Biomimetics is the development of robotic devices and technologies based upon biological models. The Manipulation & Biomimetics Laboratory features several robotic workstations devoted to this task. The facility is equipped to carry out experimental investigation into robot kinematics, dynamics and control, path planning, and novel robotic device prototyping. Real-time computer interfacing is available either through Hyperkernel, a microkernel which runs concurrent with Windows NT, or through Matlab/Simulink on a real-time Linux platform. 

The main focus of the biomimetics laboratory at Clemson is the study of hyper-redundant and continuum robotics, especially as it relates to manipulation. Both types of manipulators resemble trunks, tentacles, or snakes, in that they are highly maneuverable and have backbones consisting of either many small links or one continuous highly flexible material. 

Because of the abundance of links, HDOF robots such as the Elephant's Trunk may be modeled similarly to truly continuous-backbone devices like the Tentacle Robot. In our work, we often model these devices with infinite-dimensional kinematics. Because only a finite number of actuators deform the robot's shape, the infinite-dimensional kinematics admit an infinity of possible configurations for any given actuator input. Consequently, these robots exhibit a desirable side-effect, which we have termed "inherhent compliance" -- the tendency of a continuum manipulator to conform to environmental non-conservative forces in a compliant minimum-energy fashion. 

The primary contacts for hyper-redundant and continuum robots areIan Gravagne and Michael Hannan. (Published papers in the area can be seen at those locations.) The primary faculty contact for this research is Prof. Ian Walker. 

Equipment for investigation of manipulation and grasping includes: