AME - Optical Fiber Shape Sensing
Our lab works with vine robots, a type of soft robot that navigates its environment by "growing" through eversion at one end. We can use these vine robots for search and rescue missions in disaster sites. If we have shape information about the vine robot, we are able to know exactly where it is in the rubble, allowing us to conduct more effective rescue operations. We harvest this shape information using a bundle of optical fibers, each of which reports a strain measurement for discrete points along their length. These strain measurements are used to calculate the shape of the bundle and vine robot. This project includes the fabrication, calibration, and testing of a fiber bundle. The fibers are glued together, protected with a 3D-printed armor, calibrated, and then compared with motion capture information about the bundle shape. The project will culminate in a demonstration of the operational system affixed to a growing vine robot.
The IRIS Lab is a highly dynamic place to work because we combine advanced soft robotics theory with a hands-on, "full-stack" approach to mechanical design, electronics, and experimental testing. Under the mentorship of Professor Margaret (Coad) McGuinness, students gain practical, cross-disciplinary experience within the supportive Notre Dame Robotics community. Our current research on the optical fiber shape sensing addresses an important need for vine robot search and rescue operations by facilitation localization of the vine robot end effector in an unknown space. Alongside this shape sensing project, the lab runs several other active research tracks, including vine-inspired growing robots for navigating extreme environments, gastrointestinal capsule robot for endoscopy, and wearable assistive exosuits for patient rehabilitation. Joining our group offers students the opportunity to apply engineering fundamentals directly to robotic systems that improve human health and safety.