A future in which robots can maneuver with high agility,
dexterity and precision is not too far away. These flexible robots could one
day assist with surgeries, navigate through tight, complex environments with
ease, and be used to develop prosthetics that are capable of natural movement.
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| (A) Robotic systems such as the da Vinci surgical system have served as important platforms for device design and control algorithms for robot-assisted surgery. (B) New robot designs of flexible manipulators and arms provide means to control agile and dexterous motions for surgical catheters and endoscopes. (C) Actuators designed to mimic human muscle performance are designed for applications in prosthetics and animatronics. Image credit: M. Yip. |
The design and intelligent control of flexible and
surgical robotics are the specialties of Michael Yip, one of the new faculty joining
the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California, San Diego. Yip
received his Ph.D from the Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University.
He will arrive in November as an assistant professor in the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering at UC San Diego and will direct the new Advanced Robotics and Controls
Laboratory (ARCLab). His research involves developing advanced algorithms
that can control flexible robotics to move with high agility and dexterity. He
also designs novel robotic systems that mimic the natural motion of animal and
human bodies.
“Intelligent control of flexible robotics is a challenge
that’s been plaguing the field. To make flexible robotics work effectively in places
like the human body, we need to figure out how to control the robotics to crawl
through constrained spaces and do manipulations without causing damage to their
surroundings or to themselves,” said Yip.
This type of control is important in applications like
robot-assisted surgery. For example, a surgeon could control a long, thin,
flexible robotic device to snake its way through a patient’s body and perform
surgery with high precision and safety. Use of these robotic devices could also
offer less invasive surgical procedures.
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| Michael Yip, a new professor joining the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UC San Diego. |
“Rather than dissecting the patient’s body, a surgeon
could just make one or two small incisions on the body to insert these surgical
robotic devices,” said Yip.
Controlling flexible robotics to maneuver through tight
spaces — in a
minimally invasive manner —
is also useful in industrial applications including manufacturing, inspection
and assembly. For example, flexible robotics could be used to inspect the
wiring in an airplane wing or do repairs deep within a car engine without
having to disassemble any major machinery.
Yip also works on making artificial muscles and actuators
that can mimic biological muscle performance. Previously, he worked as a Walt
Disney Imagineer within the Disney Research division, where he developed a
technology for creating low-cost artificial muscles using conductive sewing
thread. These synthetic muscles could contract and expand just like human
muscles and were used to make life-like animatronic hands and arms. The
artificial muscles were featured this summer in Popular
Mechanics and Gizmodo.
Watch out for Yip in the upcoming UC San Diego Contextual
Robotics Forum on Oct. 30. He will be presenting a poster and demonstration
of his work at the Technology Showcase.
Register for the Contextual Robotics Forum here.
