Day 3: (Tue Sep 8, Week 2) Kinematics; Underactuation

Notes for 2020-09-08.

Notes from Day 2

If you’ve not already done so, please fill out the RCP Fall 2020 Skill Survey today.

New Assignments

1. New assignment, due in about a week: Exercise: Underactuated System Design

2. Preparation for next class, please:

   1. look through the sample model Pendulum 1-2 Robot Model.

   2. review the videos on SCARA Robots.

   3. watch Day 4 videos.

Daily Agenda

1. Administration

   1. RCP project site

   2. Lecture and Demo Videos

   3. Videos of Related Work

2. Q&A about essential kinematics terminology and concepts.

3. Discussion questions: underactuated systems.

   1. Watch a few brief clips:

      1. “Acrobot” Underactuated Inverted Pendulum

      2. Hirose Soft Gripper

      3. Harvard Biorobotics Laboratory

      4. Stanford charmlab Vine Robots

   2. Questions:

      1. Where’s the potential for creative expression?

      2. Specifically, how can the physical dynamics of the structure support the creative goals? I.e., how can we get beyond both programmed animation and lightly animated sculpture?

4. Short breakout session. Each group should try to find several answers to the following questions:

   1. Brainstorm two ideas for a kinetic sculpture which is underactuated.

   2. Would you consider the uncontrolled freedoms internal or external to the machine itself?

   3. Do you imagine the result as predictable or involving uncertainty?

5. After class: general questions.