdi Hosseinzadeh","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103419","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103419","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The demand for novel robotic applications continues to grow, driven by the need for advanced solutions to complex tasks. These tasks often require the incorporation of dynamic models into the development of control schemes. Consequently, model identification has become a critical step in creating accurate dynamic models for robotic arms. However, the identification process can yield parameters that lack physical significance, resulting in feasibility issues that lead to unrealistic and potentially unstable dynamic models. This challenge is particularly pronounced in small robotic arms, where the dynamics are highly sensitive to parameter variations. To address these challenges, this article presents a systematic and comprehensive approach to the model identification of robotic arms while strictly enforcing physical feasibility. The proposed approach is validated on the ViperX-300 6DoF robotic manipulator, which lacks a pre-existing dynamic model, making it an ideal candidate for testing our method. To further validate the proposed model identification approach and assess the suitability of the obtained model for the ViperX-300 6DoF robotic manipulator in safety-critical applications, we design an explicit reference governor, which is a model-based constrained control strategy. Experimental results show that the identified model achieves sufficient accuracy for safety-critical applications, showcasing the effectiveness of the proposed model identification approach and the reliability of the identified model for the ViperX-300 6DoF robotic manipulator.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"112 ","pages":"Article 103419"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145268532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advantages of slanted grousers for skid-steer planetary rovers with rigid wheels","authors":"Alexander Demishkevich ,&nbsp;Bao Thy Thai ,&nbsp;Krzysztof Skonieczny","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103408","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103408","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lunar exploration activities around the world are driving development of low mass skid-steer rovers, for which rigid wheels with grousers are common. Wheels with slanted grousers (i.e. that span from the inner to the outer edge of the wheel surface at an angle, rather than directly across) are compared favorably in this work against V-offset shaped grousers in skid-steer point turn performance, without any reduction in slope climbing performance. Single wheel tests are conducted in GRC-1 lunar simulant with the wheels oriented along a representative slip angle corresponding to skid-steer point turning. Slanted grousers achieve positive tangent turning force, <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>F</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>T</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>, a metric introduced to identify conditions when a wheel can sustain skid-steer point turning. The slanted grouser achieves a positive <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>F</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>T</mi></mrow></msub></math></span> at slip ratios below 0.4 compared to as much as 0.6 for V-offset, while also only experiencing approximately half as much sinkage. On the other hand, there is little to no difference in performance in straight line driving, relevant for nominal driving and slope climbing. Full rover tests with 4 appropriately configured slanted grouser wheels validate point turn and slope climbing performance with an average skid-steer point turn slip ratio of approximately 0.35 and 0.8 for slope climbing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"112 ","pages":"Article 103408"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Autonomous exploration of mobile robot equipped with LiDAR for high-quality reconstruction in large-scale indoor environments","authors":"Pin-Chu Shih ,&nbsp;Yun-Chi Chiang ,&nbsp;Jun-Jie Hu ,&nbsp;Kuan-Ting Lin ,&nbsp;Li-Chen Fu","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103409","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103409","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-quality 3D reconstruction is essential for applications such as autonomous driving, Augmented Reality (AR)/Virtual Reality (VR), and smart cities. Traditional methods using handheld sensors often result in incomplete and misaligned models. While autonomous exploration can improve these results, it often sacrifices quality for speed. This paper proposes a novel system for high-quality 3D reconstruction of large-scale indoor environments, leveraging a mobile robot equipped with a solid-state LiDAR mounted on a 2-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) gimbal. The gimbal provides flexible scanning capabilities to overcome field-of-view (FoV) limitations of solid-state LiDARs. To address high-frequency, real-time quality evaluation during exploration, we introduce a new concept called guard-points, which guides the robot toward areas with insufficient point cloud density. These guard-points, alongside conventional frontier-based viewpoints, enable our planner to dynamically balance exploration and reconstruction quality. This system not only controls the mobile robot to visit unknown places and areas with insufficient reconstruction quality but also facilitates high-frequency, real-time exploration path planning. This paper concludes with various simulations and real-world experiments to validate the effectiveness of our system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"112 ","pages":"Article 103409"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bio-inspired soft gripper with SMA-based variable stiffness","authors":"Xiulu Liu,&nbsp;Zirui Song,&nbsp;Liqiang Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103417","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103417","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To address insufficient clamping force and instability in traditional soft grippers, this study presents a bio-inspired soft gripper with SMA-based variable stiffness. Inspired by human hand musculature and bone structure, the design combines a silicone-based soft finger with a variable-stiffness module. This integration enables adjustable stiffness while retaining softness, significantly enhancing clamping performance. Experimental results show the variable-stiffness gripper achieves a maximum single-finger fingertip force of 1.7 N, representing a 112.5% improvement over the traditional soft gripper. Maximum fingertip and wrap-around clamping weights reach 259.33 g and 524.97 g, corresponding to 126.96% and 97.7% increases, respectively. The gripper demonstrates robust adaptability in household scenarios, effectively handling objects ranging from fragile foods to everyday tools.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"112 ","pages":"Article 103417"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145107105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Control-oriented modelling and experimental validation of a controllable multichamber air spring suspension","authors":"Sabrina Milani,&nbsp;Gabriele Marini,&nbsp;Giulio Panzani,&nbsp;Matteo Corno,&nbsp;Sergio M. Savaresi","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103406","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103406","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents the characterization and validation of a multichamber air spring, a pneumatic suspension system comprising a primary chamber linked to multiple auxiliary air reservoirs through electronically controlled valves. Multichamber air springs represent complex electromechanical systems, where valve control and chamber states significantly influence the suspension’s equivalent stiffness. The primary objective of this study is to introduce a novel control-oriented mathematical model for the air spring that more accurately captures the intricate dynamical behaviours than traditional models. By incorporating the dynamics of air mass flow through the valves, the proposed model captures the elastic force during both the opening and closing of the valves, while also accounting for damping phenomena induced by internal friction. Experimental validation is conducted using a suspension test bench, demonstrating that the simulated forces match the measured values across various tests, including realistic driving scenarios characterized by high-frequency stiffness modulation on off-road terrains. This study illustrates how approaching the dynamics from a control-oriented perspective paves the way for enhanced vehicle dynamics control.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"112 ","pages":"Article 103406"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145061083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MR-FLOUR: Multi-robot Relative localization based on the Fusion of LiDAR, Odometry, and UWB Ranging","authors":"Muhammad Shalihan ,&nbsp;Zhiqiang Cao ,&nbsp;Billy Pik Lik Lau ,&nbsp;Ran Liu ,&nbsp;Chau Yuen ,&nbsp;U-Xuan Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103410","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103410","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate relative localization of multiple robots is crucial for efficient collaboration and teaming, where a prior map of the environment is often unavailable. In this context, proximal robot detection plays an important role in improving relative localization accuracy by providing essential spatial awareness. While LiDAR is a common choice for detecting nearby robots, it struggles to distinguish them from surrounding obstacles, especially in cluttered environments. To address this challenge, we introduce MR-FLOUR, which stands for <u>M</u>ultiple-robot <u>R</u>elative localization based on the <u>F</u>usion of <u>L</u>iDAR detection outcomes, <u>O</u>dometry, and <u>U</u>WB <u>R</u>anging. The main innovation of our approach is the use of different sensors for proximal robot detection and the introduction of our LiDAR detection constraint for optimization. First, we propose an efficient method to integrate UWB ranging with LiDAR data for proximal robot detection. We cluster the LiDAR point cloud and apply circle-fitting on the clusters based on the expected radius of the robot to reject clusters that do not conform to the expected shape of the robot. Then match the UWB ranging with cluster distances to determine nearby robot positions. Next, we estimate the identified robot’s orientation from successive detections, with outliers filtered using short-term odometry data. Finally, through Pose Graph Optimization (PGO), we fuse odometry and UWB ranging constraints with our proposed LiDAR detection constraint, which not only accounts for the position and orientation estimations of the nearby robots but also incorporates the relative pose estimation between them. Our method improves the localization accuracy of traditional UWB localization by incorporating LiDAR detection constraints when in Line-Of-Sight (LOS). In Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) conditions or when no nearby robot detections are available, it relies on UWB and odometry for localization. We validated the approach with three robots in three indoor environments, achieving up to 33.3% improvement in translation and 45.5% in rotation over traditional UWB localization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"112 ","pages":"Article 103410"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145020600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soft paw sensor for tactile and force sensing in legged robots","authors":"Hugo A. Moreno ,&nbsp;Luis A. Moreno ,&nbsp;L.M. Valentín-Coronado ,&nbsp;Gerardo Flores","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103407","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103407","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The adaptability of legged robots to uneven terrain and their minimal ground impact have driven significant research advancements, establishing them as ideal solutions for complex and delicate environments. Tactile sensing and environmental perception are critical for enhancing robot performance, as they are essential for maintaining dynamic balance and achieving precise control. This paper presents a novel soft contact and force sensor designed for quadrupedal robot legs’ pads (end effectors). The innovative soft sensitive paw, made from flexible conductive membranes, simultaneously measures force and contact point position, enabling environmentally aware decision-making and supporting proprioceptive awareness. Experimental tests demonstrate its soft, spherical design provides excellent adaptability and grip on various terrains. Its sensing surface covers 83.3% of the sphere’s area, with a measurement error of only 0.14%. This capability allows the sensitive paw to detect ground contact as well as lateral and upper leg interactions, offering a robust and versatile tool for navigation and operation in complex environments. To validate its performance, the sensor was tested using custom-built test benches and subsequently mounted on the Lupoh quadruped robot, which was developed in our laboratory for further evaluation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"111 ","pages":"Article 103407"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144932691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coordination control of multi-axle distributed drive vehicle with dynamically-triggered DYC intervention and KKT-based torque optimization distribution","authors":"Lie Guo ,&nbsp;Jiaqing Zhao ,&nbsp;Longxin Guan ,&nbsp;Jiahao Wang ,&nbsp;Pingshu Ge ,&nbsp;Linli Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103397","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103397","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Multi-axle distributed drive vehicles, characterized by over-actuation, internal dynamics, and nonlinear external disturbances, frequently encounter coordination challenges in lateral path tracking, yaw stability intervention, and longitudinal speed control. These issues can significantly degrade overall control performance, particularly under complex driving conditions. To address them, this paper proposes a coordinated control framework integrating path tracking, yaw stability intervention, longitudinal drive control, and optimal torque distribution. First, a robust path tracking controller based on a linear parameter-varying (LPV) dynamic model is designed and a longitudinal speed controller using a linear sliding mode approach are designed. Subsequently, a direct yaw-moment control (DYC) strategy based on nonsingular terminal sliding mode control (NTSMC) with nonlinear dynamic triggering is introduced to mitigate performance degradation induced by excessive interventions. Finally, an optimal torque distribution method based on the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) conditions is developed to ensure the feasibility of the solutions. The effectiveness and superiority of the proposed coordination framework are validated through hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) experiments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"111 ","pages":"Article 103397"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144851863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Co-design of a wave energy converter through bi-conjugate impedance matching","authors":"Ryan G. Coe,&nbsp;Giorgio Bacelli,&nbsp;Daniel Gaebele,&nbsp;Alicia Keow,&nbsp;Dominic Forbush","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103395","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103395","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As with other oscillatory power conversion systems, the design of wave energy converters can be understood as an impedance matching problem. By representing the wave energy converter as a multi-port network, two separate but related impedance matching conditions can be established. Satisfying these conditions maximizes power transfer to the load. In practice, these impedance matching conditions may be used to influence the design of the system (including the hull, power take-off, controller, mooring, etc.). To this end, this paper considers some example applications of wave energy converter design with the help of the impedance matching framework.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"111 ","pages":"Article 103395"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144851802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}