Pub Date : 2025-01-15DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.ado9509
Patricia Capsi-Morales, Deren Y. Barsakcioglu, Manuel G. Catalano, Giorgio Grioli, Antonio Bicchi, Dario Farina
Despite the advances in bionic reconstruction of missing limbs, the control of robotic limbs is still limited and, in most cases, not felt to be as natural by users. In this study, we introduce a control approach that combines robotic design based on postural synergies and neural decoding of synergistic behavior of spinal motoneurons. We developed a soft prosthetic hand with two degrees of actuation that realizes postures in a two-dimensional linear manifold generated by two postural synergies. Through a manipulation task in nine participants without physical impairment, we investigated how to map neural commands to the postural synergies. We found that neural synergies outperformed classic muscle synergies in terms of dimensionality and robustness. Leveraging these findings, we developed an online method to map the decoded neural synergies into continuous control of the two-synergy prosthetic hand, which was tested on 11 participants without physical impairment and three prosthesis users in real-time scenarios. Results demonstrated that combined neural and postural synergies allowed accurate and natural control of coordinated multidigit actions (>90% of the continuous mechanical manifold could be reached). The target hit rate for specific hand postures was higher with neural synergies compared with muscle synergies, with the difference being particularly pronounced for prosthesis users (prosthesis users, 82.5% versus 35.0%; other participants, 79.5% versus 54.5%). This demonstration of codesign of multisynergistic robotic hands and neural decoding algorithms enabled users to achieve natural modular control to span infinite postures across a two-dimensional space and to execute dexterous tasks, including in-hand manipulation, not feasible with other approaches.
{"title":"Merging motoneuron and postural synergies in prosthetic hand design for natural bionic interfacing","authors":"Patricia Capsi-Morales, Deren Y. Barsakcioglu, Manuel G. Catalano, Giorgio Grioli, Antonio Bicchi, Dario Farina","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.ado9509","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.ado9509","url":null,"abstract":"<div >Despite the advances in bionic reconstruction of missing limbs, the control of robotic limbs is still limited and, in most cases, not felt to be as natural by users. In this study, we introduce a control approach that combines robotic design based on postural synergies and neural decoding of synergistic behavior of spinal motoneurons. We developed a soft prosthetic hand with two degrees of actuation that realizes postures in a two-dimensional linear manifold generated by two postural synergies. Through a manipulation task in nine participants without physical impairment, we investigated how to map neural commands to the postural synergies. We found that neural synergies outperformed classic muscle synergies in terms of dimensionality and robustness. Leveraging these findings, we developed an online method to map the decoded neural synergies into continuous control of the two-synergy prosthetic hand, which was tested on 11 participants without physical impairment and three prosthesis users in real-time scenarios. Results demonstrated that combined neural and postural synergies allowed accurate and natural control of coordinated multidigit actions (>90% of the continuous mechanical manifold could be reached). The target hit rate for specific hand postures was higher with neural synergies compared with muscle synergies, with the difference being particularly pronounced for prosthesis users (prosthesis users, 82.5% versus 35.0%; other participants, 79.5% versus 54.5%). This demonstration of codesign of multisynergistic robotic hands and neural decoding algorithms enabled users to achieve natural modular control to span infinite postures across a two-dimensional space and to execute dexterous tasks, including in-hand manipulation, not feasible with other approaches.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"10 98","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142986812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-15DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adp4256
Suhan Kim, Yi-Hsuan Hsiao, Zhijian Ren, Jiashu Huang, Yufeng Chen
Aerial insects are exceptionally agile and precise owing to their small size and fast neuromotor control. They perform impressive acrobatic maneuvers when evading predators, recovering from wind gust, or landing on moving objects. Flapping-wing propulsion is advantageous for flight agility because it can generate large changes in instantaneous forces and torques. During flapping-wing flight, wings, hinges, and tendons of pterygote insects endure large deformation and high stress hundreds of times each second, highlighting the outstanding flexibility and fatigue resistance of biological structures and materials. In comparison, engineered materials and microscale structures in subgram micro–aerial vehicles (MAVs) exhibit substantially shorter lifespans. Consequently, most subgram MAVs are limited to hovering for less than 10 seconds or following simple trajectories at slow speeds. Here, we developed a 750-milligram flapping-wing MAV that demonstrated substantially improved lifespan, speed, accuracy, and agility. With transmission and hinge designs that reduced off-axis torsional stress and deformation, the robot achieved a 1000-second hovering flight, two orders of magnitude longer than existing subgram MAVs. This robot also performed complex flight trajectories with under 1-centimeter root mean square error and more than 30 centimeters per second average speed. With a lift-to-weight ratio of 2.2 and a maximum ascending speed of 100 centimeters per second, this robot demonstrated double body flips at a rotational rate exceeding that of the fastest aerial insects and larger MAVs. These results highlight insect-like flight endurance, precision, and agility in an at-scale MAV, opening opportunities for future research on sensing and power autonomy.
{"title":"Acrobatics at the insect scale: A durable, precise, and agile micro–aerial robot","authors":"Suhan Kim, Yi-Hsuan Hsiao, Zhijian Ren, Jiashu Huang, Yufeng Chen","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adp4256","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.adp4256","url":null,"abstract":"<div >Aerial insects are exceptionally agile and precise owing to their small size and fast neuromotor control. They perform impressive acrobatic maneuvers when evading predators, recovering from wind gust, or landing on moving objects. Flapping-wing propulsion is advantageous for flight agility because it can generate large changes in instantaneous forces and torques. During flapping-wing flight, wings, hinges, and tendons of pterygote insects endure large deformation and high stress hundreds of times each second, highlighting the outstanding flexibility and fatigue resistance of biological structures and materials. In comparison, engineered materials and microscale structures in subgram micro–aerial vehicles (MAVs) exhibit substantially shorter lifespans. Consequently, most subgram MAVs are limited to hovering for less than 10 seconds or following simple trajectories at slow speeds. Here, we developed a 750-milligram flapping-wing MAV that demonstrated substantially improved lifespan, speed, accuracy, and agility. With transmission and hinge designs that reduced off-axis torsional stress and deformation, the robot achieved a 1000-second hovering flight, two orders of magnitude longer than existing subgram MAVs. This robot also performed complex flight trajectories with under 1-centimeter root mean square error and more than 30 centimeters per second average speed. With a lift-to-weight ratio of 2.2 and a maximum ascending speed of 100 centimeters per second, this robot demonstrated double body flips at a rotational rate exceeding that of the fastest aerial insects and larger MAVs. These results highlight insect-like flight endurance, precision, and agility in an at-scale MAV, opening opportunities for future research on sensing and power autonomy.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"10 98","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142986810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-18DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adu6332
Robin R Murphy
A robot body is not a shield from discrimination in John Scalzi's science fiction novel Head On.
在约翰·斯卡尔齐的科幻小说《迎头前进》中，机器人的身体并不是抵御歧视的盾牌。
{"title":"Even teleoperated robots are discriminated against in science fictions.","authors":"Robin R Murphy","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adu6332","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.adu6332","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A robot body is not a shield from discrimination in John Scalzi's science fiction novel <i>Head On.</i></p>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"9 97","pages":"eadu6332"},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142856978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-18DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.ado5888
Veit-Lorenz Heuthe, Emanuele Panizon, Hongri Gu, Clemens Bechinger
Swarm robots offer fascinating opportunities to perform complex tasks beyond the capabilities of individual machines. Just as a swarm of ants collectively moves large objects, similar functions can emerge within a group of robots through individual strategies based on local sensing. However, realizing collective functions with individually controlled microrobots is particularly challenging because of their micrometer size, large number of degrees of freedom, strong thermal noise relative to the propulsion speed, and complex physical coupling between neighboring microrobots. Here, we implemented multiagent reinforcement learning (MARL) to generate a control strategy for up to 200 microrobots whose motions are individually controlled by laser spots. During the learning process, we used so-called counterfactual rewards that automatically assign credit to the individual microrobots, which allows fast and unbiased training. With the help of this efficient reward scheme, swarm microrobots learn to collectively transport a large cargo object to an arbitrary position and orientation, similar to ant swarms. We show that this flexible and versatile swarm robotic system is robust to variations in group size, the presence of malfunctioning units, and environmental noise. In addition, we let the robot swarms manipulate multiple objects simultaneously in a demonstration experiment, highlighting the benefits of distributed control and independent microrobot motion. Control strategies such as ours can potentially enable complex and automated assembly of mobile micromachines, programmable drug delivery capsules, and other advanced lab-on-a-chip applications.
{"title":"Counterfactual rewards promote collective transport using individually controlled swarm microrobots","authors":"Veit-Lorenz Heuthe, Emanuele Panizon, Hongri Gu, Clemens Bechinger","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.ado5888","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.ado5888","url":null,"abstract":"<div >Swarm robots offer fascinating opportunities to perform complex tasks beyond the capabilities of individual machines. Just as a swarm of ants collectively moves large objects, similar functions can emerge within a group of robots through individual strategies based on local sensing. However, realizing collective functions with individually controlled microrobots is particularly challenging because of their micrometer size, large number of degrees of freedom, strong thermal noise relative to the propulsion speed, and complex physical coupling between neighboring microrobots. Here, we implemented multiagent reinforcement learning (MARL) to generate a control strategy for up to 200 microrobots whose motions are individually controlled by laser spots. During the learning process, we used so-called counterfactual rewards that automatically assign credit to the individual microrobots, which allows fast and unbiased training. With the help of this efficient reward scheme, swarm microrobots learn to collectively transport a large cargo object to an arbitrary position and orientation, similar to ant swarms. We show that this flexible and versatile swarm robotic system is robust to variations in group size, the presence of malfunctioning units, and environmental noise. In addition, we let the robot swarms manipulate multiple objects simultaneously in a demonstration experiment, highlighting the benefits of distributed control and independent microrobot motion. Control strategies such as ours can potentially enable complex and automated assembly of mobile micromachines, programmable drug delivery capsules, and other advanced lab-on-a-chip applications.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"9 97","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142841881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-18DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adu7713
Melisa Yashinski
Robotics research is rooted in a diversity of ideas, so roboticists should embrace a diverse set of people.
机器人研究植根于各种各样的想法，所以机器人专家应该拥抱各种各样的人。
{"title":"A call for diversity, equity, and inclusion in robotics.","authors":"Melisa Yashinski","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adu7713","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.adu7713","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Robotics research is rooted in a diversity of ideas, so roboticists should embrace a diverse set of people.</p>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"9 97","pages":"eadu7713"},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142856974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-18DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adu0391
Andra Keay
Robotics history is still HIS story, but Women in Robotics is working hard to include HER story in the future of robotics.
机器人的历史仍然是他的故事，但机器人女性正在努力将她的故事纳入机器人的未来。
{"title":"Overcoming the challenges that women in robotics face.","authors":"Andra Keay","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adu0391","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.adu0391","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Robotics history is still HIS story, but Women in Robotics is working hard to include HER story in the future of robotics.</p>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"9 97","pages":"eadu0391"},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142856980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-18DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.ado3887
Cosima du Pasquier, Lavender Tessmer, Ian Scholl, Liana Tilton, Tian Chen, Skylar Tibbits, Allison Okamura
Haptic devices typically rely on rigid actuators and bulky power supply systems, limiting wearability. Soft materials improve comfort, but careful distribution of stiffness is required to ground actuation forces and enable load transfer to the skin. We present Haptiknit, an approach in which soft, wearable, knit textiles with embedded pneumatic actuators enable programmable haptic display. By integrating pneumatic actuators within high- and low-stiffness machine-knit layers, each actuator can transmit 40 newtons in force with a bandwidth of 14.5 hertz. We demonstrate the concept with an adjustable sleeve for the forearm coupled to an untethered pneumatic control system that conveys a diverse array of social touch signals. We assessed the sleeve’s performance for discriminative and affective touch in a three-part user study and compared our results with those of prior electromagnetically actuated approaches. Haptiknit improves touch localization compared with vibrotactile stimulation and communicates social touch cues with fewer actuators than pneumatic textiles that do not invoke distributed stiffness. The Haptiknit sleeve resulted in similar recognition of social touch gestures compared to a voice-coil array but represented a more portable and comfortable form factor.
{"title":"Haptiknit: Distributed stiffness knitting for wearable haptics","authors":"Cosima du Pasquier, Lavender Tessmer, Ian Scholl, Liana Tilton, Tian Chen, Skylar Tibbits, Allison Okamura","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.ado3887","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.ado3887","url":null,"abstract":"<div >Haptic devices typically rely on rigid actuators and bulky power supply systems, limiting wearability. Soft materials improve comfort, but careful distribution of stiffness is required to ground actuation forces and enable load transfer to the skin. We present Haptiknit, an approach in which soft, wearable, knit textiles with embedded pneumatic actuators enable programmable haptic display. By integrating pneumatic actuators within high- and low-stiffness machine-knit layers, each actuator can transmit 40 newtons in force with a bandwidth of 14.5 hertz. We demonstrate the concept with an adjustable sleeve for the forearm coupled to an untethered pneumatic control system that conveys a diverse array of social touch signals. We assessed the sleeve’s performance for discriminative and affective touch in a three-part user study and compared our results with those of prior electromagnetically actuated approaches. Haptiknit improves touch localization compared with vibrotactile stimulation and communicates social touch cues with fewer actuators than pneumatic textiles that do not invoke distributed stiffness. The Haptiknit sleeve resulted in similar recognition of social touch gestures compared to a voice-coil array but represented a more portable and comfortable form factor.</div>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"9 97","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142841851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-18DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adu7152
{"title":"Erratum for the Research Article “Restoration of grasping in an upper limb amputee using the myokinetic prosthesis with implanted magnets” by M. Gherardini et al.","authors":"","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adu7152","DOIUrl":"10.1126/scirobotics.adu7152","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"9 97","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142856976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-11DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adt1958
Daniela Macari, Alex Fratzl, Ksenia Keplinger, Christoph Keplinger
Diverse and inclusive teams are not merely a moral imperative but also a catalyst for scientific excellence in robotics. Drawing from literature, a comprehensive citation analysis, and expert interviews, we derive seven main benefits of diversity and inclusion and propose a leadership guide for roboticists to reap these benefits.
{"title":"Accelerating the pace of innovation in robotics by fostering diversity and inclusive leadership","authors":"Daniela Macari, Alex Fratzl, Ksenia Keplinger, Christoph Keplinger","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adt1958","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.adt1958","url":null,"abstract":"Diverse and inclusive teams are not merely a moral imperative but also a catalyst for scientific excellence in robotics. Drawing from literature, a comprehensive citation analysis, and expert interviews, we derive seven main benefits of diversity and inclusion and propose a leadership guide for roboticists to reap these benefits.","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":25.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142809569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-11DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adu2915
Monroe Kennedy, Ayanna Howard
Black in Robotics, a nonprofit organization, has had recent success, but it is the ongoing community participation that will sustain its efforts.
非营利组织Black in Robotics最近取得了一些成功，但只有社区的持续参与才能维持它的努力。
{"title":"Black in Robotics: Improving community and equity in the field of robotics.","authors":"Monroe Kennedy, Ayanna Howard","doi":"10.1126/scirobotics.adu2915","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.adu2915","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Black in Robotics, a nonprofit organization, has had recent success, but it is the ongoing community participation that will sustain its efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":56029,"journal":{"name":"Science Robotics","volume":"9 97","pages":"eadu2915"},"PeriodicalIF":26.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142814966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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