Improving Robotics Safety: Su, Dapino and Wang Win Prestigious NSF National Robotics Initiative (NRI) Award

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Associate Professor Haijun Su is the principal investigator for a National Science Foundation (NSF), National Robotics Initiative (NRI) Award, “Shape Morphing Arm Robotic (SMART) Manipulators for Simultaneous Safe Human-Robot Interaction and High Performance in Manufacturing,” sponsored by The Ohio State University Office of Sponsored Programs.  The prestigious award is the only NRI award given to Ohio State and one of just three awards presented in the State of Ohio.  Co-principal investigators are Professors Marcelo Dapino and Junmin Wang.

The three-year award supports research that will significantly improve the design of safe co-robotic systems which can benefit numerous fields, including the health care, automotive, construction and military sectors.  The research also addresses safety challenges by offering expertise in shape morphing and design optimization of compliant mechanisms; electronically-controlled stiffness modulation with smart materials; and performance maximization by optimal motion control -- potential solutions toward “safe by design, performance by control” for human-safe co-robots.  “We hope this award will strengthen Ohio State’s presence in the robotics field,” Su noted.

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Proposed Shape Morphing Arm Robotic (SMART) manipulators are designed to be inherently safe. Their arms are made of smart material composite beams highly compliant at high speeds for maximum safety and stiff at low speeds for maximum control performance.
Su is the director of The Design Innovation and Simulations Laboratory (DISL) at Ohio State where his research group is focused on mathematical models, synthesis theories, optimization algorithms, advanced computer-aided design (CAD) tools and virtual reality simulations that are dedicated to machine design. 

 The overarching theme of Su’s research is design, simulation and prototyping of machine systems of various length scales ranging from macro, micro and nano meters.  His current research is focused on applications of compliant mechanisms to robotic systems and DNA origami nanomechanisms. 

The goal of the National Robotics Initiative is to accelerate the development and use of robots in the United States that work beside or cooperatively with people. Innovative robotics research and applications emphasizing the realization of such co-robots working in symbiotic relationships with human partners is supported by multiple agencies of the federal government including the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The purpose of the program is to support the development of the next generation of robotics, advance the capability and usability of such systems and artifacts, and encourage existing and new communities to focus on innovative application areas. It will address the entire lifecycle from fundamental research and development to manufacturing and deployment.

Ohio State’s Office of Sponsored Programs partners with faculty and staff to provide the highest quality research administration at all stages of sponsored projects, positioning the university as the leading public research institution in the nation.

Category: Faculty