Hand impairments have a significant impact on quality of life and career performance. This effect is specially bold in the agricultural community, since farming activities involve continuously carrying and lifting heavy objects. Assistive robotic technologies hold considerable promise in alleviating such impairment issues. However, no portable assistive device is developed for farming applications, which requires additional considerations to ensure functionality of the device and its practicality in agricultural settings. In this work, a bi-layered structure for a robotic glove is presented, which consists of a passive extension and an active flexion layers. The former is responsible for extending the fingers, using a set of elastic bands. The flexion layer, which helps with flexing the fingers and grasping of objects, is a lightweight, self-contained, portable, cable-driven, and single-actuated robotic glove. The cable configuration is inspired from the human hand flexor tendons. Due to uncertainties associated with the fabric's flexibility and potential slippage between the cable and the glove, the designed mechanisms and sensory and control systems are initially implemented on a robotic hand. The rigid structure of the robotic hand provides a suitable proving ground for the design and control ideas. The novel power transmission system design enables the active layer to perform adaptive grasp of objects with unknown shapes, sizes, and material textures. The sensory system includes a bend sensor to detect the wearer's intention to perform grasp or release actions. Additionally, a PVDF-based sensor is developed for slip-detection, which is used as feedback to prevent further slipping of the grasped objects. Overall, the active flexion layer weighs 265 gr and can provide the maximum grasping force of 122 N, which is a noticeable improvement in comparison to the literature. / Doctor of Philosophy / Hand impairments have a significant impact on quality of life and career performance. This effect is specially bold in the agricultural community, since farming activities involve continuously carrying and lifting heavy objects. Assistive robotic technologies hold considerable promise in alleviating such impairment issues. However, no portable assistive device is developed for farming applications, which requires additional considerations to ensure functionality of the device and its practicality in agricultural settings. In this work, a bi-layered structure for a robotic glove is presented, which helps with grasping objects. The first layer is responsible for extending the fingers, using a set of elastic bands. The second layer, which helps with flexing the fingers, is a lightweight, self-contained, and portable robotic glove. A novel cable-driven power transmission system is designed to perform reliable grasps using only one actuator. The power transmission system design enables the robotic glove to grasp objects with unknown shapes, sizes, and material textures. The intention of the wearer for performing a grasp or releasing an object is detected using a bend sensor. Additionally, a vibration sensor is utilized for detecting the slip of the grasped object and preventing further slipping and dropping the object. The functionality of the developed robotic gloved is evaluated through experiments, where different geometry and weight of objects are grasped.

Slip-induced fall related injuries are a serious public health issue among older adults leading to considerable mortality, morbidity, and immobility. Existing proactive exercise interventions have produced mixed results on the success of reducing fall accidents. A training intervention may be effective in reducing slip-induced falls, if it can help older adults to practice movements related to recovery responses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate two different training interventions using a moveable platform and virtual reality in order to improve reactive recovery in older adults. Thirty-six older adults were recruited and randomly assigned to three groups (moveable platform training, virtual reality training, and control). The training groups underwent three sessions including baseline slip, training, and transfer of training on a slippery surface. The control group underwent three similar sessions as the training groups, with the training session replaced with a normal walking session. Kinematic, kinetic, and EMG data were collected during all the sessions. The moveable platform training group was repeatedly exposed to simulated slips induced by anterior-posterior movement of a platform. The virtual reality training group was repeatedly exposed to perturbation induced by visual tilts in the virtual environment while walking on the treadmill. Various biomechanical and neuromuscular characteristics were identified to quantify the effects of training. The results indicated a beneficial effect of both training methods in improving recovery reactions in older adults via proactive and reactive adjustments. The reactive adjustments involved faster response to a slip perturbation mediated by reduced time for onset and peak muscle activation (specifically knee flexor), reduced knee and ankle coactivity, reduced time for peak knee, hip, and trunk angles, and angular velocity. The proactive adjustments involved an increased center-of-mass velocity and transitional acceleration of center-of-mass. The overall fall frequency was reduced in the training groups as compared to the control group through improvements in proactive and reactive responses. / Ph. D.

Folding: A House is a study of the continuity of floor, wall and ceiling within the context of a house. With this method of continuity through folding, a strong directionality occurs within the spaces. The relationship among the different folds and between the folds and their enclosures is a syntactical relationship. Each fold slips in and past the previous fold. The forty-five degree rotation of the house on the forty-five degree sloped hill site allows for four fundamentally different relationships of house to ground and the surrounding views. The closed and open spaces inherently created within the folds directly relate to these differentiated views. / Master of Architecture

The contact patch of the tire is responsible for all of the transmission of a vehicle's motion to the road surface. This small area is responsible for the acceleration, stopping and steering control of the vehicle. Throughout the development of vehicle safety and stability control systems, it is desirable to possess the exact forces and moments at the tire contact patch. The tire is a passive element in the system, supplying no explicit information to vehicle control systems. Current safety and stability algorithms use estimated forces at the tire contact patch to develop these control strategies. An "intelligent" tire that is capable of measuring and transmitting the instantaneous forces and moments at the contact patch to the control algorithms in real-time holds promise to improve vehicle safety and performance. Using the force and friction information measured at the contact patch, an anti-lock braking control strategy is developed using sliding mode control. This strategy is compared to the performance of a current commercial anti-lock braking system that has been optimized by performing a threshold sensitivity analysis. The results show a definite improvement in control system strategy having known information at the tire contact patch. / Master of Science

Porous ceramics have successfully been used in a wide variety of highly advanced applications. Current routes to porous ceramics are limited in the types of porosity they can create and no one process is flexible enough to create any desired structure. This study introduces the use of ice particles as pore forming agents to fabricate porous materials. This novel method possesses several advantages over current industrial techniques including environmental friendliness, low cost, and flexibility in size and shape of resulting pores. Porous ceramic structures were created by adding preformed ice particles to an alumina slurry which was quickly frozen, air dried, and then sintered. Porosity was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Archimedes measurements, and gas sorption techniques. Small spherical pores were successfully created in the 20-200?m range and larger spherical pores were also created in the 2-3 mm range. Amount of porosity was controlled through specifying the amount of ice added to the ceramic slurry. Samples were prepared with porosity levels ranging from 30-75%. As a completely new process, these initial results are quite promising and further development will allow for even greater morphology control. / Master of Science

This thesis presents results of an experimental investigation to characterize single straight steel fiber pullout in Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC). Several parameters were explored including the distance of fibers to the edge of specimen, distance between fibers, and fiber volume in the matrix. The pullout load versus slip curve was recorded, from which the pullout work and maximum pullout load for each series of parameters were obtained. The curves were fitted to an existing fiber pullout model considering bond-fracture energy, Gd, bond frictional stress, 𝛕0, and slip hardening-softening coefficient, 𝜷. The representative load-slip curve characterizing the fiber pullout behavior will be implemented into a computational modeling protocol, for concrete structures, based on Lattice Discrete Particle Modeling (LDPM). The parametric study showed that distances over 12.7 mm from the edge of the specimen have no significant effect on the maximum pullout load and work. Edge distances of 3.2 mm decreased the average pullout work by 26% and the maximum pullout load by 24% for mixes with 0% fiber volume. The distance between fibers did not have a significant effect on the pullout behavior within this study. Slight differences in pullout behavior between the 2% and 4% fiber volumes were observed including slight increase in the maximum pullout load when increasing fiber volume. The suggested fitted parameters for modeling with 2% and 4% fiber volumes are a bond-fracture energy value of zero, a bond friction coefficient of 2.6 N/mm² and 2.9 N/mm² and a slip-hardening coefficient of 0.21 and 0.18 respectively. / Master of Science

This thesis describes measurements of the gas-solid flow boundary condition at moderate Knudsen number, i.e., where the dimensions of the flow are similar to the mean free path, and thus partial slip is expected. This regime has become more important with increased focus on nano-scale devices, but there is currently no consensus on how the slip length should vary for different solids and gases, or whether it can be controlled. In this thesis, I describe unambiguous measurements showing that partial slip occurs, that the slip length depends both on gas and solid, and that the slip length can be altered in situ. The slip length is determined from analysis of the vibration of a small sphere adjacent to a solid. I also describe applications of these findings both to the separation of gases, and to inhalants. The effect of water films, gas species, organic films, and electric fields on gas flow was studied. Water films had a large, but complex effect. On bare hydrophobilic glass, the tangential momentum accommodation coefficient (TMAC) for nitrogen on hydroxyl-terminated silica changed from 0.25 to 0.88 when the humidity changed from 0 to 98 %. On hydrophobized glass, TMAC changed from 0.20 to 0.56 in the same range. The effect of the gas on TMAC was measured for five different gases (helium, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, hexafluoride sulfur) on octadecyltrichlorosilane-coated glass surfaces. A lower TMAC occurred for greater molar mass, and this trend was explained using a simple model representing both the gas and the monolayer by spheres. The existence of this gas-dependent difference in TMAC suggests that gases can be separated based on their collisions with surfaces. Methods for controlling the flow boundary condition were also developed by adsorbing monolayers on the solid, and altering the monolayers in situ. Both temperature and electric fields altered the boundary condition, and these changes were attributed to changes in the surface roughness. The effect of roughness was modeled with grooved surfaces. Possible applications of this effect of roughness include changing the flow of aerosol droplets for deeper delivery of therapeutic drugs into the lung. / Ph. D.

This thesis explores the field of hand exoskeleton robotic systems with slip detection and its applications. It presents the design and control of the intelligent sensing and force- feedback exoskeleton robotic (iSAFER) glove to create a system capable of intelligent object grasping initiated by detection of the user’s intentions through motion amplification. Using a combination of sensory feedback streams from the glove, the system has the ability to identify and prevent object slippage, as well as adapting grip geometry to the object properties. The slip detection algorithm provides updated inputs to the force controller to prevent an object from being dropped, while only requiring minimal input from a user who may have varying degrees of functionality in their injured hand. This thesis proposes the use of a high dynamic range, low cost conductive elastomer sensor coupled with a negative force derivative trigger that can be leveraged in order to create a controller that can intelligently respond to slip conditions through state machine architecture, and improve the grasping robustness of the exoskeleton. The mechanical and electrical improvements to the previous design, the sensing and force- feedback exoskeleton robotic (SAFER) glove, are described while details of the controller design and the proposed assistive and rehabilitative applications are explained. Experimental results confirming the validity of the proposed system are also presented. In closing, this thesis concludes with topics for future exploration. / Master of Science / Exoskeletons are robotic systems that have rigid external covering, such as links, joints, and/or soft artificial tendons or muscles, for the desired body part to provide support and/or protection. These are typically used to enhance power and strength, provide rehabilitation and assistance, and teleoperate other robots from a distance. While the US Army developed exoskeletons for strengthening purposes, another potential purpose of exoskeletons, which is serving medical needs, such as rehabilitation, attracted a lot of attention. Among numerous illnesses and injuries that may lead to impaired hand functionality, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimated that approximately 470,000 people survive strokes every year in the United States and require continuous rehabilitation to recover their motor functions. Though medical professionals believe that the intensity and duration of rehabilitation is the key for maximizing the rate of recovery, it is often limited due to many reasons, such as cost or difficulty in attending rehabilitation sessions. To augment the availability and quality of rehabilitation, the study of exoskeletons has earned popularity. Beyond the capability of providing simple movements, such as passive rehabilitation, many scientists researched to provide active rehabilitation, which involves active participation from the patients. Furthermore, detecting the patient’s intention to activate the rehabilitation glove became a topic of interest, and many types of sensors were utilized in research. This thesis explores the design and control of the intelligent sensing and force- feedback exoskeleton robotic (iSAFER) glove, which detects the user’s intentions to activate the system through motion amplification. The iSAFER glove performs soft initial grasp until the fingers touch an object. After the object is gently grabbed and lifted, the grasp is autonomously adjusted through slip detection until there is no more slip. To facilitate this idea, a low cost force sensor was created and leveraged to improve the grasping control of the exoskeleton. The mechanical and electrical improvements to the previous design, the sensing and force-feedback exoskeleton robotic (SAFER) glove, are described while details of the controller design and the proposed assistive and rehabilitative applications are explained. Experimental results confirming the validity of the proposed system are also presented. In closing, this thesis concludes with topics for future exploration.

Adults with mental retardation (MR) experience a greater number of falls than their non-disabled peers. To date, efforts to understand the causes for these falls have primarily involved qualitative studies that use largely subjective measures to quantify stability. Performing a more objective biomechanical gait analysis may better explain the reasons for these fall accidents and provide repeatable measures that can be used for comparison to determine the effectiveness of interventions intended to reduce slip-related falls. A gait analysis was conducted to quantify normal walking and slip response characteristics for adults with MR as well as a group of non-disabled age- and gender-matched peers. Kinetic and kinematic data were collected and a number of variables relating to gait pattern, slip propensity, and slip severity were calculated to compare the differences between groups. Results showed that adults with MR exhibit slower walking speeds, shorter step lengths, and greater knee flexion at heel contact suggesting that their gait patterns share more similarities with the elderly than with healthy adults of an equivalent age. Unexpectedly, the MR group demonstrated a lower required coefficient of friction (RCOF) and slower heel contact velocity which, alone, would suggest a reduced slip propensity as compared with the healthy group. A greater peak sliding heel velocity and greater slip distance measures, however, indicate greater slip severity for the MR group. The findings of this study suggest that falls in this population may be attributed to delayed response to slip perturbation as measured by slip distances. / Master of Science

No / There are several types of disc brake instabilities associated with the brake systems; however, they are usually classified into two main categories depending on the frequency range: brake groan 0–300 Hz and brake squeal 1– 16 kHz. The groan is associated with the stick-slip motion while the squeal is associated with the modal coupling. This paper presents a detailed analysis of low frequency noise (0–300 Hz) in a commercial vehicle trailer disc brake as a result of stick-slip vibration. A range of experimental techniques are used to understand the characteristic behaviour of the caliper and the brake pads during braking events on a laboratory test rig. The analysed brake system comprised a full disc brake assembly and the trailer suspension system with a beam axle. Laser-based optical displacement sensors were used to investigate the deformation of the caliper body and the brake pads during a braking application. The contact pressure distribution at the disc/pad interfaces were also measured to gain more insight into the contact profile of the pad surfaces. Results revealed that the stick-slip phenomenon, in this study, was a result of the combination of the deformation of the caliper and the friction material formulation of the brake pads. In addition, it was observed through the testing of two different sets of pads that a low compression modulus would help to reduce the stick-slip phenomenon.