Abstract:
In this work we tackle with problem using a negative stiffness honeycomb designed
as a tactile sensor enabling to detect physical contact with low impact force. A
lower impact force is achieved by varying the state of the honeycomb. At different
states, the honeycomb behaves as a spring with both positive or negative stiffness
coefficients. A tendon-driven mechanism controls the state of this honeycomb. The
experimental results showed that the honeycomb attachment enabled the detection
of a contact with a lower impact force. We also conducted experiments on soft and
rigid objects, and demonstrated that the response of the system can be changed
without altering the PID gains of the robot arm. This was achieved by controlling
the state of the honeycomb, while keeping the controller the same. We also show
that by rapidly changing the state of the such dexterous end-effector, the robot to
punch an inverted pendulum. The results showed that the honeycomb attachment
allowed for a more precise and controlled impact, resulting in improved stability of the
pendulum. Moreover, we showed that negative stiffness honeycomb can be effective
for decreasing weight and torque concentrated area in continuum robot segments. Our
findings suggest that the honeycomb attachment can be a valuable tool for a range of
applications, such as robotic manipulation, grasping and sensing, where low-impact
and high-precision contact is required, as well as in continuum robot. Overall, our
study highlights the potential of negative stiffness honeycomb structures as a means
of improving the performance and versatility of robotic systems.