Philos-R
Social robots interact and communicate with humans by following social behaviors and rules attached to their roles. This friendly robot continues a line of research projects that study human-robot interaction. Although commercially-available social robots now exist in the markplace, this project demonstrates a more affordable solution that offloads intensive computer processes to a cloud server to achieve low-cost yet real-time interaction with humans. Graduate students Xiao Liu and Tao Liu developed these systems in Professor Kiju Lee's Distributed Intelligence and Robotics Lab (dirLAB).
Autonomous Welder
The AW-1 by Path Robotics is an autonomous robotic welder. It uses proprietary image processing techniques to automatically find and weld seams. There is no programming involved - the machine is capable of operating automatically with zero prior knowledge of the part to be welded.
Smart Glove
Embedded electronics in this glove allow it to function as an innovative remote control device. Data from flexible resistive sensors in four fingers along with a force-sensing resistor in the thumb are transmitted using an XBee radio communication module to the receiving equipment. To test this technology, the glove was used to remotely control a small research robot in Professor Kiju Lee's Distributed Intelligence & Robotics Laboratory.
Reconfigurable Origami Antenna
This radio signal tracking robot incorporates a collapsing planar antenna constructed from a laminate of aluminum foil and paper. When antenna is deployed, the robot will rotate and continuously measure the signal strength of a nearby radio transmitter. When the angular direction of the maximum signal strength is found, the robot will move in that direction a fixed amount and iterate this process to eventually locate the source of the transmitter. Graduate student Chuanqi Zheng built this research robot in Professor Kiju Lee's Distributed Intelligence & Robotics Laboratory.
Steel Forge
A team of two undergraduate students, Tom Milyo and Ian Finlay, built this propane-fired steel forge capable of reaching 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. The forge was constructed from a compressed air tank lined with a ceramic wool insulation material called kaowool that was coated in a refractory cement called ITC-100 to protect the wool from structural damage during firing.
Mothbot
MothBot is a biologically-inspired research project to create a robot that mimics the Manduca Sexta hawkmoth. Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicles (FWMAV) are a relatively new branch of robotics currently being explored in the CWRU Biologically Inspired Robotics laboratory. The test stand includes a laser-cut acrylic enclosure to house a microcontroller and control surfaces in addition to a 100-gram micro load cell that measures the lift force generated by the flapping of the polymer wings.
Badar's Workshop
Badar Kayani, a think[box] student worker, shares his projects and builds with others through Badar’s Workshop to encourage hands-on making experiences for everyone. His fun and useful projects include a bike-mounted protein bar holster, a desktop fume extractor for soldering, and a homemade power supply for electronics. Subscribe to Badar’s Workshop on YouTube, Instructables, Instagram, and Facebook to see what he’s making next!
Bayesian Autonomous Broadcasting Sentry (BABS)
This robot is called the Bayesian Autonomous Broadcasting Sentry(BABS) Research Robot Platform. The Medical Robotics and Computer Integrated Surgery (MeRCIS) Robotics lab uses BABS for various research and senior capstone projects. The chassis and other structual components were fabricated in think[box].
Swarmbots
Built by Chuanqi Zheng, Yang Lui, John Wylie, and Alan Waterhouse, this Distributed Intelligence and Robotics Laboratory research project allows students to study the algorithms and behaviors of robot collaboration. A specialized glove controller takes in human motion inputs and sends commands to the robots to guide them through the laser cut maze.
Dynamic Prosthesis
Cleveland State University student Xavier Williams designed this 3D printed flexible sensor housing that could be applied to leg prostetics to add a dynamic stabilization element. Pressure sensors applied to the bottom of the foot could provide feedback for actuators in the prosthetic in order to mimic the natural behavior of muscles in the leg in adjusting the foot for an even distribution of weight.