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A Study Of Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic Metal Core Wire For Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing, Alexander L. Reichenbach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks to determine the technical feasibility of fabricating reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel parts, using a wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process. The WAAM process, manufactures a part by depositing layers of metal onto a substrate to build a large scale near net shape part. RAFM alloy steels are next generation steels designed to resist radiation effects in the radiation intense working environments, such as nuclear reactors. To achieve this, process development and testing to design the WAAM production process with the custom RAFM filler wire was carried out. Several welding waveform modes were tested, and it …

Additive Manufacturing Using Robotic Manipulators, Fdm, And Aerosol Jet Printers., Alexander Curry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Additive manufacturing has created countless new opportunities for fabrication of devices in the past few years. Advances in additive manufacturing continue to change the way that many devices are fabricated by simplifying processes and often lowering cost. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is the most common form of 3D printing. It is a well-developed process that can print various plastic materials into three-dimensional structures. This technology is used in a lot of industries for rapid prototyping and sometimes small batch manufacturing. It is very inexpensive, and a prototype can be created in a few hours, rather than days. This is useful …

Human-Robot Collaboration Enabled By Real-Time Vision Tracking, Travis Deegan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of robotic systems in the world is growing rapidly. However, most industrial robots are isolated in caged environments for the safety of users. There is an urgent need for human-in-the-loop collaborative robotic systems since robots are very good at performing precise and repetitive tasks but lack the cognitive ability and soft skills of humans. To fill this need, a key challenge is how to enable a robot to interpret its human co-worker’s motion and intention. This research addresses this challenge by developing a collaborative human-robot interface via innovations in computer vision, robotics, and system integration techniques. Specifically, this …

Design Of Lower Legs Of Mithra, A High-Performance Backdrivable Humanoid Robot, Drake Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the design of the knee and ankle of Mithra, a new humanoid robot that aims to be an energy-efficient and highly agile machine. Mithra makes use of new optimization metrics for legged robots to develop a system capable of mimicking human movement. A series of low-impedance, high-torque actuator systems were developed with the goal of creating lightweight, powerful, and robust motion. The structure of Mithra's legs mimics the human structure in leg segment length and weight proportions. Detailed design and analysis were conducted in order to allow Mithra to be a robust and maintainable system. Mithra will …

An Accuracy And Precision Analysis Of The Velys™ Robotic Assisted Solution For Total Knee Arthroplasty, Gary Doan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a procedure where the arthritic surfaces of the knee is removed and replaced with a combination of metal and polymer implants that recreates the joint line to restore function and quality of life. Implant alignment is important in the success of a TKA. Modern day conventional instrumentation can be cumbersome in the operating room and can be inaccurate when resecting bone and aligning implants. Patients with large errors in resections and implant orientation are more prone to experience mechanical failures with their TKA. Mechanical failures in primary TKA require revision surgeries which can lead to …

Design, Manufacturing And Control Of An Advanced High-Precision Robotic System For Microsurgery, Arezoo Ebrahimi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microsurgeries like ophthalmic surgery confront many challenges like limited workspace and hand motion, steady hand movements, manipulating delicate thin tissues, and holding the instrument in place for a long time. New developments in robotically-assisted surgery can highly benefits this field and facilitate those complicated surgeries. Robotic eye surgery can save time, reduce surgical complications and inspire more delicate surgical procedures that cannot be done currently by surgeon’s hands. In this thesis work, the requirements for ophthalmic surgeries were studied and based on that a robotic system with 6 DOF is proposed and designed. This robotic

system is capable of handling …

Heterogeneous Drive Mechanisms For Novel Locomotion In Rough Terrain, Roy Godzdanker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The smaller the robot the easier it is for it to access voids in a collapsed structure, however small size brings a host of other problems related to constrained resources. One of the primary constraints on small robots is limited motive power to surmount obstacles and navigate rough terrain. This thesis examines the addition of bulk motive force actuators to existing locomotion platforms and the impact of these heterogeneous actuators on conventional steering methods. The steering methods examined are those associated with skid steered vehicles and differential drive vehicles. In developing the Crabinator, a robot composed of a limbed crawler …