Welcome to the Precision Mechatronics Lab at the University of Newcastle
Conferences
IEEE International Conference On Mechatronics – Loughborough, UK, March 15-17, 2023
September 30th, 2022|Comments Off on IEEE International Conference On Mechatronics – Loughborough, UK, March 15-17, 2023
IEEE International Conference On Mechatronics - Loughborough, UK, March 15-17, 2023. IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics 2023 (IEEE ICM 2023) continues a series of biennial conferences dedicated to recent and [...]
Soft Robotic Manta Rays
December 6th, 2021|0 Comments
PhD student Matheus Xavier introduces his research on soft robotic manta rays for low-impact exploration in sensitive underwater environments. Watch the video. https://youtu.be/BAN7ZxoomYo
News
Soft Robotic Manta Rays
December 6th, 2021|0 Comments
PhD student Matheus Xavier introduces his research on soft robotic manta rays for low-impact exploration [...]
Dr Michael Ruppert elected as Fresh Scientist for 2021
August 10th, 2021|0 Comments
Doctor Michael Ruppert has been announced as one of the 2021 Fresh Scientists. This program is [...]
Matheus Xavier Wins School Heat of the 3 Minute Thesis
July 13th, 2021|0 Comments
Matheus from the Precision Mechatronics Lab wins the school heat at the University of Newcastle [...]
Double ARC Grants for the Precision Mechatronics Lab
April 13th, 2021|0 Comments
The Precision Mechatronics Lab was successful in receiving a 2021 ARC DP and a 2021 ARC LIEF grant.
Seminars
Soft Robotic Manta Rays
December 6th, 2021|0 Comments
PhD student Matheus Xavier introduces his research on soft robotic manta rays for low-impact exploration in sensitive underwater environments. Watch [...]
Dr Michael Ruppert elected as Fresh Scientist for 2021
August 10th, 2021|0 Comments
Doctor Michael Ruppert has been announced as one of the 2021 Fresh Scientists. This program is run by Science in Public [...]
Matheus Xavier Wins School Heat of the 3 Minute Thesis
July 13th, 2021|0 Comments
Matheus from the Precision Mechatronics Lab wins the school heat at the University of Newcastle of the 2021 3 Minute [...]
Double ARC Grants for the Precision Mechatronics Lab
April 13th, 2021|0 Comments
The Precision Mechatronics Lab was successful in receiving a 2021 ARC DP and a 2021 ARC LIEF grant.
The Precision Mechatronics Lab develops new devices and processes for imaging and fabrication. This includes new sensors, actuators and control systems for applications in microscopy, mask-less lithography, and biomedical imaging.
The Precision Mechatronics Lab is supported by the Australian Research Council, Industrial Partners, The Center for Complex Dynamics Systems and Control (CDSC), and the University of Newcastle.
The University of Newcastle is ranked in the top 3% of world universities and #26 for a university under 50 years old. We are a research intensive university with a world-wide reputation for research in Engineering, the Sciences, and Medicine.
Recent Publications
McCourt, L. R.; Routley, B. S.; Ruppert, M. G.; Fleming, A. J.
Feasibility of gold nanocones for collocated tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscope imaging Journal Article Forthcoming
In: Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, Forthcoming, ISSN: 1097-4555.
@article{J23a,
title = {Feasibility of gold nanocones for collocated tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscope imaging },
author = {L. R. McCourt and B. S. Routley and M. G. Ruppert and A. J. Fleming},
url = {https://www.precisionmechatronicslab.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/J23a-Preprint.pdf},
doi = {10.1002/jrs.6625},
issn = {1097-4555},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-02-01},
urldate = {2024-02-01},
journal = {Journal of Raman Spectroscopy},
abstract = {Microcantilever probes for tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) have a grainy metal coating that may exhibit multiple plasmon hotspots near the tip apex, which may compromise spatial resolution and introduce imaging artefacts. It is also possible that the optical hotspot may not occur at the mechanical apex, which introduces an offset between TERS and atomic force microscope maps. In this article, a gold nanocone TERS probe is designed and fabricated for 638 nm excitation. The imaging performance is compared to grainy probes by analysing high-resolution TERS cross-sections of single-walled carbon nanotubes. Compared to the tested conventional TERS probes, the nanocone probe exhibited a narrow spot diameter, comparable optical contrast, artefact-free images, and collocation of TERS and atomic force microscope topographic maps. The spot diameter was 12.5 nm and 19 nm with 638 nm and 785 nm excitation, respectively. These results were acquired using a single gold nanocone probe to experimentally confirm feasibility. Future work will include automating the fabrication process and statistical analysis of many probes.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {forthcoming},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Yong, Y. K.; Eielsen, A. A.; Fleming, A. J.
Thermal Protection of Piezoelectric Actuators Using Complex Electrical Power Measurements and Simplified Thermal Models Journal Article Forthcoming
In: IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, Forthcoming, ISBN: 1083-4435.
@article{J24b,
title = {Thermal Protection of Piezoelectric Actuators Using Complex Electrical Power Measurements and Simplified Thermal Models},
author = {Y. K. Yong and A. A. Eielsen and A. J. Fleming},
url = {https://www.precisionmechatronicslab.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/J24b-preprint.pdf},
doi = {10.1109/TMECH.2023.3277437},
isbn = {1083-4435},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
urldate = {2024-01-01},
journal = {IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics},
abstract = {This article describes a method for estimating the temperature of high-power piezoelectric actuators when a direct temperature measurement is impractical. The heat flow is estimated from the real component of the electrical power; then, the temperature is estimated by a transfer function that approximates the thermal response of the system. The transfer function can be derived analytically from a lumped-element approximation or calibrated experimentally by using a system identification method. The proposed method is demonstrated on a piezoelectric stack actuator used in a high-speed nanopositioning device. A second-order transfer function estimates the temperature to within 3 ∘ C of a reference measurement for a range of operating conditions. The proposed method is suitable for protecting piezoelectric actuators in applications where direct temperature measurement is impractical, for example, due to space or wiring constraints.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {forthcoming},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Xavier, M. S.; Harrison, S.; Howard, D.; Yong, Y. K.; Fleming, A. J.
Modeling of soft fluidic actuators using fluid-structure interaction simulations with underwater applications Journal Article
In: International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, vol. 255, iss. 108437, pp. 1-11, 2023, ISSN: 1879-2162.
@article{J23a,
title = {Modeling of soft fluidic actuators using fluid-structure interaction simulations with underwater applications},
author = {M. S. Xavier and S. Harrison and D. Howard and Y. K. Yong and A. J. Fleming},
url = {https://www.precisionmechatronicslab.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/FSI.pdf},
doi = {10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2023.108437},
issn = {1879-2162},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-05-15},
urldate = {2023-05-15},
journal = {International Journal of Mechanical Sciences},
volume = {255},
issue = {108437},
pages = {1-11},
abstract = {Soft robots have been developed for a variety of applications including gripping, locomotion, wearables and medical devices. For the majority of soft robots, actuation is performed using pneumatics or hydraulics. Many previous works have addressed the modeling of these fluid-driven soft robots using static finite element simulations where the pressure inside the actuator is assumed to be constant and uniform. The assumption of constant internal pressure is a useful simplification but introduces significant errors during events such as pressurization, depressurization, and transient loads from a liquid environment. Applications that use soft actuators for locomotion or propulsion operate using a sequence of transient events, so accurate simulation of these events is critical to optimizing performance. To improve the simulation of soft fluidic actuators and enable the modeling of both internal and external fluid flow in underwater applications, this work describes a fully-coupled, three-dimensional fluid–structure interaction simulation approach, where the pressure and flow dynamics are explicitly solved. This approach provides a realistic simulation of soft actuators in fluid environments, and permits the optimization of transient responses, which may be due to a combination of environmental fluid loads and non-uniform pressurization. The proposed methods are demonstrated in a number of case studies and experiments for a range of actuation and both internal and external inlet flow configurations, including bending actuators, a soft robotic fish fin for propulsion, and experimental results of a bending actuator in a high-speed fluid, which correlate closely with simulations. The proposed approach is expected to assist in the design, modeling, and optimization of bioinspired soft robots in underwater applications.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
McCourt, L. R.; Routley, B. S.; Ruppert, M. G.; Keast, V. J.; Sathish, C. I.; Borah, R.; Goreham, R. V.; Fleming, A. J.
In: ACS Applied Nano Materials, vol. 5, iss. 7, pp. 9024-9033, 2022, ISSN: 2574-0970.
@article{nokey,
title = {Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as One-Dimensional Scattering Surfaces for Measuring Point Spread Functions and Performance of Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Probes},
author = {L. R. McCourt and B. S. Routley and M. G. Ruppert and V. J. Keast and C. I. Sathish and R. Borah and R. V. Goreham and A. J. Fleming},
url = {https://www.precisionmechatronicslab.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/J22i.pdf},
doi = {10.1021/acsanm.2c01274},
issn = {2574-0970},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-06-21},
urldate = {2022-06-21},
journal = {ACS Applied Nano Materials},
volume = {5},
issue = {7},
pages = {9024-9033},
abstract = {This Article describes a method for the characterization of the imaging performance of tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy probes. The proposed method identifies single-walled carbon nanotubes that are suitable as one-dimensional Raman scattering objects by using atomic force microscope maps and exciting the radial breathing mode using 785 nm illumination. High-resolution cross sections of the nanotubes are collected, and the point spread functions are calculated along with the optical contrast and spot diameter. The method is used to characterize several probes, which results in a set of imaging recommendations and a summary of limitations for each probe. Elemental analysis and boundary element simulations are used to explain the formation of multiple peaks in the point spread functions as a consequence of random grain formation on the probe surface.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Ragazzon, M. R. P.; Messineo, S.; Gravdahl, J. T.; Harcombe, D. M.; Ruppert, M. G.
The Generalized Lyapunov Demodulator: High-Bandwidth, Low-Noise Amplitude and Phase Estimation Journal Article
In: IEEE Open Journal of Control Systems, 2022.
@article{Ragazzon2022,
title = {The Generalized Lyapunov Demodulator: High-Bandwidth, Low-Noise Amplitude and Phase Estimation},
author = {M. R. P. Ragazzon and S. Messineo and J. T. Gravdahl and D. M. Harcombe and M. G. Ruppert},
doi = {10.1109/OJCSYS.2022.3181111},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-06-08},
urldate = {2022-06-08},
journal = {IEEE Open Journal of Control Systems},
abstract = {Effective demodulation of amplitude and phase is a requirement in a wide array of applications. Recent efforts have increased the demodulation performance, in particular, the Lyapunov demodulator allows bandwidths up to the carrier frequency of the signal. However, being inherently restricted to first-order filtering of the input signal, it is highly sensitive to frequency components outside its passband region. This makes it unsuitable for certain applications such as multifrequency atomic force microscopy (AFM). In this article, the structure of the Lyapunov demodulator is transformed to an equivalent form and generalized by exploiting the internal model principle. The resulting generalized Lyapunov demodulator structure allows for arbitrary filtering order and is easy to implement, requiring only a bandpass filter, a single integrator, and two nonlinear transformations. The generalized Lyapunov demodulator is implemented experimentally on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Then it is used for imaging in an AFM and benchmarked against the standard Lyapunov demodulator and the widely used lock-in amplifier. The lock-in amplifier achieves great noise attenuation capabilities and off-mode rejection at low bandwidths, whereas the standard Lyapunov demodulator is shown to be effective at high bandwidths. We demonstrate that the proposed demodulator combines the best from the two state-of-the-art demodulators, demonstrating high bandwidths, large off-mode rejection, and excellent noise attenuation simultaneously.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Xavier, M. S.; Tawk, C. D.; Zolfagharian, A.; Pinskier, J.; Howard, D.; Young, T.; Lai, J.; Harrison, S.; Yong, Y. K.; Bodaghi, M.; Fleming, A. J.
Soft Pneumatic Actuators: A Review of Design, Fabrication, Modeling, Sensing, Control and Applications Journal Article
In: IEEE Access, vol. 10, pp. 59442-59485, 2022, ISSN: 2169-3536.
@article{J22h,
title = {Soft Pneumatic Actuators: A Review of Design, Fabrication, Modeling, Sensing, Control and Applications},
author = {M. S. Xavier and C. D. Tawk and A. Zolfagharian and J. Pinskier and D. Howard and T. Young and J. Lai and S. Harrison and Y. K. Yong and M. Bodaghi and A. J. Fleming},
url = {https://www.precisionmechatronicslab.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/J22h-1.pdf},
doi = {10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3179589},
issn = {2169-3536},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-06-02},
urldate = {2022-06-02},
journal = {IEEE Access},
volume = {10},
pages = {59442-59485},
abstract = {Soft robotics is a rapidly evolving field where robots are fabricated using highly deformable materials and usually follow a bioinspired design. Their high dexterity and safety makes them ideal for applications such as gripping, locomotion, and biomedical devices, where the environment is highly dynamic and sensitive to physical interaction. Pneumatic actuation remains the dominant technology in soft robotics due to its low cost and mass, fast response time, and easy implementation. Given the significant number of publications in soft robotics over recent years, newcomers and even established researchers may have difficulty assessing the state of the art. To address this issue, this article summarizes the development of soft pneumatic actuators and robots up until the date of publication. The scope of this article includes the design, modeling, fabrication, actuation, characterization, sensing, control, and applications of soft robotic devices. In addition to a historical overview, there is a special emphasis on recent advances such as novel designs, differential simulators, analytical and numerical modeling methods, topology optimization, data-driven modeling and control methods, hardware control boards, and nonlinear estimation and control techniques. Finally, the capabilities and limitations of soft pneumatic actuators and robots are discussed and directions for future research are identified.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}