Patents by Inventor Nadia G. Cheng

Nadia G. Cheng has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9713873
    Abstract: A continuum style manipulator is actuated by jammable media within an envelope of a module, which is also actuated by a tensile element, such as a cable and spooler motor. Multiple modules may be reversibly added. Two or more tensile elements may also be used. Three or more actuated tensile elements can actuate three DOFs of each module, and the terminal module, as well as the entire manipulator. Jammable media may be granular, actuated by a pressure change. Coarsely ground coffee works well. Rather than a jammable media, tensile elements may alternatively be used with other phase change media, such as magnetorheological and electrorheological media. A high friction angle of the granular media is desirable, and has been achieved with a particle size dispersion including both small and relatively larger particles. Applications include endoscopes, proctoscopes, laparoscopic instruments, manufacturing and medical manipulators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Nadia G. Cheng, Maxim B. Labovsky, Annette E. Hosoi, Karl D. Iagnemma
  • Publication number: 20150141756
    Abstract: A continuum style manipulator is actuated by jammable media within an envelope of a module, which is also actuated by a tensile element, such as a cable and spooler motor. Multiple modules may be reversibly added. Two or more tensile elements may also be used. Three or more actuated tensile elements can actuate three DOFs of each module, and the terminal module, as well as the entire manipulator. Jammable media may be granular, actuated by a pressure change. Coarsely ground coffee works well. Rather than a jammable media, tensile elements may alternatively be used with other phase change media, such as magnetorheological and electrorheological media. A high friction angle of the granular media is desirable, and has been achieved with a particle size dispersion including both small and relatively larger particles. Applications include endoscopes, proctoscopes, laparoscopic instruments, manufacturing and medical manipulators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Applicant: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Nadia G. Cheng, Maxim B. Labovsky, Annette E. Hosoi, Karl D. Iagnemma