Mingfeng Wang

Brunel University London · Department of Mechanical Engineering

In this work, the Cassino Biped Locomotor, a biped walking robot is presented as the leg design by using reduced parallel mechanisms. The proposed biped locomotor consists of two identical tripod leg mechanisms with a three degree-of-freedom parallel manipulator architecture. Kinematics analysis is carried out in terms of the forward and inverse ki...

In-situ interventions in complex environments require new concepts of Parallel Kinematic Manipulators (PKMs) that present higher versatility for adapting to unstructured working environments without affecting their advantageous characteristics. To address this opportunity a novel class of adaptive PKMs is proposed, the upper joints are repositionab...

In-situ aeroengine maintenance works are highly beneficial as it can significantly reduce the current maintenance cycle which is extensive and costly due to the disassembly requirement of engines from aircraft. However, navigating in/out via inspection ports and performing multi-axis movements with end-effectors in constrained environments (e.g. co...

Current research on walking robots strives to achieve a higher efficiency, a better load capacity, and an increased adaptability. Parallel kinematic manipulators (PKMs) are characterized by high payload and accuracy, but conventional PKMs with fixed configurations are limited to constrained workspaces in known structured environments. In this artic...

Current robotic laser weeding systems mostly rely on serial mechanisms with one or two actuated axes, which can barely meet the requirements of high precision and dynamic performances. In this article, a novel laser weeding gimbal is proposed based on a two-degree-of-freedom 5-revolute rotational parallel manipulator to perform a dynamic intrarow l...

This paper investigates the efficacy of silicone moulding methods using casting and injection moulding in a laboratory environment. The production of soft material components involves a variety of techniques, including both low-cost, in-house practices and high-level methods that require specialized training and expensive equipment. This paper focu...

In this paper, we proposed a conceptual design of a robotic device that uses the 6-degree-of-freedom (DoF) 3-PRRS parallel manipulator for Cochlear Implant (CI) surgery. The kinematic analysis of this robotic platform has been studied and the constant and variable parameters describing the geometry and inverse kinematics of the analyzed parallel ma...

This paper presents the design and analysis of a novel end effector used in the integrated limb mechanism that enables manipulation and locomotion tasks to be performed with a single limb. A Fin Ray structure-based two-finger gripper design is incorporated into the end effector with a novel flexible tendon design that wraps around the base of each...

The tribological performance of the friction pair between the rotor and finger feet is a crucial index affecting the service life of finger seals. In recent years, the surface texture has attracted a considerable number of researchers owing to its extraordinary potential in improving antifriction and wear resistance. This paper, inspired by snakesk...

Since the last decade, the non-contact finger seal (NCFS) has attracted an increasing number of researchers due to its inherent flexibility and non-contact features, which can significantly improve the service life and reduce the leakage rate of the finger seals. In this paper, to enhance the NCFS sealing performance, lifting pads with twenty (20)...

this letter presents two long continuum robots, inserted through small holes, work collaboratively in a crammed space to manipulate an extreme-temperature (> 2000°C) flame for coating repair on aeroengines without the need of their disassembly. One robot (Adder) carries a thermal spray nozzle while the other (Observer) carries cameras and a flame i...

Machines with complicated inner structures are dominating daily life with its diverse functions and high integration. With the increasing disassembling-assembling difficulty, the in-situ inspection and repairing have become important to low down the cost. This paper provided a simplified Ni-Ti shape memory alloy (SMA) based inchworm-imitated robot,...

The original version of this chapter was revised. Mingfeng Wang was inadvertently not included as a coauthor. This has been corrected.

Continuum robots (CRs) outperform the conventional rigid-link manipulators in aspects of hyper-redundant and compliant features. They provide universal and efficient solutions to access to constrained environments, e.g., aero-engines and industrial vessels. In this paper, a slender tendon-driven continuum robot (length/diameter: 715mm/12.7mm) is in...

Robot and programming education, as a key part of STEM education, is attracting more and more attention in the education industry. In this paper, a novel open-sourced educational robotic platform, Daran robot, is proposed with key features in terms of reconfigurable, powerful, and affordable. As an entry-level robotic platform, the Daran robot cons...

This paper presents a new three-degrees-of-freedom spherical parallel manipulator, which is designed to be used as a prosthetic wrist. The inverse position problem is solved and a closed form equation is obtained. Afterward, using the screw theory approach, the mobility analysis is performed to demonstrate that the proposed mechanism performs spher...

The Free-Leg Hexapod (Free-Hex) machine tool is an advancement from the conventional Stewart platform, which has the fixed base platform removed to enable the limbs to be attached to a wider range of surfaces (e.g. non-flat and curved). However, in some scenarios (e.g. in-situ repair of industrial installations), the limbs of the Free-Hex need to b...

In-situ aeroengine maintenance works are highly beneficial as it can significantly reduce the current maintenance cycle which is extensive and costly due to the disassembly requirement of engines from aircrafts. However, navigating in/out via inspection ports and performing multi-axis movements with end-effectors in constrained environments (e.g. c...

A study on the mechanical design and walking and turning operation of a biped locomotor is presented in this paper. The biped locomotor consists of two identical 3 degree-of-freedom (DOF) tripod leg mechanisms and a turning waist mechanism. Gait analysis in terms of straight walking and turning is performed by coordinating the motions of the two le...

In-situ aeroengine maintenance works (e.g. inspection , repair) are highly beneficial as it can significantly reduce currently accepted maintenance cycle which is extensive and costly due to the need to remove engines from the wing of an aircraft. However, feeding in/out via inspection ports and performing a multi-axis movement of an end-effector i...

In this paper, 3D printing is presented as useful means for checking design feasibility of mechanism structures for robots. A procedure is outlined for rapid prototyping that can produce scaled prototypes for experimental validation since early stages of robot developments. An example from LARM activities shows the soundness and practical implement...

In this paper 3D printing is presented as useful means for checking design feasibility of mechanism structures for robots. A procedure is outlined for rapid prototyping that can produce scaled prototypes for experimental validations since early stages of robot developments. An example from LARM activities for developing LARMbot humanoid is illustra...

LARMbot project aims to develop a humanoid robot with biomimetic inspiration from human anatomy by using parallel mechanisms. Previous related work is presented particularly referring to torso and leg modules. A specific design of LARMbot is proposed by using proper parallel mechanisms in torso and leg designs. A CAD model is elaborated in SolidWor...

A feasibility study on the mechanical design and walking operation of a Cassino biped locomotor is presented in this paper. The biped locomotor consists of two identical 3 degrees-of-freedom tripod leg mechanisms with a parallel manipulator architecture. Planning of the biped walking gait is performed by coordinating the motions of the two leg mech...

LARMbot humanoid robot is presented with its peculiar design as based on mechanisms with parallel architecture. The mechanical design is described as motivated by biomimetic inspiration to human anatomy and functionality. The mechanical structure of the main parts are discussed with performance characterization. A prototype is presented with a buil...

This paper analyzes the stiffness characteristics of a proposed tripod leg mechanism which is built as based on a 3-UPU parallel manipulator. The description of the mechanical design and kinematic analysis of the leg mechanism are briefly presented. By considering the compliances subject to actuators, the stiffness matrix is derived intuitively as...

Three-degree of freedom (3-DOF) translational parallel manipulators (TPMs) have been widely studied both in industry and academia in the past decades. However, most architectures of 3-DOF TPMs are created mainly on designers' intuition, empirical knowledge, or associative reasoning and the topology synthesis researches of 3-DOF TPMs are still limit...

In this paper, we present the mechanical design of a tripod leg mechanism for a Cassino biped locomotor. Kinematic properties are investigated to select the proper stroke of the linear actuators and the radius difference between the moving and base plates. Workspace optimization of the adopted 3-UPU manipulator is computed by considering the Global...

In this paper, a prototype of a LARM leg mechanism is proposed by using a tripod manipulator and its operation performance is investigated through lab experimental tests. In particular, an experimental layout is presented for investigating operational performance. A prescribed motion with an isosceles trapezoid trajectory is used for characterizing...

A mechanical design of a novel Cassino biped locomotor is presented through a dynamics walking simulation. The biped locomotor consists of two tripod leg mechanisms, whose 3-D model is elaborated in SolidWorks® environment. A planning of biped walking gait is performed with waist swinging. Dynamics simulation is carried out in MSC.ADAMS® environmen...

In this paper, a prototype of a LARM leg mechanism is proposed by using a tripod manipulator. An experimental layout is presented for investigating operational performances through lab experimental test. A prescribed motion with an isosceles trapezium trajectory is used for characterizing the system behavior. Experiment results are analyzed for the...

In this paper, design and kinematic analysis of a novel leg with a tripod mechanism is presented for biped robots. The configuration of the tripod mechanism has been determined to make the moving platform possess pure translational motion. Kinematics analysis has been formulated for a characterization and evaluation of performances. A 3-D model has...

This paper addresses the control problem of the 6-DOF motion simulator which is designed for the deep-sea mining ship. In this research, we first analyze the kinematics and the hydraulic driving system of the 6-DOF motion simulator. Based on the conventional PID control, we then develop a fuzzy-PID controller for the simulator. Experimental results...

A motion simulator of deep-sea mining ship is designed for the 6000m deep-sea poly-metallic mining system, the control methods and the performance of the simulator are researched and tested. PID control is chosen. To determine PID control parameters, mathematical model of valve controlled cylinder system is established and validated by simulation t...

A passive heave compensation system with accumulators is proposed according to the requirements of 6000/h deep sea poly-metallic mining system. The principle of the heave compensation system is described, the main parameters of the system are calculated, a corresponding mathematical model of this system is built. The parameters which affect the per...