Theses in Mixed Signal Microelectronics
Highlighted theses topics for 2020/2021 study year
Vision-based control of soft micro-robot based on polymeric actuators
By employing unconventional materials, soft robots exhibit higher bending and twisting capabilities in constrained environments compared to their conventional rigid-bodied counterparts. Ionic electroactive polymer-based actuators (IEAPs) are a class of actuation materials for soft robotics that have attracted global interest amongst scientists owing to their low density, biocompatibility, scalability, low and safe operating voltages (< 3V) and are believed to be utilized in potential biomedical applications. However, the force generated by such actuators limits their interaction with external devices and therefore their use as standalone systems. On the other hand, advancement in continuous miniaturization of electronics has led to development of lightweight, reduced cost, high performance, and reliable devices. In this context, by employing a tiny CMOS image sensor mimicking the robot eye, a vision-guided control of a robot based on IEAPs is proposed to be developed, for its use case in applications such as otoscopy. Knowledge and experience in image processing, control system theory, programming and electronics is beneficial.