Tianjin University’s project “Mechanism Evolution and Metamorphic Mechanisms Connotation andIts Geometric Shape of Variable Configuration Theory and Furcation Control Mechanism” won the first prize of Tianjin Natural Science Award of the Tianjin Science and Technology Award.
This project was led by Academician Dai Jiansheng, Director of International Center for Advanced Mechanisms and Robotics, Tianjin University in collaboration with Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Northeastern University. The theory was highly praised as “bridging the gap between versatile but expensive robots and efficient but non-flexible machines” at the 2020 ASME Machine Design Award and was also hailed by the academia as “a key frontier of current research” and “a mainstream in current and future mechanical engineering science”.
Just as people are likely to feel overwhelmed if they are multi-tasking. Machines with traditional structures can often only perform a single task and are unable to handle complex tasks or even those that require changes in their own structure. The theory from Academician Dai, inspired by human evolution and cell division and reorganization, allows machines to “transform and reconfigure” and “dynamically evolve” according to actual needs, adapting flexibly to changing work environments and functional requirements.
Invariable traditional machine topology and mobility can hardly meet the challenges of requirements of multiple working conditions and functions. Therefore, the project team, led by Academician Dai, has established a theoretical system of machine mechanism evolution, carried out research on the machine mechanism evolution, completed a variety of original and state-of-the-art work, and created a new research field of metamorphic mechanisms and reconfigurable mechanisms after 20 years of efforts. These theories have created a field of reconfigurable mechanisms and reconfigurable robots, and the sub-field of metamorphic mechanisms and introduced for the first time the concept of metamorphic mechanisms and reconfigurable mechanisms with variable mobility, variable configuration, and variable topology, which are different from traditional designs. From the point of view of the evolution and furcation principle of metamorphic mechanisms, based on screw theory, Lie group, Lie algebra and differential manifold, the mechanism evolution and the interrelationship between the mechanism motions and the constraint spaces were revealed. They also constructed a set of fundamental innovation and integrated design system of metamorphic mechanisms and reconfigurable mechanisms. Critical scientific problems such as drive selection and variable configuration regulation have been overcome, and the mechanism of configuration regulation and control strategy of metamorphic mechanisms and reconfigurable mechanisms have been established.
The typical achievements of the theory are reflected in the development of various metamorphic electric robots for insulator deterioration diagnosis and maintenance, transmission line inspection, broken strand repairing, etc., and metamorphic quadruped robots with various forms andmoving mechanisms. With the feature of “one machine with multiple functions and multiple uses”, it has streamlined the management of power equipment of “transmission, substation and distribution”, as well as improving the off-road mobility and the ability to adapt to various environments.
Professor Dai is a RAE (Royal Academy of Engineering) Fellow who has made a pioneering contribution to mechanical engineering, most notably by his contributions to the fundamental theory, design and applications of mechanisms and robotic systems.
By Zou Yu
Editor: Sun Xiaofang
