Object Manipulation Research Articles

Technological Sovereignty and Economic Interests

Issues of technological sovereignty and strategic independence of the country are most often discussed from the standpoint of the realization of national interests. However, business has its own ambitions, its own ideas about the rational use of available resources and opportunities. The need to build partnerships between the state and business, to coordinate their economic interests, gives an institutional character to the problem of strengthening the technological sovereignty of the country. Institutional support is also necessary when combining the efforts of friendly countries in order to jointly achieve strategic autonomy. The development of measures to increase technological sovereignty involves the allocation of those links in the supply chains, without localization of which there is a high risk of being the object of external manipulation. Special attention is paid in the article to the choice of critical technologies, since it is influenced by narrow economic interests and the promotion of less significant technological areas by interested parties. It is shown that although the Russian economy has successfully adapted to the sanctions pressure, data on the structure of imports indicate the inertia of the country's technosphere. An analysis of the composition of Russian advisory bodies to determine the priority directions of scientific and technological development allows us to conclude that in the search for ways to strengthen the technological sovereignty of the country, not so much public-private as public-public partnership is being implemented. Various strategic measures aimed at updating the model of Russia's economic development do not remove the transition to a full-scale indicative planning system from the agenda.

Plant Robots: Harnessing Growth Actuation of Plants for Locomotion and Object Manipulation.

Plants display physical displacements during their growth due to photosynthesis, which converts light into chemical energy. This can be interpreted as plants acting as actuators with a built-in power source. This paper presents a method to create plant robots that move and perform tasks by harnessing the actuation output of plants: displacement and force generated from the growing process. As the target plant, radish sprouts are employed, and their displacement and force are characterized, followed by the calculation of power and energy densities. Based on the characterization, two different plant robots are designed and fabricated: a rotational robot and a gripper. The former demonstrates ground locomotion, achieving a travel distance of 14.6mm with an average speed of 0.8mmh-1. The latter demonstrates the picking and placing of an object with a 0.1-g mass by the light-controlled open-close motion of plant fingers. A good agreement between the experimental and model values is observed in the specific data of the mobile robot, suggesting that obtaining the actuation characteristics of plants can enable the design and prediction of behavior in plant robots. These results pave the way for the realization of novel types of environmentally friendly and sustainable robots.

Generalizable whole-body global manipulation of deformable linear objects by dual-arm robot in 3-D constrained environments

Generalizable whole-body global manipulation of deformable linear objects by dual-arm robot in 3-D constrained environments

Ultrasonic Levitation as a Handling Tool for In-Space Manufacturing Processes

Abstract 3D printing is one of the key technologies in space exploration. The disparity in gravitational forces between Earth and space presents both challenges and opportunities with regard to material handling. This article examines the potential of employing ultrasonic levitation as a handling tool for substrate-free additive manufacturing processes in microgravity environments. Through preliminary experiments, we demonstrate the feasibility of manipulating polymer powders using acoustic fields while concurrently melting the levitated material. Subsequent experiments conducted in our drop tower facility confirm our ability to manipulate particles with acoustic traps under microgravity conditions. Building upon these findings, we outline plans to further advance our research using an expanded acoustic levitation system capable of three-dimensional object manipulation. Our objectives include moving and orienting large components beyond the wavelength limit in microgravity, manipulating granular raw material while melting it in proximity to the print part, and achieving a semi-continuous fusion of print material with the print part. Therefore, we present an intelligent control strategy based on the results of a digital twin simulation. Furthermore, we utilize a stereo camera combined with computer vision as feedback for the control system to ensure precise handling of the manipulated objects and particles. This study represents a significant advance toward the realization of efficient substrate-free additive manufacturing processes in microgravity environments, with potential applications for in-space manufacturing. Ultimately, this could result in long-term space missions becoming less reliant on supply deliveries, thus reducing cost and additionally enabling faster response to unforeseen issues.

Usability of Pseudo-Haptic Feedback for Manual Precise Manipulation of Objects in Augmented Reality

Manual precise manipulation of objects is a critical skill in daily life, and Augmented Reality (AR) is increasingly used to support such tasks. In this study, we propose a system utilizing pseudo-haptic feedback to support precise manipulation for six degrees of freedom (6DOF). Two types of AR instruction interfaces were developed: Visual Deviation Instruction Interface (VDI) and Pseudo-Haptic Instruction Interface (PHI). A user study with 18 participants compared the two instruction interfaces in terms of performance and user experience. The objective measures of performance (task completion time, deviation), and the subjective measures (system usability scale, NASA Task Load Index) were collected. Results show that both instruction interfaces effectively support manual precise manipulation, achieving position deviations under 2 mm and orientation deviations under 1°. PHI outperformed VDI in speed, mental effort, physical demand, performance, perceived workload, custom user experience elements and reduction deviations of manual precise manipulation. Finally, we discuss research limitations and future directions.

Reconfigurable, Transformable Soft Pneumatic Actuator with Tunable Three-Dimensional Deformations for Dexterous Soft Robotics Applications.

Numerous soft actuators based on pneumatic network (PneuNet) design have already been proposed and extensively employed across various soft robotics applications in recent years. Despite their widespread use, a common limitation of most existing designs is that their action is predetermined during the fabrication process, thereby restricting the ability to modify or alter their function during operation. To address this shortcoming, in this article the design of a Reconfigurable, Transformable Soft Pneumatic Actuator (RT-SPA) is proposed. The working principle of the RT-SPA is analogous to the conventional PneuNet. The key distinction between the two lies in the ability of the RT-SPA to undergo controlled transformations, allowing for more versatile bending and twisting motions in various directions. Furthermore, the unique reconfigurable design of the RT-SPA enables the selection of actuation units with different sizes to achieve a diverse range of three-dimensional deformations. This versatility enhances the RT-SPA's potential for adaptation to a multitude of tasks and environments, setting it apart from traditional PneuNet. The article begins with a detailed description of the design and fabrication of the RT-SPA. Following this, a series of experiments are conducted to evaluate the performance of the RT-SPA. Finally, the abilities of the RT-SPA for locomotion, gripping, and object manipulation are demonstrated to illustrate the versatility of the RT-SPA across different aspects.

A Method for Assessing the Reliability of the Pepper Robot in Handling Office Documents: A Case Study.

Humanoid robots are increasingly being utilized in various activities involving humans, as they can facilitate certain tasks and provide benefits to users. Humanoid service robots possess capabilities akin to human performance, often proving advantageous due to their operational speed and immunity to fatigue. Within the scope of this study, Pepper, a humanoid robot renowned for its fidelity in mimicking human gestures and behavior, serves as the focal point. Tasked with aiding office occupants in object manipulation and relocation, Pepper underwent a targeted reliability assessment. This assessment encompassed the development of a reliability block diagram (RBD), alongside meticulous analyses of individual components and system functionality across diverse operational scenarios.

Manipulation Strategies in Interpersonal Relationships and Their Psychological Impact

Manipulation is a purposeful, conscious, organized psychological influence with the aim of using the personality of another person as a means of achieving one's own goals. The purpose of the article is to characterize the main strategies of manipulation in interpersonal relationships. A set of theoretical research methods was used: the conceptual and terminological analysis was used to determine the essence of the main concepts of the study, comparative and contrastive, which made it possible to analyze the periodicals and scientific-methodical publications on psychology, classification. The results identify the major components of the process of manipulative interaction and the main signs of manipulation in interpersonal relationships. The results showed that manipulators control their victims through positive reinforcement (praise, excessive apologies, gifts, attention), negative reinforcement (getting rid of the problem), unstable or partial reinforcement (fear, doubt), punishment (reproaches, shouting). The conclusions indicate that the psychological mechanisms of manipulative action ensure the effectiveness of the manipulator's psychological influence on the object of manipulation. The conclusions also summarize that the main manipulative techniques are organizational and procedural, logical and psychological, and personal. The prospect of further scientific research is an empirical study of the features of manipulative tendencies in interpersonal relations.

Robot para la educación inclusiva

This study focuses on the design, development and evaluation of an educational mobile robot, called Robot-T2, to be used in educational activities within a technical school. The main objective was to create a versatile platform that allows students to explore programming, engineering and science concepts in a practical and collaborative way. The methodology included an iterative design and testing approach, incorporating feedback from students and teachers to continually improve the functionality of the robot. The tests covered autonomous navigation, line following and object manipulation, using the OnBotJava programming software and the Control-Hub as the main interface. The results demonstrated that the Robot-T2 is highly efficient and adaptable in various educational contexts, showing remarkable precision in navigation and manipulation of objects. The design iterations significantly improved the robot's performance, enriching the educational experience and promoting active learning. In conclusion, educational robotics, represented by the Robot-T2, has great potential to enrich the teaching and learning process in technical schools, promoting teamwork, problem solving and the integration of technology in the classroom. It is hoped that this project will inspire future developments in educational robotics.

Direct measurement of forces in air-based acoustic levitation systems.

Acoustic levitation is frequently used for non-contact manipulation of objects and to study the impact of microgravity on physical and biological processes. While the force field produced by sound pressure lifts particles against gravity (primary acoustic force), multiple levitating objects in the same acoustic cavity interact via forces that arise from scattered sound (secondary acoustic forces). Current experimental techniques for obtaining these force fields are not well-suited for mapping the primary force field at high spatial resolution and cannot directly measure the secondary scattering force. Here, we introduce a method that can measure both acoustic forces in situ, including secondary forces in the near-field limit between arbitrarily shaped, closely spaced objects. Operating similarly to an atomic force microscope, the method inserts into the acoustic cavity a suitably shaped probe tip at the end of a long, flexible cantilever and optically detects its deflection. This makes it possible to measure forces with a resolution better than 50 nN and also to apply stress or strain in a controlled manner to manipulate levitated objects. We demonstrate this by extracting the acoustic potential present in a levitation cavity, directly measuring the acoustic scattering force between two objects, and applying tension to a levitated granular raft of acoustically bound particles in order to obtain the force-displacement curve for its deformation.

Action Segmentation in the Brain: The Role of Object-Action Associations.

Motion information has been argued to be central to the subjective segmentation of observed actions. Concerning object-directed actions, object-associated action information might as well inform efficient action segmentation and prediction. The present study compared the segmentation and neural processing of object manipulations and equivalent dough ball manipulations to elucidate the effect of object-action associations. Behavioral data corroborated that objective relational changes in the form of (un-)touchings of objects, hand, and ground represent meaningful anchor points in subjective action segmentation rendering them objective marks of meaningful event boundaries. As expected, segmentation behavior became even more systematic for the weakly informative dough. fMRI data were modeled by critical subjective, and computer-vision-derived objective event boundaries. Whole-brain as well as planned ROI analyses showed that object information had significant effects on how the brain processes these boundaries. This was especially pronounced at untouchings, that is, events that announced the beginning of the upcoming action and might be the point where competing predictions are aligned with perceptual input to update the current action model. As expected, weak object-action associations at untouching events were accompanied by increased biological motion processing, whereas strong object-action associations came with an increased contextual associative information processing, as indicated by increased parahippocampal activity. Interestingly, anterior inferior parietal lobule activity increased for weak object-action associations at untouching events, presumably because of an unrestricted number of candidate actions for dough manipulation. Our findings offer new insights into the significance of objects for the segmentation of action.

Virtual Teleoperation System for Mobile Manipulator Robots Focused on Object Transport and Manipulation

This work describes the development of a tool for the teleoperation of robots. The tool is developed in a virtual environment using the Unity graphics engine. For the development of the application, a kinematic model and a dynamic model of a mobile manipulator are used. The mobile manipulator robot consists of an omnidirectional platform and an anthropomorphic robotic arm with 4 degrees of freedom (4DOF). The model is essential to emulate the movements of the robot and to facilitate the immersion in the virtual environment. In addition, the control algorithms are established and developed in MATLAB 2020 software, which improves the acquisition of knowledge to teleoperate robots and execute tasks of manipulation and transport of objects. This methodology offers a cheaper and safer alternative to real physical systems, as it reduces both the costs and risks associated with using a real robot for training.

The exploration of multifunctional liquid robotics with ferrofluids: Fabrication, control, operation and sensing

Liquid robotics with arbitrary deformability and rich functionality can adapt to various environmental constraints and perform many significant tasks. To turn this vision into reality, an intelligent liquid system, ferrofluid, which possesses excellent macroscopic and microscopic responsiveness to external magnetic fields, is explored as the rudiment of liquid robotics. Focus is given not only to its improved fabrication and cooperative programming control, but also its underexplored object manipulation and signal transmission. The prepared ferrofluid consists of sterically stabilized ultra-small magnetic nanoparticles suspended in carrier liquids, showing strong stability, flexible mobility, and substantial magnetization. Intelligent locomotion and complex morphology control are successfully achieved by a programmable platform that generates sequential pre-designed magnetic fields through the timing activation of specific electromagnets. Meanwhile, by utilizing the magneto-Archimedes effect, this ferrofluid system can perform multi-dimensional manipulation of objects with densities ranging from 1.1 to 8.9 g/cm3 in cooperation with varying magnetic fields. Furthermore, this system can sense vibrations due to its intrinsic liquid feature and send corresponding signals through detecting the changes in magnetic flux by external coils. Similarly, the flow, concentration, and speed of ferrofluids can also be detected. These advancements in fabrication, control, operation, and sensing are crucial for the development of liquid robotics.

Knowledge over Time of Action Codes for Perceived Objects: An Exploratory Study on Developmental Children.

Over the past 20 years, there has been a growing interest in the processing of tool objects, and in the spatial S-R correspondence effects obtained with pictures of manipulable objects. Beyond the original affordance activation account, a location coding account has been proposed for such behavioral effects, which states that the location of the visually salient portion of an object speeds up spatially aligned motor responses and slows down misaligned ones. Furthermore, an additional action coding account has been proposed, according to which it is the direction of the action of the perceived object (e.g., "pouring tea leftward" when the spout of a teapot is leftward-oriented) that biases motor performance. We investigated this action coding account of S-R correspondence effects by comparing the reaction time (RT) performance of two groups: younger (6 to 9 years old) and older (10 to 13 years old) children. We assumed that knowledge of tool objects and the activation of action codes from object perception is proportional to age. Therefore, a larger correspondence effect was hypothesized for the older relative to the younger children's group. Consistently, a 34 ms correspondence effect was observed in the older children relative to the younger ones (18 ms). The results support the view that action direction is a constitutive feature of tool objects, which is subject to experience, and thus, to increasing knowledge over time.

Object manipulation based on the head manipulation space in VR

Object manipulation is fundamental in virtual and augmented reality, where efficiency and accuracy are crucial. However, repetitive object manipulation tasks using the hands can lead to arm fatigue, and in some scenarios, hands may not be feasible for object manipulation. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for object manipulation based on head movement. Firstly, we introduce the concept of head manipulation space and conduct an experiment to collect head manipulation space data to determine the manipulable space. Then, we propose a new method for object manipulation based on head speed and inter-frame viewpoint quality to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of head manipulation. Finally, we design two user studies to evaluate the performance of our head-based object manipulation method. The results show that our method is feasible in terms of task completion efficiency and accuracy compared to state-of-the-art methods and greatly reduces user fatigue and motion sickness. Moreover, our method significantly improves usability and reduces task load. Our method lays a foundation for head-based object manipulation in virtual and augmented reality and provides a new manipulation method for scenarios where hands are not suitable for object manipulation.

Fundamental Movement Skills in Hong Kong Kindergartens: A Grade-Level Analysis

Fundamental movement skills (FMSs) are essential building blocks for children’s physical development and future participation in physical activities. While early childhood curriculum frameworks recognize the importance of teaching FMSs, little research has been conducted to explore actual teaching practices in center-based programs and their variations across different grade levels. The goals of this study were to investigate (1) the frequency of a variety of FMSs in the physical activities conducted by Hong Kong kindergarten teachers, (2) the association among these FMSs based on the frequency of use in the classroom, and (3) potential differences in FMSs across the three grade levels of kindergarten education in Hong Kong. The participants were 526 kindergarten teachers. Descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, and parametric statistical techniques (e.g., one-way ANOVA) were employed to analyze their responses to a survey, in which we asked teachers to report the frequency with which FMSs are involved in their classroom physical activities. Overall, we found that the participants practiced an imbalanced set of FMSs in classrooms. K3 teachers were found to incorporate a wider variety of FMSs into their physical activities compared to K1 and K2 teachers. Through principal component analysis, seven components of activities were identified. K3 teachers were found to implement more activities involving springing, object manipulation, uneven locomotor movements, and agility and coordination. We concluded that there is a need to provide structured opportunities for teachers to better facilitate children’s FMS acquisition. Offering more explicit guidelines and further professional development for teachers is crucial to enhancing this situation.

Development of an Adaptive Force Control Strategy for Soft Robotic Gripping

Using soft materials in robotic mechanisms has become a common solution to overcome many challenges associated with the rigid bodies frequently used in robotics. Compliant mechanisms allow the robot to adapt to objects and perform a broader range of tasks, unlike rigid bodies that are generally designed for specific applications. However, soft robotics presents its own set of challenges in both design and implementation, particularly in sensing and control. These challenges are abundant when dealing with the force control problem of a compliant gripping mechanism. The ability to effectively regulate the applied force of a gripper is a critical task in many control operations, as it allows the precise manipulation of objects, which drives the need for enhanced force control strategies for soft or flexible grippers. Standard sensing techniques, such as motor current monitoring and strain-based sensors, add complexities and uncertainties when establishing mathematical models of soft grippers to the required gripping forces. In addition, the soft gripper creates a complex non-linear system, compounded by adding an adhesive-type sensor. This work develops a unique visual force sensor trained on synthetic data generated using finite element analysis (FEA) and implemented by integrating a non-linear model reference adaptive controller (MRAC) to control gripping force on a fixed 6-DOF robot. The robot can be placed on a mobile platform to perform various tasks. The virtual FEA sensor and controller, combined, are termed virtual reference adaptive control (VRAC). The VRAC was compared to other methods and achieved comparable control sensing and control performance while reducing the complexity of the sensor requirements and its integration. The VRAC strategy effectively controlled the gripping force by driving the dynamics to match the desired performance after a limited amount of training cycles. The controller proposed in this work was designed to be generally applicable to most objects that the gripper will interact with and easily adaptable to a wide variety of soft grippers.

Amphibious Hybrid Laser Tweezers for Fluid and Solid Domains.

Optical trapping is a potent tool for achieving precise and noninvasive manipulation of small objects in a vacuum and liquids. However, due to the substantial disparity between optical forces and interfacial adhesion, target objects should be suspended in fluid environments, rendering solid contact surfaces a restricted area for conventional optical tweezers. In this work, by relying on a single continuous wave (CW) laser, we demonstrate an optical manipulation system applicable for both fluid and solid domains, namely, amphibious hybrid laser tweezers. The key to our system lies in modulating the intensity of the CW laser with duration shorter than the dynamic thermal equilibrium time within objects, wherein strong thermal gradient forces with ∼6 orders of magnitude higher than the forces in optical tweezers are produced, enabling moving and trapping micro/nano-objects on solid interfaces. Thereby, CW laser-based optical tweezers and pulsed laser-based photothermal shock tweezers are seamlessly fused with the advantages of cost-effectiveness and simplicity. Our concept breaks the stereotype that CW lasers are limited to generating tiny forces and instead achieve ultrawide force generation spanning from femto-newtons (10-15 N) to (10-6 N). Our work expands the horizon of optical manipulation by seamlessly bridging its applications in fluid and solid environments and holds promise for inspiring optical manipulation techniques to perform more challenging tasks, which may unearth application scenarios in diverse fields such as fundamental physical research, nanofabrication, micro/nanorobotics, biomedicine, and cytology.

Arduino-Controlled Multi-Function Robot with Bluetooth and nRF24L01+ Communication

This paper outlines the design and development of an advanced robotic system that integrates hardware implementation with theoretical simulation to address the need for versatile and user-friendly robotic solutions in various environments. Addressing the issue of limited adaptability in existing robotic systems, we propose a wireless, voice and gesture-controlled robot car with an integrated robotic arm capable of performing complex tasks such as line following, obstacle avoidance, object manipulation, and autonomous navigation over one-kilometer range. To improve operational efficiency and user involvement, this paper designs a multifunctional robotic platform that integrates user-friendly control interfaces with inexpensive, state-of-the-art sensor technologies. To achieve this, we integrate a variety of sensors, including ultrasonic sensors for precise distance measurement, infrared sensors for object detection and line following, an L298 motor driver for controlling geared motors, servo motors for controlling robotic arms, a flex sensor for claw control, and an mpu6050 accelerometer for gesture recognition. The system also uses a custom-made Bluetooth app for remote control, nRF24L01+ for long-range wireless control, and Arduino Mega and Nano for processing and control functions. The results demonstrate the robot functions well in dynamic conditions, and it can be used in hospitals to assist healthcare professionals, in restaurants for food delivery, and in industrial settings for object manipulation. The system’s design proves robust in real-world scenarios, offering significant improvements in accessibility and operational efficiency. This study aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The robotic arm's potential application in healthcare settings advances SDG 3, its contribution to industrial productivity advances SDG 9, and collaborations with tech companies to expand and improve the robot's capabilities promote SDG 17.

Acousto-dielectric tweezers enable independent manipulation of multiple particles.

Acoustic tweezers have gained substantial interest in biology, engineering, and materials science for their label-free, precise, contactless, and programmable manipulation of small objects. However, acoustic tweezers cannot independently manipulate multiple microparticles simultaneously. This study introduces acousto-dielectric tweezers capable of independently manipulating multiple microparticles and precise control over intercellular distances and cyclical cell pairing and separation for detailed cell-cell interaction analysis. Our acousto-dielectric tweezers leverage the competition between acoustic radiation forces, generated by standing surface acoustic waves (SAWs), and dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces, induced by gradient electric fields. Modulating these fields allows for the precise positioning of individual microparticles at points where acoustic radiation and DEP forces are in equilibrium. This mechanism enables the simultaneous movement of multiple microparticles along specified paths as well as cyclical cell pairing and separation. We anticipate our acousto-dielectric tweezers to have enormous potential in colloidal assembly, cell-cell interaction studies, disease diagnostics, and tissue engineering.