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Mechanical Engineering Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Design And Control Of A Two-Wheeled Robotic Walker, Airton R. Da Silva Jr. Nov 2014

Design And Control Of A Two-Wheeled Robotic Walker, Airton R. Da Silva Jr.

Masters Theses

This thesis presents the design, construction, and control of a two-wheeled inverted pendulum (TWIP) robotic walker prototype for assisting mobility-impaired users with balance and fall prevention. A conceptual model of the robotic walker is developed and used to illustrate the purpose of this study. A linearized mathematical model of the two-wheeled system is derived using Newtonian mechanics. A control strategy consisting of a decoupled LQR controller and three state variable controllers is developed to stabilize the platform and regulate its behavior with robust disturbance rejection performance. Simulation results reveal that the LQR controller is capable of stabilizing the platform and …


Ubot-7: The Design Of A Compliant Dexterous Mobile Manipulator, Jonathan Cummings Nov 2014

Ubot-7: The Design Of A Compliant Dexterous Mobile Manipulator, Jonathan Cummings

Masters Theses

This thesis presents the design of uBot-7, the latest version of a dexterous mobile manipulator. This platform has been iteratively developed to realize a high performance-to-cost dexterous whole body manipulator with respect to mobile manipulation. The semi-anthropomorphic design of the uBot is a demonstrated and functional research platform for developing advanced autonomous perception, manipulation, and mobility tasks. The goal of this work is to improve the uBot’s ability to sense and interact with its environment in order to increase the platforms capability to operate dexterously, through the incorporation of joint torque feedback, and safely, through the implementation of passive and …


New Generator Control Algorithms For Smart-Bladed Wind Turbines To Improve Power Capture In Below Rated Conditions, Bryce B. Aquino Nov 2014

New Generator Control Algorithms For Smart-Bladed Wind Turbines To Improve Power Capture In Below Rated Conditions, Bryce B. Aquino

Masters Theses

With wind turbines growing in size, operation and maintenance has become a more important area of research with the goal of making wind energy more profitable. Wind turbine blades are subjected to intense fluctuating loads that can cause significant damage over time. The need for advanced methods of alleviating blade loads to extend the lifespan of wind turbines has become more important as worldwide initiatives have called for a push in renewable energy. An area of research whose goal is to reduce the fatigue damage is smart rotor control. Smart bladed wind turbines have the ability to sense aerodynamic loads …


Analytical Performance Evaluation Of Thermoelectric Modules Using Effective Material Properties, Sean Lwe Leslie Weera Apr 2014

Analytical Performance Evaluation Of Thermoelectric Modules Using Effective Material Properties, Sean Lwe Leslie Weera

Masters Theses

Designers often face the predicament of non-standardized forms of performance data provided by thermoelectric module manufacturers. Other than experimental means the only method to evaluate the performance of a product would be through analytical modeling using material properties that are usually undisclosed and unknown. This work studies the theoretical approach of obtaining such material properties using the maximum operating parameters reported by the manufacturers. These values are then analytically employed to evaluate the performances of these thermoelectric modules. Experimental means are also devised and carried out on these test samples to validate the integrity of the results. Three-way comparisons between …