This book presents the most recent advances in the research and applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. It collects 93 independently reviewed papers presented at the Third ASME/IFToMM International Conference on Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots (ReMAR 2015) held in Beijing, China, 20-22 July 2015. The conference papers are organized into seven parts to cover the reconfiguration theory, topology, kinematics and design of reconfigurable mechanisms including reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. The most recent results on reconfigurable robots are presented including their analysis, design, simulation and control. Bio-inspired mechanisms are also explored in the challenging fields of rehabilitation and minimally invasive surgery. This book further addresses deployable mechanisms and origami-inspired mechanisms and showcases a wide range of successful applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots II should be of interest for researchers, engineers and postgraduate students in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and mathematics.

This book addresses the design of compliant mechanisms, presenting readers with a good understanding of both the solid mechanics of flexible elements and their configuration design, based on a mechanism-equivalent approach in the framework of screw theory. The book begins with the theoretical background of screw theory, and systematically addresses both the compliance characteristics of flexible elements and their configuration design. The book then covers a broad range of compliant parallel mechanism design topics, from stiffness to constraint decomposition, from conceptual design to dimensional design, and from analysis to synthesis, as well as the large deformation problem; this is followed by both simulations and physical experiments, offering readers a solid foundation and useful tools. Given its scope and the results it presents, the book will certainly benefit and inform future research on the topic. It offers a valuable asset for researchers, developers, engineers and graduate students with an interest in compliant mechanisms, robotics and screw theory.

Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I provides a selection of key papers presented in The Second ASME/IFToMM International Conference on Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots (ReMAR 2012) held on 9th -11th July 2012 in Tianjin, China. This ongoing series of conferences will be covered in this ongoing collection of books. A total of seventy-eight papers are divided into seven parts to cover the topology, kinematics and design of reconfigurable mechanisms with the reconfiguration theory, analysis and synthesis, and present the current research and development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms including reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. In this aspect, the recent study and development of reconfigurable robots are further presented with the analysis and design and with their control and development. The bio-inspired mechanisms and subsequent reconfiguration are explored in the challenging fields of rehabilitation and minimally invasive surgery. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I further extends the study to deployable mechanisms and foldable devices and introduces applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. The rich-content of Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I brings together new developments in reconfigurable mechanisms and robots and presents a new horizon for future development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. A total of seventy-eight papers are divided into seven parts to cover the topology, kinematics and design of reconfigurable mechanisms with the reconfiguration theory, analysis and synthesis, and present the current research and development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms including reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. In this aspect, the recent study and development of reconfigurable robots are further presented with the analysis and design and with their control and development. The bio-inspired mechanisms and subsequent reconfiguration are explored in the challenging fields of rehabilitation and minimally invasive surgery. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I further extends the study to deployable mechanisms and foldable devices and introduces applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. The rich-content of Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I brings together new developments in reconfigurable mechanisms and robots and presents a new horizon for future development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. A total of seventy-eight papers are divided into seven parts to cover the topology, kinematics and design of reconfigurable mechanisms with the reconfiguration theory, analysis and synthesis, and present the current research and development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms including reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. In this aspect, the recent study and development of reconfigurable robots are further presented with the analysis and design and with their control and development. The bio-inspired mechanisms and subsequent reconfiguration are explored in the challenging fields of rehabilitation and minimally invasive surgery. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I further extends the study to deployable mechanisms and foldable devices and introduces applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. The rich-content of Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I brings together new developments in reconfigurable mechanisms and robots and presents a new horizon for future development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. A total of seventy-eight papers are divided into seven parts to cover the topology, kinematics and design of reconfigurable mechanisms with the reconfiguration theory, analysis and synthesis, and present the current research and development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms including reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. In this aspect, the recent study and development of reconfigurable robots are further presented with the analysis and design and with their control and development. The bio-inspired mechanisms and subsequent reconfiguration are explored in the challenging fields of rehabilitation and minimally invasive surgery. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I further extends the study to deployable mechanisms and foldable devices and introduces applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. The rich-content of Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I brings together new developments in reconfigurable mechanisms and robots and presents a new horizon for future development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots.

This book addresses the design of compliant mechanisms, presenting readers with a good understanding of both the solid mechanics of flexible elements and their configuration design, based on a mechanism-equivalent approach in the framework of screw theory. The book begins with the theoretical background of screw theory, and systematically addresses both the compliance characteristics of flexible elements and their configuration design. The book then covers a broad range of compliant parallel mechanism design topics, from stiffness to constraint decomposition, from conceptual design to dimensional design, and from analysis to synthesis, as well as the large deformation problem; this is followed by both simulations and physical experiments, offering readers a solid foundation and useful tools. Given its scope and the results it presents, the book will certainly benefit and inform future research on the topic. It offers a valuable asset for researchers, developers, engineers and graduate students with an interest in compliant mechanisms, robotics and screw theory.

This book presents the most recent advances in the research and applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. It collects 93 independently reviewed papers presented at the Third ASME/IFToMM International Conference on Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots (ReMAR 2015) held in Beijing, China, 20-22 July 2015. The conference papers are organized into seven parts to cover the reconfiguration theory, topology, kinematics and design of reconfigurable mechanisms including reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. The most recent results on reconfigurable robots are presented including their analysis, design, simulation and control. Bio-inspired mechanisms are also explored in the challenging fields of rehabilitation and minimally invasive surgery. This book further addresses deployable mechanisms and origami-inspired mechanisms and showcases a wide range of successful applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots II should be of interest for researchers, engineers and postgraduate students in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and mathematics.

Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I provides a selection of key papers presented in The Second ASME/IFToMM International Conference on Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots (ReMAR 2012) held on 9th -11th July 2012 in Tianjin, China. This ongoing series of conferences will be covered in this ongoing collection of books. A total of seventy-eight papers are divided into seven parts to cover the topology, kinematics and design of reconfigurable mechanisms with the reconfiguration theory, analysis and synthesis, and present the current research and development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms including reconfigurable parallel mechanisms. In this aspect, the recent study and development of reconfigurable robots are further presented with the analysis and design and with their control and development. The bio-inspired mechanisms and subsequent reconfiguration are explored in the challenging fields of rehabilitation and minimally invasive surgery. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I further extends the study to deployable mechanisms and foldable devices and introduces applications of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots. The rich-content of Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I brings together new developments in reconfigurable mechanisms and robots and presents a new horizon for future development in the field of reconfigurable mechanisms and robots.

Robots interact with the world through curves and surfaces - the subjects of study in differential geometry. This book applies the moving-frame method, developed extensively by Elie Cartan, and the adjoint approach, conceived by Ernesto Cesaro, to study the kinematics of two surfaces subject to rolling contact and sliding-rolling contact to demonstrate the applications in robotic in-hand manipulation.Firstly, it explores two surfaces, and the geometry of both surfaces comes into play. Secondly, the book focuses on the geometry of the two surfaces within the encompassing space (extrinsic) rather than within the surfaces (intrinsic) because the book is concerned with the kinematics of one surface in three-dimensional Euclidean space - the real world. The book then concludes by applying this approach in robotic in-hand manipulation in the last chapter.