Opportunities and challenges in developing a next generation masticatory robot

Food is important to human for supporting our daily lives. Researchers can perceive food properties through investigation of mastication process. The investigation of in-vivo mastication can be time consuming and inefficient as a panel of volunteers is required. Robotic devices can assist as a platform to carry in-vitro simulation of mastication. This paper proposes a plan of developing a masticatory robot mimicking chewing function. Firstly, in-vivo masticatory process and human oral structure are summarized to come up with the requirements of such a robotic masticator. Other previously developed robotic devices are also reviewed to understand their capabilities and limitations. Some of the masticatory robots focus primarily on reproducing the chewing function of human. However, such robotic structure and kinematics may not resemble complex human anatomy and masticatory process, so they may not reflect insights on the actual food interaction with human oral physiology. A next generation robot is proposed herein, which is based on a currently available single trajectory linkage masticatory robot toward the mimicking of realistic chewing process. New requirements including changing trajectories are laid for realizing the next generation robot. The flexible trajectories are achieved by including an adjustable linkage mechanism and a movable platform, whose analysis is described through schematic and solid model of proposed robot design.