• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.1081-1086
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• 2009

This paper presents dynamic characteristics of pneumatic artificial muscles. Since the actuating performance of a pneumatic muscle is closely related to the input pressure of a pneumatic muscle, the air flow model on a valve orifice and an elastic bladder of the muscle is formulated to estimate precisely the pressure variance of pneumatic muscles during deflating and inflating process. Frequency response experiments are performed with an antagonistic system consisting of two pneumatic muscles and fast pneumatic control valves. Comparing with experimental results, the proposed model yielded good performance in estimating dynamic motions of the antagonistic system as well as the pressure variance of the pneumatic artificial muscles

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.82-90
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• 2009

Pneumatic cylinder is one of the low cost actuation sources which have been applied in industrial and prosthetic application since it has a high power/weight ratio, a high-tension force and a long durability However, the control problems of pneumatic systems, oscillatory motion and compliance, have prevented their widespread use in advanced robotics. To overcome these shortcomings, a number of newer pneumatic actuators have been developed such as McKibben Muscle, Rubber Actuator and Pneumatic Artificial Muscle (PAM) Manipulators. In this paper, one solution for position control of a robot arm, which is driven by two pneumatic artificial muscles, is presented. However, some limitations still exist, such as a deterioration of the performance of transient response due to the changes in the external load of the robot arm. To overcome this problem, a switching algorithm of the control parameter using a learning vector quantization neural network (LVQNN) is proposed in this paper. This estimates the external load of the pneumatic artificial muscle manipulator. The effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm is demonstrated through experiments with different external working loads.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.173-178
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• 2008

Recent advancements in the electrospinning method enable the production of ultrafine solid and continuous fibers with diameters ranging from a few nanometers to a few hundred nanometers with controlled surface and morphological features. A wide range of biopolymers can be electrospun into mats with a specific fiber arrangement and structural integrity. These features of nanofiber mats are morphologically similar to the extracellular matrix of natural tissues, which are characterized by a wide pore diameter distribution, a high porosity, effective mechanical properties, and specific biochemical properties. This has resulted in various kinds of applications for polymer nanofibers in the field of biomedicine and biotechnology. The current emphasis of research is on exploiting these properties and focusing on determining the appropriate conditions for electrospinning various biopolymers for biomedical applications, including scaffolds used in tissue engineering, wound dressing, drug delivery, artificial organs, and vascular grafts, and for protective shields in specialty fabrics. This paper reviews the research on biomedical applications of electrospun nanofibers.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.175-176
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• 2007

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.641-644
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• 2005

The aim of this research is to evaluate the relationship between the total effective moment $(M^E)$ and Bemoulli-Euler bending moment (M) when the ply orientations of UD CFRP in Piezoelectric Zirconate Titanate Composite Actuator (PZTCA) are changed. The obtained results as follows. Firstly, as the performance test results by the CFRP ply orientation, the performance of [0] and [90] were stable. However, while the performance of [+45] was suddenly decreased after 5 hours. Secondly, the change of $M^E$ by the CFRP ply orientation was evaluated. As the CFRP ply orientation was increased from [0] to [+60], the $M^E$ were gradually decreased. However, they became a little bit increased from [+60] to [90]. Finally, after the change of M by the CFRP ply orientation was evaluated, it was found that $M^E=2.2M$ was valid for just [0] and that there was a relationship between $M^E$ and M according to the ply orientation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.1062-1065
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• 2002

We have evaluated the ability of a time-delayed artificial neural network (TDANN) to predict muscle forces using only eletromyographic(EMG) signals. To achieve this goal, tendon forces and EMG signals were measured simultaneously in the gastrocnemius muscle of a dog while walking on a motor-driven treadmill. Direct measurements of tendon forces were performed using an implantable force transducer and EMG signals were recorded using surface electrodes. Under dynamic conditions, the relationship between muscle force and EMG signal is nonlinear and time-dependent. Thus, we adopted EMG amplitude estimation with adaptive smoothing window length. This approach improved the prediction ability of muscle force in the TDANN training. The experimental results indicated that dynamic tendon forces from EMG signals could be predicted using the TDANN, in vivo.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.738-743
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• 2007

In this paper, a muscle motion sensing system and an artificial arm control system are studied. The artificial arm is for the people who lost one's forearm. The muscle motion sensing system detect the intention of motion from the upper arm's muscle. In sensing system we use flex sensors which is electrical resistance type sensor. The sensor is attached on the biceps brachii muscle and coracobrachialis muscle of the upper arm. We propose an algorithm to classify the one's intention of motions from the sensor signal. Using this algorithm, we extract the 4 motions which are flexion and extension of the forearm, pronation and supination of the arm. To verify the validity of the proposed algorithms we made experiments with two d.o.f. artificial arm. To reduce the control errors of the artificial arm we also proposed a fuzzy PID control algorithm which based on the errors and error rate.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.363-369
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• 2007

Mitochondria play a central role in energy-generating processes and may be involved in the regulation of channels and receptors. Here we investigated TRPM7, an ion channel and functional kinase, and its regulation by mitochondria. Proton ionophores such as CCCP elicited a rapid decrease in outward TRPM7 whole-cell currents but a slight increase in inward currents with pipette solutions containing no MgATP. With pipette solutions containing 3 mM MgATP, however, CCCP increased both outward and inward TRPM7 currents. This effect was reproducible and fully reversible, and repeated application of CCCP yielded similar decreases in current amplitude. Oligomycin, an inhibitor of $F_1/F_O$-ATP synthase, inhibited outward whole-cell currents but did not affect inward currents. The respiratory chain complex I inhibitor, rotenone, and complex III inhibitor, antimycin A, were without effect as were kaempferol, an activator of the mitochondrial $Ca^{2+}$ uniporter, and ruthenium red, an inhibitor of the mitochondrial $Ca^{2+}$ uniporter. These results suggest that the inner membrane potential (as regulated by proton ionophores) and the $F_1/F_O$-ATP synthase of mitochondria are important in regulating TRPM7 channels.

• International Journal of Control, Automation, and Systems
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.894-903
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• 2008

In this paper, we present an artificial muscle actuator producing rectilinear motion, called the Tube-Spring-Actuator(TSA). The TSA is supposed to be a prospective substitute in areas requiring macro forces such as robotics. It is simply configured from a synthetic elastomer tube with an inserted spring. The design of the TSA is described in detail and its analysis is conducted to investigate the characteristics of the actuator based on the derived model. In addition, the performance of the proposed actuator is tested via experiments.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.927-931
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• 2005

Carbon nanotube actuator, working under physical conditions (in aqueous solution) and converting electrical energy into mechanical energy directly, can be a good substitute for artificial muscle. The carbon nanotube actuator simulated in this paper is an isotropic cantilever type with an adhesive tape which is sandwiched between two single-walled carbon nanotubes. For predicting the static and dynamic characteristic parameters, the analytical model for a 3 layer bimorph carbon nanotube actuator is developed by using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. The governing equation and boundary conditions are derived from energy principles. The induced displacements of the theoretical model are presented in order to investigate the performance of the carbon nanotube actuator with different control voltages. The developed model presents invaluable means for designing and predicting the performance of carbon nanotube actuator that can be used in artificial muscle applications.