AUTOMATION 21XX

Company Profile

We the Biomimetic Underwater Robot Program Lab at Northeastern University employ biomimetic approaches to confer the adaptive capabilities of marine animal models to engineered devices. These devices include sensors, actuators, adaptive logic systems, electronic nervous systems, biomimetic underwater robots and neurorehabilitative devices. Our Technologies Biomimetic Robots: We have built four classes of biomimetic robots based on the American Lobster. These robots capture the biomechanical advantages of lobsters and employ a sensorimotor system consisting of neuromorphic sensors, a controller based on the command neuron, coordinating neuron, central pattern generator architecture of animals and myomorphic actuators and a behavioral library reversed engineered from studies of the lobsters. We have also created two generations of a biomimetic robot based on the lamprey that swims by lateral axial undulations. We are developing a ultrashort baseline sonar navigation system to allow this robot to home on a sonar beacon. Electronic Nervous Systems: We construct controllers based on three types of electronic nervous systems: (1) Finite state machines that emulate the logic and dynamics of animal central pattern generators. (2) UCSD Electronic Neurons and Synapses and (3) Discrete Time Map-based electronic neurons and Synapses. Myomorphic Actuators: We actuate our devices with artificial muscle constructed from the shape memory alloy nitinol. These actuators are actuated by current pulse trains generated by the electronic nervous systems and grade force by pulse width duty cycle modulation. Neuromorphic Sensors: We monitor the environment with sensor systems that employ a labeled line code. We have developed neuromorphic sensors for heading, pitch and roll, hydrodynamic flow and surge, collision and impediment. Behavioral Libraries: We have developed technologies for reverse engineering the command sequences that underly adaptive behavior and network technologies for embedding these sequences in electronic nervous systems. These behavioral acts are capable of both adaptive modulation and perturbation. Neurorehabilitative Devices: We are developing electronic nervous systems for the adaptive augmentation of constraint induced movement therapy for stroke and traumatic brain injury.

Product Range

• AI research: Cognitive robotics
• AI research: Electronic nervous systems
• Mobile robot research: Robot bees
• Mobile robot research: Climbing robot
• Mobile robot research: Field and service robots
• Mobile robot research: Flying robots
• Mobile robot research: Flying robots, microflyers
• Mobile robot research: Hybrid microbot
• Mobile robot research: Legged machines
• Mobile robot research: Lobster robots
• Mobile robot research: Micro robots
• Mobile robot research: Snake robots
• Robotics research: Biologically inspired robotics
• Robotics research: Field robotics