Lakhani 9704003 This award supports a 24 month Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowship for Dr. Hemanshu Lakhani at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Lakhani will work with Dr.Yoshiaki Ohkami, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering Science, on a research project entitled, "Force Regulation and Contour Following in the Presence of Unknown Constraints." The proposed research will focus on the design of high- performance force control systems geared specifically toward industrial contour following applications. While several force control approaches have been identified in the past, there is a dearth of experimental evidence to validate and compare the various approaches. In addition, much of the hardware proposed up until now appear incompatible with several strict industrial constraints, such as the need for large-reach and maximum use of already existing factory hardware. The proposed research will take the approach of designing a small, high-performance, lightweight force control system that can be conveniently and effectively affixed to a factory robot. As part of the project, a 2- link, high-speed force control system, appropriate controllers, and other hardware will also be constructed. The proposed research will specifically examine the design of force controllers in the presence of unknown contour variations, examples being factory environments. The primary goal of the proposed research is to demonstrate through on-site experiments that the proposed force control methods and hardware can be used to adequately perform factory contour following tests with precision, speed, and reliability. Results would be easily applicable to a number of important tasks, including the construction of sheet plastic, plate glass, and other materials of this nature. ***
