Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Universiti Malaysia Pahang Publishing  

Recently, old and dilapidated infrastructures such as bridges, chimneys and tunnels have become very serious in Japan. Inspection of the infrastructure was done by climbing the ladders that were set up. However, the inspection becomes dangerous as it is necessary to climb into very high areas and unpredictable weather and conditions. In this study, a lightweight inspection robot that can climb ladders in adverse weather conditions was proposed and tested. To grasp a ladder pillar without hurting, the wrapping motion is required. Therefore, the flexible robot arm that can grasp the ladder pillar while approaching and release it while going away was also proposed and tested. The automatic ladder-climbing inspection robot that consists of two pillar grasping flexible robot arms and a lifting robot arm was proposed and tested. The control system of the robot, driven by four on/off valves and an embedded controller, was also constructed. The ladder climbing experiment using the tested robot was carried out. As a result, it could be confirmed that the robot can climb up and down a ladder with soft gripping the ladder, and the soft robot can be also operated by using only four valves.

DOI： 10.15282/ijame.19.1.2022.21.0740

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：FUJI TECHNOLOGY PRESS LTD  

Recently, several pneumatic soft actuators have been applied to wearable and welfare devices to provide nursing care and physical support for the elderly and disabled. In this study, as a wearable soft actuator for holding body, a spiral shaped soft holding actuator that can wrap a user according to their body shape was proposed and tested. The construction and operating principle of the tested soft actuator with circumferential restraint mechanism using three extension type flexible pneumatic actuators (EFPAs) has been discussed. As a result, it was found that the tested actuator could hold elbows and knees when the joint is in motion. An analytical model of the spiral actuator was also proposed to achieve an optimal design. It can be confirmed that the proposed analytical model can predict the shape of the actuator when various EFPAs are pressurized.

DOI： 10.20965/jrm.2022.p0373

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：FUJI TECHNOLOGY PRESS LTD  

Voluntary rehabilitation at home helps to prevent the joint contracture after medical treatment. Our previous studies concerned a low-cost portable rehabilitation device using a flexible spherical pneumatic actuator as a passive exercise device. However, the device requires a bulky compressor to drive it. This study results in a compact fluidic driving system that is highly flexible. The system adopts a flexible electrohydraulic cylinder driven by an electric motor and a hydraulic gear pump. An empirical equation for the suitable pump rotation for the desired displacement of the system has been determined. As a result, the multiposition control of the system within the tracking error of 4 mm has been realized by using the on/off control scheme based on the obtained equation. In addition, a flexible, spherical electro-hydraulic actuator using two proposed drive systems is developed and tested. Control of the attitude of the tested spherical actuator is successfully realized.

DOI： 10.20965/jrm.2022.p0382

Web of Science

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：The Japan Fluid Power Systems Society  

DOI： 10.5739/jfpsij.15.33

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：The Japan Fluid Power Systems Society  

DOI： 10.5739/jfpsij.15.7

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)  

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)  

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)  

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：The Japan Fluid Power Systems Society  

DOI： 10.5739/jfpsij.14.19

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：The Japan Fluid Power Systems Society  

DOI： 10.5739/jfpsij.14.1

researchmap

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：The Japan Fluid Power Systems Society  

DOI： 10.5739/jfpsij.14.28

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

© 2020 by the authors. A high-power flexible actuator with a built-in displacement sensor that can support bathing is attractive as a wearable actuator. In the previous study, a rubber artificial muscle with the inner diameter sensor was proposed and tested. The sensor could measure the axial length of the rubber artificial muscle based on the geometric model of the muscle, indirectly. The position control of the muscle using the tested sensor based on the model and the identified parameter was successfully carried out. However, a measuring error caused by a setting error of the sensor was also observed. In this paper, to decrease the measuring error based on the sensor's setting position error in the muscle, an improved inner diameter sensor with radially arranged three photo reflectors was proposed and tested. To get larger generated force, the muscle with larger diameter compared with the previous one was also used. In addition, to realize the wearable actuator that can be easily operated, an intelligent rubber article muscle with an integrated pneumatic driving system and the built-in inner diameter sensor was proposed and tested. The position control of the tested muscle was also carried out. As a result, it could be confirmed that the tested muscle controlled by giving reference electric signal was be realized.

DOI： 10.18178/ijmerr.9.1.136-142

Scopus

researchmap

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

© 2020, Fuji Technology Press. All rights reserved. Based on aging Japanese society, there has been a strong desire for development of rehabilitation devices that patients can use at home. The purpose of this study is to develop a home-based compact, lightweight, flexible, and safe rehabilitation device. In this study, a flexible robot arm for wrist rehabilitation that can be used, while patients hold the top of the robot arm, is proposed and tested. The proposed robot arm consists of three extension type flexible pneumatic actuators (EFPAs) restrained by 22 PET sheets. To achieve suitable bending stiffness of the robot arm, three EFPAs are restrained so as to form a tetrahedral shape. The robot arm can bend toward each radial direction. In this paper, the construction and operational principles of the tested robot arm are described. Additionally, the analytical model of the robot arm for attitude control is also described. In addition, the tracking control using the robot arm for the desired orbit is performed. As a result, the tested robot arm can trace the desired orbit based on the model. It is confirmed that the robot arm has the possibility for application as a wrist rehabilitation device for patients.

DOI： 10.20965/jrm.2020.p0931

Scopus

researchmap

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

© 2020 by the authors. Wearable driving systems for labor assistance and rehabilitation, such as power assist suits, have received much attentions and many studies have been done actively. In this study, the final target is to develop a low-cost home rehabilitation device driven by fluidic actuators and low-cost control valves. In the device, the size and cost of control valves become serious concerns. In the previous study, to realize a home rehabilitation device, the flexible spherical actuator that was able to give passive exercise to patients was developed. To drive the actuator, control valves are required. However, a servo valve that can control flow rate in analogue way is very expensive compared with other elements in the pneumatic driving system. Therefore, a low-cost servo valve using buckled tubes was proposed and tested. This valve can control both gas and liquid flow. In this paper, the development of the spherical actuator driven by servo valves using buckled tubes is described as a low-cost home rehabilitation device. The construction and operating principle of the spherical actuator and the servo valve using buckled tube is also described. In addition, the position control using the tested devices is carried out.

DOI： 10.18178/ijmerr.9.3.353-359

Scopus

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：The Japan Fluid Power Systems Society  

DOI： 10.5739/jfpsij.13.25

researchmap

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

© 2020 Based on super-aging society in Japan, a welfare pneumatic device to give passive exercise for the temporally injured elderly and disabled has been actively researched and developed. In previous study, based on opinions of Physical Therapist (PT) and Occupational Therapist (OT), a home-based rehabilitation device that could give passive exercise for patients using extension type flexible pneumatic actuators (EFPA), built-in quasi-servo valves and built-in displacement sensors using a wire type linear potentiometer was proposed and tested. However, the device did not have enough force and stiffness to drive shoulders with both arms. In this study, to get enough generated force and stiffness of the device, a parallel arranged EFPA reinforced with circumferential restraint was proposed and tested. The rehabilitation device for shoulder joint using the improved actuator was also proposed and tested. The built-in attitude control system using valves, sensors and an embedded controller was also developed. As a result, it can be confirmed that the device can give passive exercise with larger moving area and enough force and torque to move patient's shoulder joint.

DOI： 10.15282/IJAME.17.3.2020.05.0609

Scopus

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

Today, a welfare pneumatic equipment to support a nursing care and a self-reliance of the elderly and the disabled is actively researched and developed by many researchers. In the previous study, a portable rehabilitation device with a larger moving area which can give passive exercise for human shoulder was proposed and tested. As an actuator of the device, an extension type flexible actuator was tested. The actuator can extend more than twice of its original length. However, a flexible displacement sensor that can cover the actuator's moving area and be deformed according to the shape of the actuator has not been realized yet. In this study, various flexible displacement sensors using ultrasonic sensors for the actuator are proposed and tested. One is a displacement sensor that ultrasonic sensors are installed into the chamber of the actuator. As a result, it is confirmed that the sensor can not measure the displacement exactly under the condition when a higher supplied pressure is applied to the chamber. Therefore, a displacement sensor using a rubber tube and the ultrasonic sensor is proposed and tested as a sensor without influence of applied pressure. As a result, the sensor can successfully measure the displacement. However, the sensor requires the force to pull the tube. The pulling force causes local deformation of the actuator. Finally, the slide type displacement sensor without pulling force is proposed and tested. As a result, it is confirmed that the tested sensor can measure successfully and exactly.

DOI： 10.18178/IJMERR.8.6.982-986

Scopus

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：The Japan Fluid Power Systems Society  

DOI： 10.5739/jfpsij.12.10

researchmap

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

© 2018 Int. J. Mech. Eng. Rob. Res. Rehabilitation devices help to recover physical ability of patients. This study aims to develop a home rehabilitation device which can be safe to use while patients are holding it by hands. In the previous study, as a portable rehabilitation device, the flexible spherical actuator that was able to give motions to patients while handling it was developed. The device can give rehabilitation motion for upper limb by only changing the relative position of patient's hands. However, the tested device cannot give absolute position for hands for rehabilitation of shoulders. In this study, we aim to develop a low-cost and simple home rehabilitation device for shoulder that can change absolute position of the device. In this paper, to realize position change of the flexible spherical actuator, the development of a tetrahedral type rehabilitation device using extension type flexible pneumatic actuators is described. The construction and the operating principle of the tested device is also described. The attitude control using the tested device and an embedded controller is also carried out. As a result, it can be confirmed that the absolute position of the object can trace the desired coordinate relatively well.

DOI： 10.18178/ijmerr.7.4.409-414

Scopus

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Publishing type：Research paper (bulletin of university, research institution)  

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：The Japan Fluid Power Systems Society  

DOI： 10.5739/jfpsij.11.18

researchmap

Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)  

© 2017 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd. The purpose of this study is to develop a small-sized, lightweight and low-cost control valve with low energy consumption and to apply it to the assistive system. We have developed some control valves; a tiny on/off valve using a vibration motor, and an on/off valve with self-holding function. We have also proposed and tested the digital servo valve with self-holding function using permanent magnets and a small-sized servo motor. In this paper, in order to improve the valve, an analytical model of the digital servo valve is proposed. And the simulated results by using the analytical model and identified parameters were compared with the experimental results. Then, the improved digital servo valve was designed based on the calculated results and tested. As a result, we realized the digital servo valve that can control the flow rate more precisely while maintaining its volume and weight compared with the previous valve. As an application of the improved valve, a position control system of rubber artificial muscle was built and the position control was performed successfully.

DOI： 10.1088/1757-899X/249/1/012002

Scopus

researchmap

Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)  

© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2016. Nowadays, the care and welfare pneumatic devices to support a nursing care and a self-reliance of the elderly and the disabled are actively researched and developed by many researchers. These wearable devices require many actuators and control valves for multi degrees of freedom. The total weight and volume of the wearable devices increases according to the degree of freedom. Our final goal is to develop a compact wearable actuator with built-in sensor, controller and control valve and to apply it to a wearable assisted device. In our previous study, a small-sized quasi-servo valve which consists of two on/off control valves and an embedded controller was developed. In this study, the quasi-servo valve composing of much smaller-sized (40% in mass, 42% in volume) on/off valves is proposed and tested. In addition, the rubber artificial muscle with an ultrasonic sensor as a built-in displacement sensor is proposed and a position control of the muscle is carried out using the tested tiny valve and built-in sensor. As a result, it was confirmed that the position control of the muscle can be realized using the tested ultrasonic sensor.

DOI： 10.1051/matecconf/20168201006

Scopus

researchmap

Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)   Publisher：EDP Sciences  

© 2016 Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences. In position control of wearable actuator such as a rubber artificial muscle, a compact flexible displacement sensor is much attractive and required. In this paper, two types of flexible displacement sensor using the ultrasonic sensor were introduced. One is a built-in displacement sensor for rubber artificial muscle. Another is a sensor that can measure the sliding displacement on a flexible tube for flexible robot. Both sensors use ultrasonic displacement sensors. The construction, operating principle and measuring performance of two sensors were also described.

DOI： 10.1051/matecconf/20165102002

Scopus

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)   Publisher：Springer Verlag  

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016. A pipe inspection robot is useful to reduce the inspection cost. In our previous study, a novel pipe inspection robot using a flexible pneumatic cylinder that can be driven even if it bends has been proposed and tested. The built-in pneumatic driving system using a tiny embedded controller and small-sized valves have also been proposed and tested to decrease the mass of the robot for increasing inspection area. In this chapter, in order to find out the optimal driving pattern and length of the robot, an analytical model of the pipe inspection robot is proposed. The model consists of two on/off control valves and a sliding mechanism which is composed of a flexible pneumatic cylinder.

DOI： 10.1007/978-3-319-17314-6_43

Scopus

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)   Publisher：Springer Verlag  

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016. Today, the care and welfare pneumatic equipment to support a nursing care and a self-reliance of the elderly and the disabled are actively researched and developed by many researchers. These wearable devices require many servo valves for multidegrees of freedom and precise control performance of the wearable actuator. The total weight of the wearable devices increases according to the degree of freedom. In our previous study, a small-sized and lightweight pressure control- type quasi-servo valve was developed t. The valve consists of two on/off control valves and an embedded controller. In this study, the quasi-servo valve composing of much smaller-sized (40% in mass, 42% in volume) on/off valves is proposed and tested. The analytical model of the tested valve is proposed and the system parameters are identified. As the result of the comparison between experimental results and simulated, it was confirmed that the proposed analytical model and the identified system parameters were valid.

DOI： 10.1007/978-3-319-17314-6_8

Scopus

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publishing type：Research paper (bulletin of university, research institution)  

CiNii Article

CiNii Books

researchmap

Other Link： http://id.nii.ac.jp/1182/00002110/

Authorship：Lead author   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Publishing type：Research paper (bulletin of university, research institution)  

researchmap

Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)  

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (international conference proceedings)   Publisher：Springer Verlag  

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014. In our previous study, a small-sized and light-weight pressure control type quasi-servo valve was developed to reduce the burden of the user in a powerassisted system. The valve consists of inexpensive on/off control valves and embedded controller. In this study, the pressure control performances using four kinds of control scheme were investigated and compared by experiment and simulation. The frequencies up to 5 Hz were applied to the tested pressure control system. As an index of control performance, we used the mean absolute error. As a result, the sliding mode controller gave smaller error on the whole and PD controller gave the good performance in the higher frequency. It was confirmed that the introducing the dead zone to a control input and the lowering the supply pressure were effective to suppress the impulsive pressure change.

DOI： 10.1007/978-3-319-04573-3_44

Scopus

researchmap

Event date： 2021.6.24 - 2021.6.25

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Event date： 2021.6.24 - 2021.6.25

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Event date： 2020.12.8 - 2020.12.9

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Event date： 2019.11.20 - 2019.11.22

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

researchmap

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Presentation type：Poster presentation  

researchmap

Presentation type：Poster presentation  

researchmap

Presentation type：Poster presentation  

researchmap

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Presentation type：Poster presentation  

researchmap

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Presentation type：Poster presentation  

researchmap

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Presentation type：Poster presentation  

researchmap

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap

Presentation type：Poster presentation  

researchmap

Presentation type：Oral presentation (general)  

researchmap