Mechatronics最新文献

{"title":"Reconfigurable hydrostatics: Toward versatile and efficient load-bearing robotics","authors":"Jeff Denis,&nbsp;Frédéric Laberge,&nbsp;Jean-Sébastien Plante,&nbsp;Alexandre Girard","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103420","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103420","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wearable and legged robot designers face multiple challenges when choosing actuation. Traditional fully actuated designs using electric motors are multifunctional but oversized and inefficient for bearing conservative loads and for being backdrivable. Alternatively, quasi-passive and underactuated designs reduce the amount of motorization and energy storage, but are often designed for specific tasks. Designers of versatile and stronger wearable robots will face these challenges unless future actuators become very torque-dense, backdrivable and efficient.</div><div>This paper explores a design paradigm for addressing this issue: reconfigurable hydrostatics. We show that a hydrostatic actuator can integrate a passive force mechanism and a sharing mechanism in the fluid domain and still be multifunctional. First, an analytical study compares the effect of these two mechanisms on the motorization requirements in the context of a load-bearing exoskeleton. Then, the hydrostatic concept integrating these two mechanisms using hydraulic components is presented. A case study analysis shows the mass/efficiency/inertia benefits of the concept over a fully actuated one. Then, experiments are conducted on robotic legs to demonstrate that the actuator concept can meet the expected performance in terms of force tracking, versatility, and efficiency under controlled conditions. The proof-of-concept can track the vertical ground reaction force (GRF) profiles of walking, running, squatting, and jumping, and the energy consumption is 4.8x lower for walking. The transient force behaviors due to switching from one leg to the other are also analyzed along with some mitigation to improve them.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"113 ","pages":"Article 103420"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145340639","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":"Ultra-Local Sliding Mode Control with Control Barrier Functions: A Framework for Adaptive Cruise Control","authors":"Fernando Zolubas Preto ,&nbsp;Bruno Augusto Angélico ,&nbsp;Evandro Leonardo Silva Teixeira ,&nbsp;João Francisco Justo","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103430","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103430","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work proposes a unification of safety-proven control laws with modeling-free approaches, with a primary focus on handling complex applications. The proposed control law is an Ultra-Local Sliding-Mode Control (ULSMC) with Control Barrier Function (CBF) that is a combination capable of ensuring safety and robustness using minimal phenomenological modeling. This approach is used to design an Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system that has successfully accomplished some of the most challenging Euro NCAP Tests in a Hardware-In-the-Loop platform, using a realistic vehicular simulator. Moreover, a cubic per part condition is developed on the time derivative of the CBF, allowing the CBF safety filter to dynamically arbitrate between prioritizing safety, performance, or safety-recoverability according to the safety level measured by the CBF function. In particular, safety-recoverability is verified through simulations of realistic hazardous scenarios caused by external vehicles on the road. Furthermore, a modified headway-time-based CBF is developed to address ACC operation under complete stop scenarios. The robustness of the ULSMC control is shown to be essential to ensure ACC performance requirements when adopting an almost modeling-free approach.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"113 ","pages":"Article 103430"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579342","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":"Visual SLAM algorithm based on dynamic attribute recognition in dynamic scenes","authors":"Jian Xiong ,&nbsp;Longwei Fan ,&nbsp;Dayong Yang ,&nbsp;Pengwen Xiong ,&nbsp;Jie Lu ,&nbsp;Weisheng Zhong","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103427","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103427","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Visual SLAM algorithms suffer from errors in dynamic scenes due to interference from dynamic objects, leading to significant degradation in system accuracy. Existing deep learning-based methods for removing feature points of dynamic objects focus solely on actively moving objects with prior information, neglecting the dynamic characteristics of passive objects. To address this issue, we propose the concept of dynamic attribute recognition based on active–passive relationships; starting from the correlation between objects, we determine the dynamic attributes of passive objects based on the dynamic attributes of active objects. Building upon this, we propose a visual SLAM algorithm based on dynamic attribute recognition. First, YOLO is employed for object detection to identify the semantic information of objects and obtain their positional information. Then, the Euclidean distance is used to determine the affiliation between active and passive objects. Specifically, if the active object is a person, the Euclidean distance between the passive object and the hand keypoints determines their affiliation. Simultaneously, the Lucas-Kanade optical flow method and RANSAC are used to further assist in determining the dynamic attributes of both active and passive objects. Finally, feature points within the regions occupied by active and passive objects identified as dynamic are either removed or their weights are reduced, relying on static feature points to achieve camera pose estimation. Experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm reduces both the Absolute Trajectory Error (ATE) and Relative Pose Error (RPE) by over 90% compared to the original ORB-SLAM2 on high-dynamic sequences of the TUM dataset. Compared to similar algorithms such as DS-SLAM and Dyna-SLAM, our method exhibits superior accuracy and robustness in dynamic scenes containing both active and passive objects, with the tracking thread processing each frame in an average of only 29.36 ms. Our approach significantly enhances both the accuracy and real-time performance of SLAM algorithms in dynamic scenes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"113 ","pages":"Article 103427"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579344","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":"Design and multi-objective optimization of a novel robust command shaping technique for the tolerable level of residual vibration","authors":"Ferhat Kaya ,&nbsp;Caglar Conker","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103426","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103426","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This manuscript addresses the problem of designing a robust input shaper capable of suppressing residual vibrations in flexible robotic and mechanical systems under modeling errors and parameter uncertainties, while also providing smooth reference commands<em>.</em>The proposed approach integrates Cycloid, Ramped Versine and Ramp (CPRVPR) functions with Zero Vibration (ZV, ZVD, and ZVDD) input shapers, optimizing their parameters using the Vibrating Particle System (VPS) Algorithm. Furthermore, the study proposes a novel multi-objective function that accounts for critical parameters of input shaping techniques in flexible robotic systems and the robustness constraints of Extra-Insensitive input shapers. The theoretical outcomes of the proposed command shaping approaches were experimentally validated through their application to a linear crane system. The effectiveness of the three proposed methods was demonstrated by comparing them against fifteen well-known input shaping techniques. The novel intelligent command shaping design was shown to effectively mitigate or eliminate residual vibrations in flexible systems, even under high levels of uncertainty.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"113 ","pages":"Article 103426"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579355","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":"Learning feedforward with unmeasured performance variables: With application to a wirebonder","authors":"Maurice Poot ,&nbsp;Jorrit Sprik ,&nbsp;Matthijs Teurlings ,&nbsp;Wout Laarakkers ,&nbsp;Dragan Kostić ,&nbsp;Jim Portegies ,&nbsp;Tom Oomen","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103422","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103422","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Feedforward motion control for unmeasured performance variables at the point of interest is crucial for attaining high throughput and accuracy in motion systems. The aim of this paper is to develop a data-driven approach for feedforward tuning that addresses the true performance at the point of interest. The presented approach is a novel methodology that employs rational feedforward structures for performing flexible tasks with high accuracy, in conjunction with an sensor fusion for addressing the point-of-interest. In particular, the tracking error of the unmeasured performance variable is accurately estimated by combining acceleration measurements and encoder measurements. Simulation results show that optimizing for the estimated point-of-interest error achieves similar tracking performance as optimizing for the true point-of-interest error, indicating accurate sensor-fusion estimates for feedforward control. Experimental validation demonstrates that optimizing for the estimated point-of-interest error significantly reduces the estimated point-of-interest tracking error compared to minimizing the encoder error.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"113 ","pages":"Article 103422"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145419860","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":"Data-driven pressure controller using proportional piezoelectric valves for soft pneumatic actuators","authors":"A. Pawluchin ,&nbsp;T.-L. Habich ,&nbsp;T. Seel ,&nbsp;I. Boblan","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pressure control forms the foundation for operating soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs). For effective motion or force control, however, the underlying pressure control must be both fast and accurate. This can be achieved either by placing the valve close to the actuator or by compensating for long pneumatic tubes through dynamic modeling. Tube compensation, however, is complex and difficult to implement, while direct valve mounting is often impractical because conventional proportional valves are large and heavy.</div><div>To overcome these limitations, a compact, custom-designed 3/3-valve unit (CVU) based on Festo’s VEAE piezoelectric valves is developed. The CVU supports pressures up to 6<!--> <!-->bar, flow rates up to 70<!--> <!-->l/min and control bandwidths exceeding 9<!--> <!-->Hz. It is controlled using the presented data-driven approach, which eliminates the need for classical system identification and automatically adapts to different actuator volumes, resulting in high accuracy and simple deployment.</div><div>The control scheme employs a two-stage, data-driven architecture based on single-shot Gaussian process (GP) regression. First, the inverse static flow characteristics of each valve are modeled, compensating for valve-to-valve variability without manual mass-flow identification. Second, the CVU is adapted to the actuator’s state-dependent volume, improving accuracy and robustness to external disturbances. In both stages, only the pressure derivative is used, avoiding the need for additional flow sensors or external test benches and keeping the approach lightweight and low-cost. The CVU with the data-driven control method was validated on an antagonistic pneumatic arm with pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) and benchmarked against a manually tuned PID controller, a feedback-linearized controller based on analytical system inversion and a commercially available VEAB valve unit. Across all tests, the CVU with GP-based control achieved highly accurate pressure tracking and disturbance rejection. All hardware (CAD) and development code (m-code) are released as open source.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"113 ","pages":"Article 103428"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145624184","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":"Fixed-time adaptive sliding mode momentum observer for external torque estimation of robotic manipulators","authors":"Jiahua Ma ,&nbsp;Wenxiang Deng ,&nbsp;Wei Chen ,&nbsp;Jian Hu ,&nbsp;Jianyong Yao","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103429","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103429","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper proposes a fixed-time adaptive sliding mode momentum observer (FTASMMO) to improve external torque estimation in robotic manipulators interacting with the environment, without the need for torque sensors, thus enabling effective collision detection. Specifically, the proposed observer integrates fixed-time stability with generalized momentum, ensuring that the estimation error of external torques remains fixed-time stable. An adaptive law is introduced to effectively handle time-varying external torques with unknown upper bounds, while reducing conservatism in gain selection. The observer also employs a smooth tanh function in place of a sign function to reduce estimation chattering and improve observation accuracy. Additionally, Lyapunov analysis is employed to demonstrate the fixed-time stability of the observer. Simulation and experiments with a 7-degree-of-freedom collaborative robot demonstrate that the proposed observer significantly improves the speed and accuracy of torque estimation compared to existing methods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"113 ","pages":"Article 103429"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145529172","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":"Parameter identification algorithm for separated cable-driven parallel mechanisms via calibration error compensation","authors":"Yanze Zhang,&nbsp;Yongnian Zhang,&nbsp;Jieyu Xian,&nbsp;Xingyu Lu,&nbsp;Zhiqiang Huang,&nbsp;Xiaochan Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103421","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mechatronics.2025.103421","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>For traditional Cable-Driven Parallel Robot (CDPR), changing the workspace is relatively difficult and requires reconfiguring the anchor points and outer frame. The main reason is that the frame-type configuration is often difficult to unfold and the anchor points are hard to identify. Additionally, since the anchor points are not connected by a fixed structure, the parameters can only be determined through manual measurement, which has limited accuracy. Therefore, the position values of the anchor points should be re-identified using appropriate calibration methods, particularly through the use of rapid automatic calibration methods. This paper proposes a rapid identification and calibration-error compensation method for anchor points of a separated cable-driven parallel robot operating in a non-structured environment. By calibration-error compensation, we refer to the simultaneous estimation and correction of anchor-point positions and calibration-reference errors, which reduces bias from imperfect calibration hardware and enhances identification robustness. To improve the motion accuracy of the moving platform, a static motion error identification model is established based on kinematics, and a least squares method is employed to fit the model and calculate the kinematic parameter positions. Additionally, since calibration plates are used for calibration, random errors may occur. Therefore, a hybrid optimization framework combining AHDBO and the least squares method is further proposed to address the local optimality problem caused by multi-anchor point error coupling. Experimental results showed that after parameter identification and error compensation, the average anchor point identification error was 3.225 mm, and the motion platform position error was 2.20 mm. These results confirm that the proposed parameter identification and compensation methods can effectively improve deployment precision in separated CDPR.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49842,"journal":{"name":"Mechatronics","volume":"112 ","pages":"Article 103421"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363513","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":"2025-12-01","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":"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":"2025-12-01","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}