Actuation Technologies Suitable for Humanoid Robots

Abstract

Actuator selection is a key component in the design and development of humanoid robots. The issue of actuation technologies is a fundamental question that determines the level of complexity and ability of the machine to perform similar functions to that of a human, and needs continuous assessment at all level of design and technological advancement. The main objective of developing humanoid robots is to mimic the behavior of human to that of the machine and the prototypes presented so far can be categorized as machine-like and human-like robot. The former is focused on mobility, and the later one on the behavior of the robot including gesture synthesis, facial expression illustrating the internal emotion of the robot and generally on the cognitive aspects. Humanoid Robots with Facial Expressions (HRwFE) are getting momentum and there exist a strong derive to build them because they can potentially be used for various applications including health care, military, industry, and household. For all kinds of humanoid robots, the selection of actuators is challenging. It is not only the stress, strain, energy density, power consumption, life cycle, linearity, repeatability, response time, band width and etc. But other factors such as ease of control, availability, maturity, and cost of the actuation technology have significant importance. This paper focuses on the issues mentioned above and presents comparative assessment of the actuation technologies for humanoid robots focusing on humanoid head.