Publications

Physical Intelligence Article Series of Multilinked Caterpillar Track-type Climbing Robots Lee, G., Kim, H., Seo, K., Kim, J., Sitti, M., Seo, T. Journal of Field Robotics, November 2014

Abstract ›

Climbing robots have been widely applied in many industries involving hard to access, dangerous, or hazardous environments to replace human workers. Climbing speed, payload capacity, the ability to overcome obstacles, and wall-to-wall transitioning are significant characteristics of climbing robots. Here, multilinked track wheel-type climbing robots are proposed to enhance these characteristics. The robots have been developed for five years in collaboration with three universities: Seoul National University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Yeungnam University. Four types of robots are presented for different applications with different surface attachment methods and mechanisms: MultiTank for indoor sites, Flexible caterpillar robot (FCR) and Combot for heavy industrial sites, and MultiTrack for high-rise buildings. The method of surface attachment is different for each robot and application, and the characteristics of the joints between links are designed as active or passive according to the requirement of a given robot. Conceptual design, practical design, and control issues of such climbing robot types are reported, and a proper choice of the attachment methods and joint type is essential for the successful multilink track wheel-type climbing robot for different surface materials, robot size, and computational costs.

DOI BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Conference Paper Geckogripper: A soft, inflatable robotic gripper using gecko-inspired elastomer micro-fiber adhesives Song, S., Majidi, C., Sitti, M. In Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2014), 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on, 4624-4629, September 2014

Abstract ›

This paper proposes GeckoGripper, a novel soft, inflatable gripper based on the controllable adhesion mechanism of gecko-inspired micro-fiber adhesives, to pick-and-place complex and fragile non-planar or planar parts serially or in parallel. Unlike previous fibrillar structures that use peel angle to control the manipulation of parts, we developed an elastomer micro-fiber adhesive that is fabricated on a soft, flexible membrane, increasing the adaptability to non-planar three-dimensional (3D) geometries and controllability in adhesion. The adhesive switching ratio (the ratio between the maximum and minimum adhesive forces) of the developed gripper was measured to be around 204, which is superior to previous works based on peel angle-based release control methods. Adhesion control mechanism based on the stretch of the membrane and superior adaptability to non-planar 3D geometries enable the micro-fibers to pick-and-place various 3D parts as shown in demonstrations.

DOI BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Segmented molecular design of self-healing proteinaceous materials. Sariola, V., Pena-Francesch, A., Jung, H., Çetinkaya, M., Pacheco, C., Sitti, M., Demirel, M. C. Scientific reports, 5:13482-13482, Nature Publishing Group, July 2014

Abstract ›

Hierarchical assembly of self-healing adhesive proteins creates strong and robust structural and interfacial materials, but understanding of the molecular design and structure–property relationships of structural proteins remains unclear. Elucidating this relationship would allow rational design of next generation genetically engineered self-healing structural proteins. Here we report a general self-healing and -assembly strategy based on a multiphase recombinant protein based material. Segmented structure of the protein shows soft glycine- and tyrosine-rich segments with self-healing capability and hard beta-sheet segments. The soft segments are strongly plasticized by water, lowering the self-healing temperature close to body temperature. The hard segments self-assemble into nanoconfined domains to reinforce the material. The healing strength scales sublinearly with contact time, which associates with diffusion and wetting of autohesion. The finding suggests that recombinant structural proteins from heterologous expression have potential as strong and repairable engineering materials.

DOI BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Bio-Hybrid Cell-Based Actuators for Microsystems Carlsen, R. W., Sitti, M. Small, 10(19):3831-3851, June 2014

Abstract ›

As we move towards the miniaturization of devices to perform tasks at the nano and microscale, it has become increasingly important to develop new methods for actuation, sensing, and control. Over the past decade, bio-hybrid methods have been investigated as a promising new approach to overcome the challenges of scaling down robotic and other functional devices. These methods integrate biological cells with artificial components and therefore, can take advantage of the intrinsic actuation and sensing functionalities of biological cells. Here, the recent advancements in bio-hybrid actuation are reviewed, and the challenges associated with the design, fabrication, and control of bio-hybrid microsystems are discussed. As a case study, focus is put on the development of bacteria-driven microswimmers, which has been investigated as a targeted drug delivery carrier. Finally, a future outlook for the development of these systems is provided. The continued integration of biological and artificial components is envisioned to enable the performance of tasks at a smaller and smaller scale in the future, leading to the parallel and distributed operation of functional systems at the microscale.

DOI BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Miscellaneous The design of microfibers with mushroom-shaped tips for optimal adhesion Sitti, M., Aksak, B. February 2014, US Patent App. 14/766,561 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Book Chapter Addressing of Micro-robot Teams and Non-contact Micro-manipulation Diller, E., Ye, Z., Giltinan, J., Sitti, M. In Small-Scale Robotics. From Nano-to-Millimeter-Sized Robotic Systems and Applications, 28-38, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Analytical modeling and experimental characterization of chemotaxis in serratia marcescens Zhuang, J., Wei, G., Carlsen, R. W., Edwards, M. R., Marculescu, R., Bogdan, P., Sitti, M. Physical Review E, 89(5):052704, American Physical Society, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Bio-Hybrid Cell-Based Actuators for Microsystems Carlsen, R. W., Sitti, M. Small, 10(19):3831-3851, 2014

Abstract ›

As we move towards the miniaturization of devices to perform tasks at the nano and microscale, it has become increasingly important to develop new methods for actuation, sensing, and control. Over the past decade, bio-hybrid methods have been investigated as a promising new approach to overcome the challenges of scaling down robotic and other functional devices. These methods integrate biological cells with artificial components and therefore, can take advantage of the intrinsic actuation and sensing functionalities of biological cells. Here, the recent advancements in bio-hybrid actuation are reviewed, and the challenges associated with the design, fabrication, and control of bio-hybrid microsystems are discussed. As a case study, focus is put on the development of bacteria-driven microswimmers, which has been investigated as a targeted drug delivery carrier. Finally, a future outlook for the development of these systems is provided. The continued integration of biological and artificial components is envisioned to enable the performance of tasks at a smaller and smaller scale in the future, leading to the parallel and distributed operation of functional systems at the microscale.

DOI URL BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Biopsy using a Magnetic Capsule Endoscope Carrying, Releasing and Retrieving Untethered Micro-Grippers Yim, S., Gultepe, E., Gracias, D. H., Sitti, M. IEEE Trans. on Biomedical Engineering, 61(2):513-521, IEEE, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Can DC motors directly drive flapping wings at high frequency and large wing strokes? Campolo, D., Azhar, M., Lau, G., Sitti, M. IEEE/ASME Trans. on Mechatronics, 19(1):109-120, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Continuously distributed magnetization profile for millimeter-scale elastomeric undulatory swimming Diller, E., Zhuang, J., Zhan Lum, G., Edwards, M. R., Sitti, M. Applied Physics Letters, 104(17):174101, AIP, 2014

Abstract ›

We have developed a millimeter-scale magnetically driven swimming robot for untethered motion at mid to low Reynolds numbers. The robot is propelled by continuous undulatory deformation, which is enabled by the distributed magnetization profile of a flexible sheet. We demonstrate control of a prototype device and measure deformation and speed as a function of magnetic field strength and frequency. Experimental results are compared with simple magnetoelastic and fluid propulsion models. The presented mechanism provides an efficient remote actuation method at the millimeter scale that may be suitable for further scaling down in size for microrobotics applications in biotechnology and healthcare

DOI URL BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Dynamic Trapping and Two-Dimensional Transport of Swimming Microorganisms Using a Rotating Magnetic Micro-Robot Ye, Z., Sitti, M. Lab on a Chip, 14(13):2177-2182, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Influence of Magnetic Fields on Magneto-Aerotaxis Bennet, M., McCarthy, A., Fix, D., Edwards, M. R., Repp, F., Vach, P., Dunlop, J. W., Sitti, M., Buller, G. S., Klumpp, S., others, PLoS One, 9(7):e101150, Public Library of Science, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Investigation of tip current and normal force measured simultaneously during local oxidation of titanium using dual-mode scanning probe microscopy Ozcan, O., Hu, W., Sitti, M., Bain, J., Ricketts, D. IET Micro \& Nano Letters, 9(5):332-336, IET, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Liftoff of a Motor-Driven, Flapping-Wing Microaerial Vehicle Capable of Resonance Hines, L., Campolo, D., Sitti, M. IEEE Trans. on Robotics, 30(1):220-232, IEEE, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Magnetic steering control of multi-cellular bio-hybrid microswimmers Carlsen, R. W., Edwards, M. R., Zhuang, J., Pacoret, C., Sitti, M. Lab on a Chip, 14(19):3850-3859, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Mechanically Switchable Elastomeric Microfibrillar Adhesive Surfaces for Transfer Printing Sariola, V., Sitti, M. Advanced Materials Interfaces, 1(4):1300159, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Mechanics of Load–Drag–Unload Contact Cleaning of Gecko-Inspired Fibrillar Adhesives Abusomwan, U. A., Sitti, M. Langmuir, 30(40):11913-11918, American Chemical Society, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article MultiMo-Bat: A biologically inspired integrated jumping–gliding robot Woodward, M. A., Sitti, M. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 33(12):1511-1529, SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Conference Paper Robotic assembly of hydrogels for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine Tasoglu, S., Diller, E., Guven, S., Sitti, M., Demirci, U. In Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, 8:181-182, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Rotating Magnetic Miniature Swimming Robots With Multiple Flexible Flagella Ye, Z., Régnier, S., Sitti, M. IEEE Trans. on Robotics, 30(1):3-13, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article STRIDE II: a water strider-inspired miniature robot with circular footpads Ozcan, O., Wang, H., Taylor, J. D., Sitti, M. International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 11(6):85, SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Conference Paper Six-Degrees-of-Freedom Remote Actuation of Magnetic Microrobots. Diller, E. D., Giltinan, J., Lum, G. Z., Ye, Z., Sitti, M. In Robotics: Science and Systems, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Soft Grippers Using Micro-Fibrillar Adhesives for Transfer Printing Song, S., Sitti, M. Advanced Materials, 26(28):4901-4906, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article SoftCubes: Stretchable and self-assembling three-dimensional soft modular matter Yim, S., Sitti, M. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 33(8):1083-1097, SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Staying sticky: contact self-cleaning of gecko-inspired adhesives Mengüç, Y., Röhrig, M., Abusomwan, U., Hölscher, H., Sitti, M. Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 11(94):20131205, The Royal Society, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Conference Paper Structural optimization method towards synthesis of small scale flexure-based mobile grippers Lum, G. Z., Diller, E., Sitti, M. In Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2014 IEEE International Conference on, 2339-2344, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Swimming characterization of Serratia marcescens for bio-hybrid micro-robotics Edwards, M. R., Carlsen, R. W., Zhuang, J., Sitti, M. Journal of Micro-Bio Robotics, 9(3):47-60, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article The optimal shape of elastomer mushroom-like fibers for high and robust adhesion Aksak, B., Sahin, K., Sitti, M. Beilstein journal of nanotechnology, 5(1):630-638, Beilstein-Institut, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Three-Dimensional Programmable Assembly by Untethered Magnetic Robotic Micro-Grippers Diller, E., Sitti, M. Advanced Functional Materials, 24:4397-4404, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Conference Paper Three-dimensional robotic manipulation and transport of micro-scale objects by a magnetically driven capillary micro-gripper Giltinan, J., Diller, E., Mayda, C., Sitti, M. In Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2014 IEEE International Conference on, 2077-2082, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Article Untethered micro-robotic coding of three-dimensional material composition Tasoglu, S., Diller, E., Guven, S., Sitti, M., Demirci, U. Nature Communications, 5:DOI-10, Nature Publishing Group, 2014 BibTeX

Physical Intelligence Conference Paper Versatile non-contact micro-manipulation method using rotational flows locally induced by magnetic microrobots Ye, Z., Edington, C., Russell, A. J., Sitti, M. In Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM), 2014 IEEE/ASME International Conference on, 26-31, 2014 BibTeX

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