Músculos Inteligentes en Robots Biológicamente Inspirados: Modelado, Control y Actuación

Abstract

The smart muscles are metal alloys that exhibit a property known as the Shape Memory Effect (SME). These materials are composed by an uniform crystal structure that allows the metal alloy to strain as a function of its transition temperature. They are so-called smart materials because the property of recovering their initial configuration after receiving a thermal stimulus. This article presents the use of a smart muscle actuator applied to a bio-inspired micro aerial bat-like robot. These flying mammals have developed powerful muscles that extend along the bone structure of their wings, providing an amazing level of maneuverability. To mimic that kind of morphing wings using an artificial counterpart requires the analysis of new actuation technologies, addressing issues such as the modeling and control that ensure the applicability of this smart actuators composed by Shape Memory Alloys (SMA).