Video Highlights

The following videos are examples of some of the work being performed by SRI's Engineering & Systems Division team members.

NOTE: RealPlayer is needed to video clips in .ram format.

Electroactive Polymer Artificial Muscle (EPAM)

• Expanding Circle: Expansion of circle demonstrates the operation of SRI's EPAM technology.
• Spring Roll Actuator: Three degree-of-freedom spring roll actuator, with more than 90° bending and up to 25% axial extension. This actuator is extremely useful for locomotion, manipulation, gripping, or pointing. (View additional video)
• Animatronics: The possibilities for the use of EPAM in toys are endless. This video shows artificial muscle being used to power an animatronic face.

EPAM: Flapping Wing

• Flapping Wing: an animation created by the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), showing how artificial muscles can produce flapping motion in a biomimetic (i.e., insect-inspired) flyer.
• Artificial Muscle Flapping Wing Mechanism (First Generation) (7MB): Insect-inspired, EPAM-powered flapping wing mechanism. Muscle-like actuators deform the "thorax" to which the wings are attached creating large flapping amplitude at resonance.

EPAM: Robotics

• Skitter: A small legged robot that can walk, run, and clear obstacles. Each leg is a one degree-of-freedom spring roll actuator. Skitter offers significant weight and power savings, and is inexpensive to fabricate when compared with similar robots based on electromagnetic actuators.
• Flex: This robot used EPAM to actuate each of its six legs in a "dual tripod" gait. In some terrain, legged robots have significant advantages over comparably sized wheeled and tracked robots.
• 2-DOF MERs: Multifunctional elastomer rolls (MERs) are shown as the legs of this potential robot. These rolls can not only be stretched, but bent, eliminating the need for hip or knee joints. The rolls are also acting as the structure (legs) and as sensors. (View animation)

Robotics (Non-EPAM)

• Pipeline Robot: This robot was originally designed for pipeline inspection. It can also be used to clean ship hulls, inspect and repair tanks, and inspect steel bridges. (More information)

Video Text Recognition

• Example of SRI's Video Text Recognition: With applications for security and surveillance, this technology is used to find and read text (such as street signs, name tags, billboards, and TV broadcasts) in real scenes. (More information)

Diamagnetic Levitation

• Levitating Graphite: Diamagnetism is one of the three types of magnetic phenomena that can be used to levitate objects. Unlike the more common ferromagnetism and paramagenetism, diamagnetic levitation is intrinsically stable, and operates at room temperatures. (more information)
• Floating Ring Rotary Bearing: SRI has developed both linear and rotary bearing systems based on its diamagnetic levitation technology. Diamagnetically levitated rotary bearings have achieved speeds of 20,000 rpm, and were demonstrated in an ultra-sensitive gas flow meter.

Machine Vision

• Vision for Robot Control: SRI has developed vision techniques for locating 3-D objects fast enough to control high-speed robots. These techniques are applicable to parcel sorting, multiarm coordination for ply layup, and visually guided robotic arc welding. (More information)