arXiv subjects

Eric M. Yeatman

Publications and source records attributed to Eric M. Yeatman.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

An LLM-enabled Multi-Agent Autonomous Mechatronics Design Framework

Existing LLM-enabled multi-agent frameworks are predominantly limited to digital or simulated environments and confined to narrowly focused knowledge domain, constraining their applicability to complex engineering tasks that require the design of physical embodiment, cross-disciplinary integration, and constraint-aware reasoning. This work proposes a multi-agent autonomous mechatronics design framework, integrating expertise across mechanical design, optimization, electronics, and software engineering to autonomously generate functional prototypes with minimal direct human design input. Operating primarily through a language-driven workflow, the framework incorporates structured human feedback to ensure robust performance under real-world constraints. To validate its capabilities, the framework is applied to a real-world challenge involving autonomous water-quality monitoring and sampling, where traditional methods are labor-intensive and ecologically disruptive. Leveraging the proposed system, a fully functional autonomous vessel was developed with optimized propulsion, cost-effective electronics, and advanced control. The design process was carried out by specialized agents, including a high-level planning agent responsible for problem abstraction and dedicated agents for structural, electronics, control, and software development. This approach demonstrates the potential of LLM-based multi-agent systems to automate real-world engineering workflows and reduce reliance on extensive domain expertise.

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arXiv2025

High-Performance Vision-Based Tactile Sensing Enhanced by Microstructures and Lightweight CNN

Tactile sensing is critical in advanced interactive systems by emulating the human sense of touch to detect stimuli. Vision-based tactile sensors are promising for providing multimodal capabilities and high robustness, yet existing technologies still have limitations in sensitivity, spatial resolution, and high computational demands of deep learning-based image processing. This paper presents a comprehensive approach combining a novel microstructure-based sensor design and efficient image processing, demonstrating that carefully engineered microstructures can significantly enhance performance while reducing computational load. Without traditional tracking markers, our sensor incorporates an surface with micromachined trenches, as an example of microstructures, which modulate light transmission and amplify the response to applied force. The amplified image features can be extracted by a ultra lightweight convolutional neural network to accurately inferring contact location, displacement, and applied force with high precision. Through theoretical analysis, we demonstrated that the micro trenches significantly amplified the visual effects of shape distortion. Using only a commercial webcam, the sensor system effectively detected forces below 5 mN, and achieved a millimetre-level single-point spatial resolution. Using a model with only one convolutional layer, a mean absolute error below 0.05 mm was achieved. Its soft sensor body allows seamless integration with soft robots, while its immunity to electrical crosstalk and interference guarantees reliability in complex human-machine environments.

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arXiv2021

Multiple-Pilot Collaboration for Advanced Remote Intervention using Reinforcement Learning

The traditional master-slave teleoperation relies on human expertise without correction mechanisms, resulting in excessive physical and mental workloads. To address these issues, a co-pilot-in-the-loop control framework is investigated for cooperative teleoperation. A deep deterministic policy gradient(DDPG) based agent is realised to effectively restore the master operators' intents without prior knowledge on time delay. The proposed framework allows for introducing an operator (i.e., co-pilot) to generate commands at the slave side, whose weights are optimally assigned online through DDPG-based arbitration, thereby enhancing the command robustness in the case of possible human operational errors. With the help of interval type-2(IT2) Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy identification, force feedback can be reconstructed at the master side without a sense of delay, thus ensuring the telepresence performance in the force-sensor-free scenarios. Two experimental applications validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework.

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arXiv2021

Kinematic Parameter Optimization of a Miniaturized Surgical Instrument Based on Dexterous Workspace Determination

Miniaturized instruments are highly needed for robot assisted medical healthcare and treatment, especially for less invasive surgery as it empowers more flexible access to restricted anatomic intervention. But the robotic design is more challenging due to the contradictory needs of miniaturization and the capability of manipulating with a large dexterous workspace. Thus, kinematic parameter optimization is of great significance in this case. To this end, this paper proposes an approach based on dexterous workspace determination for designing a miniaturized tendon-driven surgical instrument under necessary restraints. The workspace determination is achieved by boundary determination and volume estimation with partition and least-squares polynomial fitting methods. The final robotic configuration with optimized kinematic parameters is proved to be eligible with a large enough dexterous workspace and targeted miniature size.

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