Projects – Page 2 – Robotics Center

Prof. Jake Abbott receives funding for two-handed large-workspace haptic interface

The Utah Robotics Center recently added two 7-degree-of-freedom Quanser HD^2 haptic interfaces to the shared Large Robotics Lab (valued at $191,800). This equipment purchase was made possible with an award from the University of Utah Research Instrumentation Fund, lead by Prof. Jake Abbott, combined with generous academic discounts from Quanser. A haptic interface is a robotic force-feedback human-input device used to interact with virtual environments and teleoperate remote robotic systems. The haptic interface system will support research from robot-assisted retinal microsurgery to robotics for nuclear applications and nuclear facilities. The new equipment will be shared by the Robotics faculty in the Department...

Prof. Leang and collaborators receive new $3.8M NSF funding to work on electroactive polymer materials for soft robotics

Kam Leang in collaboration with UNLV-led team (Kwang J. Kim and Paul Oh) and other researchers receive new $3.8M NSF funding to work on electroactive polymer materials for soft robotics. Goal and Objectives: This international project addresses a technologically important issues in soft robotics. Soft robotics is an important emerging field in robotics, mechatronics, and automation. Soft robotic components and systems offer new features and advances over conventional robotic devices. This project focuses on the creation of advanced multifunctional artificial muscles (AM) based on new polymer-metal composites which can be used in soft robotic applications. Artificial muscles can be transformative for...

Prof. Meek receives new NIH grant to work on Quadrupedal Human-Assistive Robotic Platform (Q-HARP)

NRI: Collaborative Research: Quadrupedal Human-Assistive Robotic Platform (Q-HARP) Prof. Meek receives new 3-year $119,523 NIH grant to work on Quadrupedal Human-Assistive Robotic Platform (Q-HARP). Aging of the population has become a long-term trend in the United States. According to The State of Aging and Health in America, the U.S. population aged 65 and older is expected to double during the 25 years following 2007, and there will be 71 million American older adults, accounting for approximately 20% of the U.S. population by 2030. For the health and wellbeing of older adults, a key factor is being physically active. However,...

Prof. Leang receives NSF grant to work on temporal-spatial control of dual-stage nanopositioning systems

Prof. Leang and collaborators from industry (Molecular Vista, Inc. (MVI)) and Villanova University (Prof. Garrett Clayton) received a new NSF grant ($305,912) from Sensors, Dynamics, & Control program to study new design and control system approaches for the development of advanced nanopositioning systems for nanoscale science and engineering applications. More specifically, the new 3-year NSF collaborative Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) research project focuses on new design and control paradigms for dual-stage nanopositioners that consider both spatial and temporal constraints. Emerging dual-stage nanopositioners have the unique ability to achieve both long-range and high-speed operation. However, typical control strategies rely on frequency-based...

Prof. Abbott receives NSF Collaborative Research: Shepherding Biomedical Microswimmers Using Magnetic Fields

Jake Abbott (PI) receives NSF grant entitled, “Collaborative Research: Shepherding Biomedical Microswimmers Using Magnetic Fields”. Total budget: $230,427, duration: 8/15/2014-8/14/2017. This project is in collaboration with Henry Fu at the University of Nevada, Reno....

Prof. Leang receives DOE STTR Phase I grant for high-speed AFM

Prof. Leang and industry partner Molecular Vista, Inc., San Jose, CA, recently received Dept. of Energy STTR Phase 1 grant, “Video-rate atomic force microscope for functional gas and liquid environments”. In this 9-month project, the team plans to develop a prototype video-rate AFM system for investigating materials in gas and liquid environments. The $150,000 project will allow the team to show proof of concept with the hope of pursuing a Phase II grant to continue the work....

Prof. Meek receives NSF NRI grant: Biologically-inspired, hybrid quadruped robot control

This research project is about designing better legs for legged robots. When a robot needs to move across rough terrain, as would be the case when searching for victims in a disaster area, legged robots have advantages over wheeled or tracked robots. They can traverse such terrain more easily, for example, stepping over fallen beams and bricks. However, legged robots are inherently more complex. They have many more joints and are more difficult to control. The goal of the project is to use ideas from nature to overcome some of these difficulties. The shape and compliance of four-legged animals...

Prof. Abbott receives NIH grant entitled, “Magnetic Guidance for Improved Cochlear-Implant Insertion”

Jake Abbott (PI), in collaboration with researchers at the University of Utah and Vanderbilt University, was awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIDCD) grant “Magnetic Guidance for Improved Cochlear-Implant Insertion.” $1,842,850. 8/1/2014-7/31/2019....

NSF — CHS: Small: Toward a New Generation of Untethered Magnetic Haptic Interfaces

Dr. Jake Abbott (PI) and David Johnson (co-PI) receive National Science Foundation grant, project entitled, “CHS: Small: Toward a New Generation of Untethered Magnetic Haptic Interfaces “. The three-year project has a budget of $500,000, duration 8/1/2014-7/31/2017....

Prof. Leang receives NSF grant to work with UAVs

Project title: PFI:BIC — Enhanced Situational Awareness Using Unmanned Autonomous Systems for Disaster Remediation, $800,000 (9/15/2014 – 9/14/2017) Team: PI: Kam K. Leang; Co-PIs: W. Yim (UNLV), G. Bebis, C. Murray, and G. Kent (UNR). Industry partners: Drone America and SpecTIR The goal of this project is to enhance the situational awareness capabilities of law enforcement agencies and first responders by employing unmanned autonomous systems (UAS) with high-resolution sensing and imaging capabilities for disaster remediation. Law enforcement agencies and first responders face significant challenges during an emergency event, such as a natural or anthropogenic disaster (earthquake, tsunami, fire, hurricane,...