Session: 15-01: Robotic and Automated NDE

Paper Number: 147662

147662 - Advancing the Biomimetic Design for Automated Tap Scanning Through Aye Aye’s Behavioral Studies Utilizing High-Resolution Thermal Cameras 

Abstract: 

Thermal imaging of animal body movement is a cutting-edge technique that utilizes infrared technology to capture and analyze the heat patterns emitted by living organisms. This method offers a unique perspective on animals' physiological and behavioral aspects, allowing researchers to visualize and interpret their movements in a non-intrusive manner. The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), a nocturnal lemur species native to Madagascar, has attracted considerable attention in the field of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) due to its unique and distinctive evolutionary adaptations, particularly its specialized tapping behavior. This tapping technique involves rhythmic and precise movements of the aye-aye's middle finger, which generate acoustic signals upon contact with the substrate. The authors’ previous study was focused on the aye-aye’s middle finger kinematic modeling and tracking its motion during tap-scanning. By combining insights from the animal’s tap-scanning behavior with advanced technology, we aim to develop sensors that exhibit enhanced performance and versatility, with applications in fields such as robotics, automation, and environmental monitoring. To this end, we analyzed the intricate movements of the aye-aye's middle finger using motion-tracking techniques based on low-quality existing videos collected from a monocular camera. Additionally, we constructed a simplified two-link robot arm model to replicate the observed finger trajectory. Despite achieving some promising results in simulating dynamic models of the aye-aye's third digit based on limited data, challenges arose due to noisy and distorted images, affecting motion analysis. In our proposed research, state-of-the-art high-speed thermal cameras are employed to capture detailed finger position and orientation. This is achieved through a markerless motion tracking algorithm, enabling the analysis of the diverse movements of each joint of the middle digit. By leveraging insights from behavioral studies conducted with high-resolution thermal cameras, our aim is to gain a better understanding of the full spectrum of dynamic behaviors exhibited by the aye-aye's middle digit. Subsequently, we seek to enhance and refine the existing two-link robot. This improved biomimetic model holds promise for strengthening tap-testing strategies in NDE across various inspection applications, including inspecting defects in wooden structures and composite materials.

Presenting Author: Ehsan Dehghan Niri Arizona State University

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Dehghan-Niri is an associate professor in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks at Arizona State University. Prior to joining ASU, he served as an associate professor at New Mexico State University (NMSU), where he was recognized for his leadership as the lead Principal Investigator and director of the DOE funded consortium "enabling in- and ex-situ quality control of additive manufacturing (QCAM)." Before joining NMSU, Dr. Dehghan-Niri held the position of Non-destructive Evaluation/Testing (NDE/T) scientist at Materials and Processes Engineering in General Electric (GE Power).

Dr. Dehghan-Niri holds a Ph.D. in structural engineering from the University at Buffalo, which he obtained in 2014. He has authored over 30 scientific journal publications, 31 conference publications/presentations, and holds 14 US and European pending and approved patents. His expertise lies in bio-inspired acoustic sensing, acoustic-based testing and monitoring methods for inspection of infrastructures and mechanical systems, robotic inspection, and in-situ quality control of advanced manufacturing.

In 2021, Dr. Dehghan-Niri received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award to study acoustic near field sensing of a unique animal that can result in pioneering a bio-inspired NDT system. Additionally, he has been recognized with a national award, the "Young NDT Professional Award," from the American Society for Nondestructive Testing for his notable contributions to the field of NDE/T. His research has been supported by NSF, DOE, DOD, NASA, DOT, and several leading industrial companies.

Authors:

Nihar Masurkar Arizona State University
Hamidreza Nemati Arizona State University
Ehsan Dehghan Niri Arizona State University