Biped robots have gained much attention for decades. A variety of researches has been conducted to make them able to assist or even substitute for humans in performing special tasks. In addition, studying biped robots is important in order to understand the human locomotion and to develop and improve control strategies for prosthetic and orthotic limbs. Some challenges encountered in the design of biped robots are: (1) biped robots have unstable structures due to the passive joint located at the unilateral foot-ground contact. (2) They have different configuration when switching from walking phase to another. During the singlesupport phase, the robot is under-actuated, while turning into an over-actuated system during the double-support phase. (3) Biped robots have many degrees of freedom (DOFs). (4) Biped robots interact with different unknown environments. Therefore, this work attempts to investigate and resolve different issues encountered in dynamics, walking pattern generators and control of biped robots; the details as follows: • Dynamics Two walking patterns have been modeled using two well-known formulations: Lagrangian and the modified recursive Newton-Euler (N-E) formulations. The first walking pattern moves with 6 DOFs during the single support phase (SSP) changing its configuration with 7 DOFs during the double support phase (DSP) (the stance foot will move directly during the DSP). Whereas the other walking pattern has 6 DOFs during all walking phases (the SSP and the two sub-phases of the DSP); the stance foot will be fixed during the first sub-phase of the DSP. These two walking pattern are different in configuration and number of phases during the DSP. To resolve the problem of over-actuation, a linear transition function is proposed to ensure smooth transition for the biped from the SSP to the DSP and vice versa. If we assume ideal dynamic response, this strategy can resolve the discontinuity in input control torque and ground reaction forces. • Walking pattern generators Two methods have been used to generate walking patterns of biped mechanism which are (1) optimal control theory and (2) center of gravity (COG)-based model. Computational optimal control has been performed to investigate the effects of some imposed constraints on biped locomotion, such as enforcing swing foot to move level to the ground, hip motion with constant height etc. finite difference approach has been used to transcribe infinite dimensional optimal control problem into finite dimensional suboptimal control problem. Then parameter optimization has been used to get suboptimal trajectory of the biped with the imposing different constraints. In general, any artificially imposed constraint to biped locomotion can lead to increase in value of input control torques. On the other hand, suboptimal trajectory of biped robot during complete gait cycle had been accomplished with different cases such that continuous dynamic response occurs. Enforcing the biped locomotion to move with linear transition of zero-moment point (ZMP) during the DSP can lead to more energy consumption. Using the simple COG-based model, a comparative study has been conducted to generate continuous motion for COG of the biped; all these methods depend on linear pendulum model. It has been shown all these methods are equivalent. On the other hand, the effect of foot configuration has been investigated. Foot rotation can improve biped configuration at heel strike by controlling foot angle. In addition, foot motion with impact can give some freedom and uniform biped configuration compared with motion without impact. To compensate for the deviation of ZMP trajectory due to approximate model of the COG, a novel strategy has been proposed to satisfy kinematic and dynamic constraints, as well as singularity condition. A stable motion has been obtained for the target walking patterns. • Low-level control Two control schemes have been proposed based on dynamics formulations which are conventional adaptive control based on local approximation technique and Lagrangian formulation, and virtual decomposition control (VDC) based on local approximation technique and recursive N-E formulation. In the first approach (conventional control), a new representation of dynamic matrices has been coined which is computationally efficient than other representation (sparse-base representation, Kronecker product etc.). Controller structures for the SSP and the DSP have been designed in details. Since adaptive control assumes no prior knowledge of estimated weighting matrices; therefore, zero input control torques could be result in at the beginning of each phase. Consequently, discontinuous dynamic response could result. The VDC is an efficient tool for complex robotic system such as biped robot. Therefore each subsystem (link, joint) has been controlled using adaptive approximation–based VDC. A novel optimization technique has been used to deal with continuous dynamic response; however, using zero initial weighting matrices for estimation dynamic matrices and vectors could result in zero input control at beginning of each walking phases.
While conservative access preparations could increase fracture resistance of endodontically treated teeth, it may influence the shape of the prepared root canal. The aim of this study was to compare the prepared canal transportation and centering ability after continuous rotation or reciprocation instrumentation in teeth accessed through traditional or conservative endodontic cavities by using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).
Forty extracted intact, matured, and 2-rooted human maxillary first premolars were selected for this
Anemia of chronic disease (ACD) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are the two most important types of anemia in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Functional iron deficiency in ACD can be attributed to overexpression of the main iron regulatory hormone hepcidin leading to diversion of iron from the circulation into storage sites resulting in iron-restricted erythropoiesis. The aim is to investigate the role of circulating hepcidin and to uncover the frequency of IDA in RA. The study included 51 patients with RA. Complete blood counts, serum iron, total iron binding capacity, ferritin, and hepcidin- 25 were assessed. ACD was found in 37.3% of patients, IDA in 11.8%, and combined (ACD/IDA) in 17.6%. Serum hepcidin was higher in ACD than in con
... Show MoreCopper (Cu) is an essential trace element for the efficient functioning of living organisms. Cu can enter the body in different ways, and when it surpasses the range of biological tolerance, it can have negative consequences. The use of different nanoparticles, especially metal oxide nanoparticles, is increasingly being expanded in the fields of industry and biomedical materials. However, the impact of these nanoparticles on human health is still not completely elucidated. This comparative study was conducted to evaluate the impacts of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) and copper sulphate (CuSO4 0.5 (H2O)) on infertility and reproductive function in male albino mice BALB/c. Body weight, the weight of male reproductive organs, mal
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