Contact Information:
Dennis W. Hong, Director
dhong@vt.edu
More information, go to:
www.me.vt.edu/romela/
What We Do
The Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa) at Virginia Tech is a facility for graduate and undergraduate robotics research and education with an emphasis on studying novel mobile robot locomotion strategies. Our research interests are in the area of Robot Locomotion and Manipulation, Kinematics and Mechanisms, Analysis, Simulation, and Design of Mechanical Systems. Most of our research projects are sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Research
Novel Locomotion Strategies for Mobile Robots
- IMPASS: Intelligent Mobility Platform with Active Spoke System (NSF)
- Tripedal Locomotion Robot with Actuated Passive Dynamic Locomotion (ONR)
- Whole-Skin Locomotion Inspired by Amoeboid Motility Mechanisms (Biomimicry Guild)
- Adaptive Gait Planner for the LEMUR Hexapod Robot with Dry Adhesive Feet (JPL)
- DARwIn: Dynamic Anthropomorphic Robot with Intelligence (Robotis)
- Mobility Analysis for Autonomous Land Vehicles and Robots on Coastal Terrain (ONR)
- M.A.R.S.: Multi Appendage Robotic System
- Contact Force Distribution for Multi-limbed Robots
- Design of a Cable Suspended Multi-limbed Climbing Robot
Mechanisms
- Cam-Based Infinitely Variable Transmission
- Micro Latching Mechanisms with Surface Cams
- Synthesis Method for Complex Pulley-cable System
- Novel Cable-suspended Haptic Interfaces with Complex Pulley-cable Systems
Other Robotics Research
- Analysis of the End-effector Wrench Space for LEMUR with Dry Adhesive Feet (JPL)
- Haptic Display with Simulated Physics
- Design and Analysis of a Compliant Robotic Gripper
- Contact Force Distribution for Robotic Hand Grasping
Facilities
The Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa) located in the basement of Randolph hall on Virginia Tech’s campus is a new facility for graduate and undergraduate research and education with an emphasis on studying mobile robot locomotion. This 1,074 sq. ft. laboratory space is currently in the process of being renovated and set up for a state-of-the-art robotics research facility dedicated to providing the equipment and infrastructure for robotics research, to support our excellent undergraduate robotics design projects, and to fulfill the students’ growing interest in the field of robotics.The laboratory is divided into an office space area with desks and workstations, an experiment area with workbenches and various mechatronics equipment, and a mechanical fabrication area with various mechanical tools and cabinets with mechanical components. The facility is currently equipped with:
- Electronics equipment including: a Tektronix TDS2012 oscilloscope, Agilent E3631A power supplies, an Agilent 33220A function generator, Agilent 34401A benchtop multimeters, and soldering stations.
- Electro mechanical components and development kits including: a wireless vision system (with IEEE-1394 cameras), various sensors (including a Xsens MT9 IMU, tactile sensors), RS-485 networked intelligent servo motors (Robotis DX-117 motors & CM-2 controllers)
- PC104 based motion control equipment including: a Galil DCM-1280 PC104 based 8 axis servo controller and Galil AMP-1940 amplifier, Versa Logic Jaguar PC104 SBC (Pentium III 850 MHz), and various sizes of DC motors (Pittman, Maxon)
- Mechanical fabrication equipment including: a15-inch drill press, a 12-inch band saw, micro lathe, micro mill, equipment for fabricating carbon composite parts, and various mechanical tool sets and bins of various assortments of mechanical components.
- General robot platforms for research including: a PUMA 550 robot arm and two multi-limbed mobile robot research platforms. A 25 degrees of freedom humanoid bipedal robot is currently being designed and built.