There is 1 laboratory under the Automation Group:

• Mechatronics Lab (N3.2-B1-03) 

Research Projects

Recovery of 3D models from 2D drawings and images
With applications in conceptual design, 3D reconstruction of objects from photographs and artwork, both accurate and approximate. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Lee Yong Tsui

There is 1 research centre in the Robotics & Automation Group:

• Robotics Research Centre (RRC) 

Research Projects

Vision-Aided Active Handheld Instrument for Microsurgery
We developed an active handheld instrument that detects its own motion, distinguish between undesired and intended motion, and deflects its tip for active compensation of physiological tremor. This project will extend the said capability with image-processing and computer vision techniques to create a handheld vision-aided microsurgical interventional device. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Computer Vision Guided Automated Embryo Biopsy

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Variable Stiffness Actuator

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Micro-Motion Sensing System
Detecting micro motion of a microsurgical instrument in real time to aid training of new surgeons and discover more findings about tremor nature of human's hand. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Real-Time Image Stabilizer
Design a zero-phase adaptive filter to accurately separate voluntary and involuntary camera movements in real-time. Filtering of erroneous motion allows to compensate for it while preserving the user's intentional movements. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Intelligent Handheld Instrument for Active Error Compensation in Medical and Biotech Micromanipulation Applications
To enhance human positioning tasks requiring micro level accuracy (e.g. microsurgery, cell micromanipulation). The intelligent instrument will detect motion, distinguish undesired and intended motion and provide real-time active error compensation by deflecting its tip to compensate physiological tremor and other erroneous movement components. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Vision-guided Robotic Cell Micromanipulation
A vision-guided robotic approach is proposed to replace human intervention. A 3 degree-of-freedom piezoelectric-driven robotic manipulator is used to hold a micropipette. A high speed camera captures images of the cells and the micropipette tip under a conventional microscope, processes the images, and controls the robotic manipulator in real-time to perform the intended task. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Assessment and Training System for Micromanipulation Tasks in Surgery
Human accuracy limitations due to physiological tremor restricts the types of feasible microsurgical procedures in microsurgery (e.g., eye, hand, neuro-surgery) making it necessary to train apprentice surgeons and assess their performances. This project investigates the causes of non-voluntary deviations hindering the quality of interventions and develop a virtual reality based training system for training microsurgeons to perform manipulation tasks under a microscope. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Adaptive Balance Assistant for Daily Living
To study the balance problem focusing on problems related to motor tasks controlled by the synergy of control mechanisms allocated between the Central Nervous System (CNS), Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) and Muscle-skeletal system. The approach for balance rehabilitation is to focus more on training of the synergies rather than on single tasks of balance or gait. A device is being developed to bring such rehabilitation therapies into patients' everyday life activity. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Pathological Tremor Modeling & Active Compensation via Functional Electrical Stimulations
We use the sensed physical motion and EMG signals from the upper limb to attenuate the pathological tremor in real time manner. A filtering algorithm will be developed to differentiate the intended motion and the tremor. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Pro-Balance
A mechatronic system provides neuromuscular and vestibular training for rehabilitation patients to improve balancing. Has 5 adjustable level of difficulty, 3 modes of exercise and assessment – multi-axial balancing, anterior-posterior balancing and left-right balancing. Provides real-time visual performance feedback. Records important performance indicators in a session. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

DEFROST (DEvice for FROzen Shoulder Therapy)
A mechatronic chain and sprocket trainer system that enhances the effectiveness and usability of the shoulder pulley kit for frozen shoulder therapy at the Singapore General Hospital (Department of Physiotherapy). More control over the plane and range of patients' arm motion during exercises. Provides real-time auditory and visual performance feedback. Records important performance indicators in an exercise session. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Objective Assessment of Upper Extremity Function in Neurorehabilitation
To develop a criterion-referenced approach to objectively assess upper extremity (UE) functions in neurorehabilitation. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Soft Robotics

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Motivation Driven Stroke Rehabilitation via Bio-Signal Control System
Restore voluntary motor function by bridging gap in damaged/diseased parts of nervous system. A brain-computer interface senses surface electroencephalogram signals elicited by motor imagery & processes it into semantic signals to control functional electrical stimulation of skeletal muscles. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Interactive Mixed Reality Rehabilitation System
This project proposes to integrate advanced techniques in complex system modeling, sensing, biomechanics, interactive digital media and human factors engineering with rehabilitation medicine to develop an intelligent interactive system for post stroke rehabilitation of the upper extremities. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Multi-Flexor
A compact, modular and portable continuous passive motion (CPM) device for wrist and elbow therapy. 

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Ang Wei Tech

Magnetically Actuated Ingestible Weight Management Capsule
The research objective of this proposal is to implement an electromagnetic actuation mechanism into a mechatronics capsule as an ingestible weight-loss device to solve obesity.
In the long run, we envision having an over-the-counter mechatronics weight loss capsule for obese and moderately obese people. Upon ingestion, the capsule will promote weight loss by expanding and occupying the gastric space, hence introducing the feeling of satiety. This mechatronics capsule will promote weight loss in a safe and a non-invasive manner.
Our capsule offers a safer and less invasive method for losing weight as compared to other weight-loss methods. Oral administration reduces hospitalization and recovery time, eliminates complications related to endoscopy or surgery, and mitigates long-term side effects from drugs. In addition, our capsule provides a more effective weight-loss due to its dynamic administration process. Furthermore, it can be sold at a much lower price as compared to the other treatment alternatives. 

Principal Investigator: Professor Louis Phee

Development and Evaluation of Novel Mechatronic Tracheostomy Tube for Automated Tracheal Suctioning
Mechanical ventilation is required to aid patients with breathing difficulty to breathe more comfortably. A tracheostomy tube is inserted through an opening in the neck into the trachea, below the vocal cords. This opening is either created surgically or using a percutaneous dilatational technique. The tube sits in the trachea, above the carina, and before the airways branch into the left and right main bronchi. In mechanical ventilation, the tube is connected to a ventilator and air is moved in and out of the lungs via positive pressure. In this process, mucus will accumulate at the point of branching into the bronchi. Currently this mucus is manually removed every half an hour by inserting a suction tube via the tracheostomy to reach the point of branching. Nurses spend millions of person-hours yearly performing this task. This procedure could be automated to save significant person-hours. An automated system also allows the patient to recover at home, rather than stay in hospital solely for nurses to remove mucus periodically. We propose to develop a mechatronic device to perform automatic tracheal suctioning in conjunction with a tracheostomy tube. 

Principal Investigator: Professor Louis Phee

Intelligent Perception and Dexterous Manipulation for Fine Robotic Assembly
Fine assembly tasks (e.g. in the electronics, shoes, food industries, etc.) are still out of the reach of today’s industrial robots. The main challenges lie in the unstructured environments, the soft/fragile materials of the parts to be assembled and the difficulty in controlling contact interactions. This project aims to tackle these challenges in order to make robots capable of handling those fine assembly tasks in industrial contexts.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Pham Quang Cuong

Factory Automation with Contacts in Unstructured Environments

• The objective of this project is to bridge the gap between our robotics research and commercialization. For that, we shall:
  improve   the   reliability, sensitivity, and speed of contact control based on COTS components;
• integrate our software architecture with the most common industrial robots;
• develop one proof­-of­-concept robotic solution in collaboration with a potential customer.

 Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Pham Quang Cuong

Robotics 3D Printing for Building and Construction
This is a collaborative research project (2 PIs in materials, 2 PIs in robotics, industrial partners from Sembcorp), with the ultimate aim of automatically constructing large structures using 3D printing and robotics technologies. Our group is in charge of developing a platform that consists of multiple mobile robots to deliver the printing materials. This involves substantial challenges in mobile robot perception and control.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Pham Quang Cuong

Investigation of the bio-mechanics of arm motion for rehabilitation through wearable haptic devices

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Yeo Song Huat

Dexterous Cable - driven Manipulator with variable Stiffness for Industrial Applications

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Yeo Song Huat

Reimagining Show & Tell: Child-manipulated Robotic Puppetry for Child-Centered Participatory Pedagogy in Early Childhood to Primary School education

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Yeo Song Huat

Remote Monitoring of Rehabilitation in Patients Validation Study of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) as a low-cost substitute for high-fidelity CPR-training manikins

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Yeo Song Huat

Industrial Polishing: Human operation skills capture and transfer
The primary goal is to capture the operation skills from experienced workers and then translate such human skills into planning strategies for robot programming and control.

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Domenico Campolo

Resonant Flapping-winged Micro Aerial Vehicle
develop a methodology to design high-performance, hummingbird sized (10-20 grams) MAVs with passively rotating wings driven at tuned flapping resonance by DC motors and powered by currently available batteries

Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Domenico Campolo

Automated robot item picking system in e-commerce warehouse
This project is a proof-of-concept project to further develop a new item-picking robot key technology for e-commerce fulfillment centre automation.

Principal Investigator: Professor Chen I-Ming

Automatic robot system for indoor high-rise spray painting
This project is a lead-demand technology demonstration project to develop an autonomous robot for construction site finishing. Lead agency is Jurong Town Corporation and industrial co-developer is Aitech Robotics & Automation.

Principal Investigator: Professor Chen I-Ming

Automated Construction Quality Assessment Robot System (A-CONQUARS)
This project is to develop modular platforms and the associated planning algorithms for field robotic welding and robotic finishing. Collaborating institutions are NTU, NUS, and SUTD. Prof. Chen is project lead PI.

Principal Investigator: Professor Chen I-Ming

Adaptation of a Task-Oriented Agile Workcell
This project focuses on autonomy and flexibility in task manipulation when handling small objects (in centimeter scale), where pick-and-plug tasks for very small and semi-transparent objects are conducted.

Principal Investigator: Professor Chen I-Ming

Robot Application Development and Operating Environment (RADOE)
This project is to develop generic cross-platform robot control and operation software with intuitive interface, named RADOE, for industrial users. Collaborating institutions are NTU, NUS, I2R and SIMTech.

Principal Investigator: Professor Chen I-Ming