공학 및 과학문제 해석을 위해 적용되는 전산 시뮬레이션은 다양한 변수 혹은 데이터의 변화를 통해 다수의 작업을 생성하고 계산함과 동시에, 생성된 결과를 비교 분석하기 위한 필수적인 기법이다. 본 연구에서는 그리드 컴퓨팅을 활용하여 웹상에서 대용량의 전산 시뮬레이션이 가능한 시스템을 개발하고, 이를 이용한 2가지 실제 응용사례를 제시한다. 첫 번째 응용사례는 e-AIRS(Aerospace Integrated Research Environment)라 명명된 연구포탈이다 e-AIRS는 수치해석 연구자가 대규모의 전산 해석을 실시하고, 실험 연구자가 원격지에서 실험을 요청하고 그 결과를 모니터링 할 수 있는 e-Science 연구환경을 제공한다. 두 번째 응용사례는 대규모 계산환경을 이용한 단백질 구조설계를 제시한다. 제안된 계산환경을 이용하여 생성된 단백질 전산 예측구조와 자연상태 구조를 비교하고, 제안된 계산환경의 유용성을 검토한다.

In a number of fields, robots are being used for two purposes: efficiency and safety. Most robots, however, have single-actuator mechanism for each joint, where the tasks are performed with high stiffness. High stiffness causes undesired problems to the environment and robots. This study proposes redundant actuator mechanism as an alternative idea to cope with these problems. In this paper, Double-Actuator Unit (DAU) is implemented at each joint for applications of multi-link manipulators. The DAU is composed of two motors: the positioning actuator and the stiffness modulator, which enables independent control of positioning and compliance. A three-link manipulator with DAUs enables adaptive control of RCC. By modulating the joint stiffness of the manipulator and controlling the position of RCC, we can significantly reduce contact force during assembly tasks and surgical procedures.

Control of a robot manipulator in contact with the environment is usually conducted by the direct feedback control using a force-torque sensor or the indirect impedance control. In these methods, however, the control algorithms become complicated and the performance of position and force control cannot be improved because of the mechanical properties of the passive components. To cope with such problems, redundant actuation has been used to enhance the performance of position control and force control. In this research, a Double Actuator Unit (DAU) is proposed, with which the force control algorithm can be simplified and can make the robot ensure the safety during the external collision. The DAU is composed of two actuators; one controls the position and the other modulates the joint stiffness. Using this unit, it is possible to independently control the position and stiffness. The DAU based on the planetary gears is investigated in this paper. Performance using the DAU is also verified by various experiments. It is shown that the manipulator using this mechanism provides better safety during the impact with the environment by reducing the joint stiffness appropriately on detecting the collision of a manipulator.