Cartesian Mobile Manipulator With Telescoping Arm for Low-Cost Assistance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current robots designed for complex tasks in human environments are expensive and difficult to control, making them impractical for assisting individuals with limited mobility or able-bodied individuals who wish to avoid tasks, as they require sophisticated technology and are challenging to navigate in messy human spaces.
Innovation Solution
A mobile manipulation device comprising a base, lift, and arm with a telescoping mechanism that uses fewer actuators and a Cartesian structure to simplify navigation and manipulation, allowing for intuitive control and versatile tool attachment, enabling effective and low-cost assistance in human environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If sophisticated technology is used to enable robots to navigate and perform tasks in human environments, then task capability is improved, but cost and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The robot is divided into distinct functional modules: a mobile base for navigation, a telescoping arm for reaching, and interchangeable end effectors for specific tasks. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall system complexity while maintaining versatile task capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot employs a universal base platform that can support multiple end effectors (grippers, brushes, mops) to perform various tasks. The telescoping arm provides a universal reaching mechanism that works with different effectors, reducing the need for task-specific robotic systems and lowering overall complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If sophisticated technology is used to enable robots to navigate and perform tasks in human environments, then task capability is improved, but cost increases making it more expensive than hiring human assistants
Solution Approach 1:
The robot uses inexpensive, easily replaceable end effectors that can be manufactured at low cost. These effectors are designed to be simple mechanical components rather than complex robotic systems, significantly reducing the overall cost while maintaining task capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex robotic manipulation systems with simpler mechanical analogs of human movement. The telescoping arm mimics human arm extension, and the mobile base mimics human walking, allowing the robot to perform tasks using intuitive, mechanically-simple mechanisms rather than sophisticated control systems.
3Device complexity
If a mobile manipulation device uses fewer actuators and a Cartesian structure, then device complexity is reduced, but navigation and manipulation capability may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The robot adds a vertical dimension through the telescoping arm mechanism, allowing it to reach objects at different heights without requiring complex lateral movement. This dimensional addition provides versatile manipulation capability while keeping the actuator count low, as the vertical motion is achieved through a single telescoping mechanism rather than multiple rotational joints.
Data Source
AI summary
The mobile manipulation device includes a base, a lift, an arm, and a manipulator. The base is able to move across a surface underneath the base. The lift is coupled to the base. The lift moves the arm vertically. The arm moves the manipulator horizontally along one direction. The base is able to move perpendicular to the one direction.