Compact USB Camera-Based Navigation Device with Repetitive Compensation of Input Signals for Omnidirectional Inchworm Robot

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the design and development of a navigation device for a 3-DOF inchworm robot. The robot has been developed to provide flexible and omnidirectional microscopic operations. The robot can move in any direction in the manner of an inchworm. However, many positioning errors exist because of an assembling error in four piezoelectric actuators and two electromagnets. In this report, we propose a USB camera-based navigation device with a signal compensation function. In experiments, we have succeeded in controlling the robot on an octagonal path, freely controlling the posture angle. When we compensate the input signal, the positioning time decreases to 62.9% of that when there is no compensation. The robot is 35 mm3, so we can attach it to various devices. As the navigation device is also compact, we can carry the device easily and set it up in a small work area. The design procedure to realize flexible and omnidirectional positioning and basic performance are also discussed.