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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
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Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Exploring The Behavior Repertoire Of A Wireless Vibrationally Actuated Tensegrity Robot, Zongliang Ji
Exploring The Behavior Repertoire Of A Wireless Vibrationally Actuated Tensegrity Robot, Zongliang Ji
Honors Theses
Soft robotics is an emerging field of research due to its potential to explore and operate in unstructured, rugged, and dynamic environments. However, the properties that make soft robots compelling also make them difficult to robustly control. Here at Union, we developed the world’s first wireless soft tensegrity robot. The goal of my thesis is to explore effective and efficient methods to explore the diverse behavior our tensegrity robot. We will achieve that by applying state-of-art machine learning technique and a novelty search algorithm.
Optimizing Tensegrity Gaits Using Bayesian Optimization, James Boggs
Optimizing Tensegrity Gaits Using Bayesian Optimization, James Boggs
Honors Theses
We design and implement a new, modular, more complex tensegrity robot featuring data collection and wireless communication and operation as well as necessary accompanying research infrastructure. We then utilize this new tensegrity to assess previous research on using Bayesian optimization to generate effective forward gaits for tensegrity robots. Ultimately, we affirm the conclusions of previous researchers, demonstrating that Bayesian optimization is statistically significantly (p < 0:05) more effective at discovering useful gaits than random search. We also identify several flaws in our new system and identify means of addressing them, paving the way for more effective future research.
Effective Ann Topologies For Use As Genotypes For Evaluating Design And Fabrication, John R. Peterson
Effective Ann Topologies For Use As Genotypes For Evaluating Design And Fabrication, John R. Peterson
Honors Theses
There is promise in the field of Evolutionary Design for systems that evolve not only what to manufacture but also how to manufacture it. EvoFab is a system that uses Genetic Algorithms to evolve Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) which control a modified 3d-printer with the goal of automating some level of invention. ANNs are an obvious choice for use with a system like this as they are canonically evolvable encodings, and have been successfully used as evolved control systems in Evolutionary Robotics. However, there is little known about how the structural characteristics of an ANN affect the shapes that can …
The Advanced Educational Robot, Calder Phillips-Grafflin
The Advanced Educational Robot, Calder Phillips-Grafflin
Honors Theses
Existing literature in the field of computer science education clearly demonstrates that robots can be ideal teaching tools for basic computer science concepts. Likewise, robots are an ideal platform for more complicated CS techniques such as evolutionary algorithms and neural networks. With these two distinct roles in mind, that of the teaching tool and that of the research tool, in collaboration with customers in the CS department we have developed a new robotics platform suitable for both roles that provides higher performance and improved ease-of-use in comparison to the robots currently in use at Union. We have successfully designed and …