Joint Actuators Research Articles

A Control Approach for Actuated Dynamic Walking in Biped Robots

This paper presents an approach for the closed-loop control of a fully actuated biped robot that leverages its natural dynamics when walking. Rather than prescribing kinematic trajectories, the approach proposes a set of state-dependent torques, each of which can be constructed from a combination of low-gain spring-damper couples. Accordingly, the limb motion is determined by interaction of the passive control elements and the natural dynamics of the biped, rather than being dictated by a reference trajectory. In order to implement the proposed approach, the authors develop a model-based transformation from the control torques that are defined in a mixed reference frame to the actuator joint torques. The proposed approach is implemented in simulation on an anthropomorphic biped. The simulated biped is shown to converge to a stable, natural-looking walk from a variety of initial configurations. Based on these simulations, the mechanical cost of transport is computed and shown to be significantly lower than that of trajectory-tracking approaches to biped control, thus validating the ability of the proposed idea to provide efficient dynamic walking. Simulations further demonstrate walking at varying speeds and on varying ground slopes. Finally, controller robustness is demonstrated with respect to forward and backward push-type disturbances and with respect to uncertainty in model parameters.

Energetics of Control Moment Gyroscopes as Joint Actuators

acts only along the joint axis, eliminating undesirable gyroscopic reaction torques. Both analysis and simulation of a single-link robotdemonstrate thatthecontrol momentgyroscopepower isequal totheequivalentjointmotorpower for a large range of gimbal inertias and maximum gimbal angles. The transverse rate of the link does not affect this result.Atwo-link robot withorthogonal joint axes givesresultssimilar tothe single-link systemunless momentumis not conserved about the joint. For a two-link robot with parallel joint axes, control moment gyroscopes outperform joint motors in power required when the joints rotate with opposite sign; the reverse is true when the joints act in unison. These surprising differences arise because control moment gyroscopes produce body torques with a zerotorque boundary condition at the joint, whereas joint motors produce torques that are reacted onto two adjacent links. The analysis concludes with pros and cons of control moment gyroscopes as robotic joint actuators.

Effect of hip flexibility on optimal stalder performances on high bar

In the optimisation of sports movements using computer simulation models, the joint actuators must be constrained in order to obtain realistic results. In models of a gymnast, the main constraint used in previous studies was maximum voluntary active joint torque. In the stalder, gymnasts reach their maximal hip flexion under the bar. The purpose of this study was to introduce a model of passive torque to assess the effect of the gymnast's flexibility on the technique of the straddled stalder. A three-dimensional kinematics driven simulation model was developed. The kinematics of the shoulder flexion, hip flexion and hip abduction were optimised to minimise torques for four hip flexion flexibilities: 100°, 110°, 120° and 130°. With decreased flexibility, the piked posture period is shorter and occurs later. Moreover the peaks of shoulder and hip torques increase. Gymnasts with low hip flexibility need to be stronger to achieve a stalder; hip flexibility should be considered by coaches before teaching this skill.

Study on a ultra-light dual revolute manipulator with high joint torque

This paper details a study performed on a new proposed twelve degree-of-freedom dual robot arm, which is very light but capable of handling heavy loads. The proposed robot arm has a higher value for the ratio of the load capacity/robot weight than conventional robot arms, which are actuated by motors with speed reducers, such as a harmonic drives, since it adopts a new type of robot actuator based on a closed chain mechanism. Because of the high value of the ratio of the payload capacity/robot weight, it can be used as a robot arm for mobile robots and for walking robots. Analyses of the design scheme and of the mechanism of the joint actuator used for the robot arm are presented. Also, the control system developed for the robot arm is introduced. The superior characteristics of the new proposed robot arm, handling heavy payloads with light weight links compared to industrial robots, are presented through carrying out various payload capacity tests. Since the robot arm is designed with light links, it has some deflections and these deflections of the links are analyzed using the Finite Element Method (FEM). The results of performance tests are presented to check the correctness of the FEM analysis and to demonstrate the actual capability of handling heavy payloads applied to the robot arm.

Single Channel Hybrid FES Gait Assist System

Loss of mobility due to lower limb paralysis is common consequence of thoracic level spinal cord injury (SCI). In the US there are approximately 253,000 persons with SCI. The wheelchair is the most common form of mobility for individuals with paraplegia but there remains a need for assistive technology that can enable paraplegics to walk and reach in the periphery of wheelchair. A new concept is presented that combines functional electrical stimulation (FES) with an energy storing orthosis (ESO) that contains a fluid power system to store and transfer energy during the gait cycle. Elastic energy storage elements on the orthosis hip and knee joints hold the leg in a flexed equilibrium position. Stimulation of the quadriceps extends the knee, placing excess energy in both the equilibrium spring and an energy transfer element. The stored energy is transferred to the hip where it is discharged and used to extend the hip against its equilibrium spring which also aids in forward progression. A new step is initiated by releasing the hip and knee joints from the straight leg position to the flexed position. The concept is realized using gas springs and pneumatic cylinders. Gas springs act as flexed energy storage elements. Lower air cylinder and the tubing acts as an accumulator and the upper cylinder acts as hip joint actuator. The system uses 2 way proportional solenoid actuated pneumatic valves for control during extension. The conceptual design of the ESO was completed and implemented in a dynamic simulation model (MSC ADAMS) and in a benchtop prototype for engineering measurements. Of the 14 joules of energy available from quadriceps, 8.9 joules of energy is utilized for doing work against springs and inertial forces; 5.4 joules is stored in pneumatic system; of which 1.4 joules is required for hip extensions and the remaining will be used for forward progression. No studies were conducted with human subjects. A hydraulic fluid power system was investigated for better control and braking possibilities but was not adopted because of difficulities in accumulator design and high fluid friction losses. A Matlab code was used to calculate the torques required at joints to support standing. Commerical braces are being used for improved user comfort. A wrap spring brake is being designed to maintain standing posture without FES or any active energy input. Technical feasibility of the ESO prototype will be evaluated using two subjects with paraplegia.

Humanoid robot Lola: Design and walking control

In this paper we present the humanoid robot LOLA, its mechatronic hardware design, simulation and real-time walking control. The goal of the LOLA-project is to build a machine capable of stable, autonomous, fast and human-like walking. LOLA is characterized by a redundant kinematic configuration with 7-DoF legs, an extremely lightweight design, joint actuators with brushless motors and an electronics architecture using decentralized joint control. Special emphasis was put on an improved mass distribution of the legs to achieve good dynamic performance. Trajectory generation and control aim at faster, more flexible and robust walking. Center of mass trajectories are calculated in real-time from footstep locations using quadratic programming and spline collocation methods. Stabilizing control uses hybrid position/force control in task space with an inner joint position control loop. Inertial stabilization is achieved by modifying the contact force trajectories.

로봇팔을 위한 중력보상기 연구

In this paper, a design and analysis of a gravity compensator which is a new device to reduce the joint torque of robots caused due to gravity is presented. Joints of all robots are loaded by large torques due to gravity. By applying the gravity compensator to the robot joints, the load torques applied to the robot joints are reduced by the repulsive force of the gravity compensator such that the size of the joint actuation motor can be reduced. In this paper, the structure and force relation of the gravity compensator are analyzed. The superior performance of the proposed gravity compensator is verified through experiments which measure the joint motor current caused by the load applied to the robot link.

Dynamic load-carrying capacity of cable-suspended parallel manipulators

In this paper, a computational method for obtaining maximum dynamic load-carrying capacity (DLCC) of the cable-suspended parallel manipulator is developed. The manipulator is assumed to be a rigid manipulator and the joint actuator torque and cable tension force capacities are considered as the major limiting factors in determining the maximum payload. The maximum dynamic payload-carrying capacity of the manipulator is established while the dynamic model of a typical actuator system is used in the joint actuator force capacity for a given trajectory. The proposed constraint completes a common framework for dynamic characterization of a cable-suspended parallel robot. The 3 and 6 degrees of freedom cable robots are presented for computing the maximum DLCC.

ロッド駆動型多関節術具とこれを用いたＭＲＩ環境対応小型マスタスレーブマニピュレータ

To overcome the difficulties associated with minimally invasive surgery, we have developed a magnetic resonance (MR)-compatible compact surgical robotic system. This system uses MR-guided navigation and can augment the surgeon’s eye-hand skills that are limited by endoscopic surgery. To achieve MR-compatibility of the manipulators, we had to provide remote actuation of joints from the ultrasonic motors located and driven at least 750[mm] away from the center of the MRI. We then developed a new surgical instrument and a novel tube-rod transmission mechanism comprised of a flexible PEEK® rod encased in a Teflon® tube, as well as a technique for controlling the transmission mechanism. It was found that stiction force had a significant impact on the stiffness of transmission using a parameter estimation method. We derived an algorithm to compensate for the expansion of the rods that occurred so we could negate the stiction force. The result of the compensation showed that the time delay between the reference to the ultrasonic motor and the movement of the joint was reduced from 600 to 80[ms]. Using the master-slave manipulator system with the tool and the transmission mechanism, we were able to perform each primitive motion of a suturing task for training material.

Multi-objective optimisation approach for predicting seated posture considering balance

Common tasks of vehicle operation are performed while seated. Using a whole-body human articulated model, we propose a methodology of predicting realistic seated postures that is based on optimising multiple-objective functions. The idea of zero-moment point (ZMP), inspired from the stability of bipedal motion, is applied to the seated postures as the main criterion for stability. An efficient formulation of ZMP is derived from the resultant reaction loads, which are also necessary to predict seat reaction forces. The required joint actuator torques is calculated and is within the limits. Several seated posture examples with different tasks (external forces and target points) show associated natural postures with different stability levels.

Maximum load carrying capacity of mobile manipulators: optimal control approach

SUMMARYIn this paper, finding the maximum load carrying capacity of mobile manipulators for a given two-end-point task is formulated as an optimal control problem. The solution methods of this problem are broadly classified as indirect and direct. This work is based on the indirect solution which solves the optimization problem explicitly. In fixed-base manipulators, the maximum allowable load is limited mainly by their joint actuator capacity constraints. But when the manipulators are mounted on the mobile bases, the redundancy resolution and nonholonomic constraints are added to the problem. The concept of holonomic and nonholonomic constraints is described, and the extended Jacobian matrix and additional kinematic constraints are used to solve the extra DOFs of the system. Using the Pontryagin's minimum principle, optimality conditions for carrying the maximum payload in point-to-point motion are obtained which leads to the bang-bang control. There are some difficulties in satisfying the obtained optimality conditions, so an approach is presented to improve the formulation which leads to the two-point boundary value problem (TPBVP) solvable with available commands in different softwares. Then, an algorithm is developed to find the maximum payload and corresponding optimal path on the basis of the solution of TPBVP. One advantage of the proposed method is obtaining the maximum payload trajectory for every considered objective function. It means that other objectives can be achieved in addition to maximize the payload. For the sake of comparison with previous results in the literature, simulation tests are performed for a two-link wheeled mobile manipulator. The reasonable agreement is observed between the results, and the superiority of the method is illustrated. Then, simulations are performed for a PUMA arm mounted on a linear tracked base and the results are discussed. Finally, the effect of final time on the maximum payload is investigated, and it is shown that the approach presented is also able to solve the time-optimal control problem successfully.

Animating responsive characters with dynamic constraints in near-unactuated coordinates

This paper presents a technique to enhance a kinematically controlled virtual character with a generic class of dynamic responses to small perturbations. Given an input motion sequence, our technique can synthesize reactive motion to arbitrary external forces with a specific style customized to the input motion. Our method re-parameterizes the motion degrees of freedom based on joint actuations in the input motion. By only enforcing the equations of motion in the less actuated coordinates, our approach can create physically responsive motion based on kinematic pose control without explicitly computing the joint actuations. We demonstrate the simplicity and robustness of our technique by showing a variety of examples generated with the same set of parameters. Our formulation focuses on the type of perturbations that significantly disrupt the upper body poses and dynamics, but have limited effect on the whole-body balance state.

DYNAMIC MODELLING OF A FLEXIBLE LINK MANIPULATOR ROBOT USING AMM

This paper presents modeling of a flexible link manipulator using Lagrangian technique in conjunction with the assumed mode method (AMM). The links are modeled as Euler-Bernoulli beams satisfying proper mass boundary conditions. A payload is added to the tip of the outer link, while hub inertias are included at the actuator joints. The Lagrangian approach is used to derive the dynamic model of the structure. In this research, the dynamic model of a flexible link manipulator verified using Matlab/Simulink simulation. The model formulation proposed in this work is complete in the sense that it considers the effects of payload and damping structural of the link. The emphasis has been set on obtaining accurate equations of motion that display the most relevant aspects of the coupling between rigid and flexible dynamics.

Laser-Induced Fluorescence and Reflected White Light Imaging for Robot-Assisted MIS

This paper presents an articulated robotic-controlled device to facilitate large-area in vivo tissue imaging and characterization through the integration of miniaturized reflected white light and fluorescence intensity imaging for minimally invasive surgery (MIS). The device is composed of a long, rigid shaft with a robotically controlled distal tip featuring three degrees of in-plane articulation and one degree of rotational freedom. The constraints imposed by the articulated section, coupled with the small footprint available in MIS devices, require a novel optical configuration to ensure effective target illumination and image acquisition. A tunable coherent supercontinuum laser source is used to provide sequential white light and fluorescence illumination through a multimode fiber (200 microm diameter), and the reflected images are transmitted to an image acquisition system using a 10,000 pixel flexible fiber image guide (590 microm diameter). By using controlled joint actuation to trace overlapping trajectories, the device allows effective imaging of a larger field of view than a traditional dual-mode laparoscope. A first-generation prototype of the device and its initial phantom and ex vivo tissue characterization results are described. The results demonstrate the potential of the device to be used as a new platform for in vivo tissue characterization and navigation for MIS.

A Biarticulated Robotic Leg for Jumping Movements: Theory and Experiments

This paper investigates the extent to which biarticular actuation mechanisms—spring-driven redundant actuation schemes that extend over two joints, similar in function to biarticular muscles found in legged animals—improve the performance of jumping and other fast explosive robot movements. Robust numerical optimization algorithms that take into account the complex dynamics of both the redundantly actuated system and frictional contact forces are developed. We then quantitatively evaluate the gains in vertical jumping vis-à-vis monoarticular and biarticular joint actuation schemes and examine the effects of spring stiffness and activation angle on overall jump performance. Both numerical simulations and experiments with a hardware prototype of a biarticular legged robot are reported.

On-line trajectory resolution for two-armed systems with conflicting performance criteria

Abstract Recent automation research has proposed robotic machining as an alternative to traditional CNC machining. However, unlike traditional machine tools, robots are subject to relatively larger dynamic disturbances and operate closer to their torque limits. As a result of these conditions, combined with inaccurate models of the manipulators and the machining process, joint actuators can often saturate during machining operation, resulting in damage to the tool, or the part, or both. As off-line planned trajectories are executed by the controller, unmodeled disturbances arising due to inaccurate manipulator and blank models may necessitate on-line trajectory re-planning to provide alternate joint trajectories. Such joint trajectories must be constrained to maintain a desired tool path relative to a blank, to respect the manipulators’ torque and joint limits, and to avoid collisions. This paper presents a new method for selecting the null-space motion based on torque limits and conflicting performance criteria. The effectiveness of the null-space motion algorithm has been demonstrated via extensive simulations.

Acceleration Workspace of Cooperating Multi-Finger Robot Systems

We present a mathematical method for acceleration workspace analysis of cooperating multi-finger robot systems using a model of point-contact with friction. A new unified formulation from dynamic equations of cooperating multi-finger robots is derived considering the force and acceleration relationships between the fingers and the object to be handled. From the dynamic equation, maximum translational and rotational acceleration bounds of an object are calculated under given constraints of contact conditions, configurations of fingers, and bounds on the torques of joint actuators for each finger. Here, the rotational acceleration bounds can be applied as an important manipulability index when the multi-finger robot grasps an object. To verify the proposed method, we used a set of case studies with a simple multi-finger mechanism system. The achievable acceleration boundary in task space can be obtained successfully with the proposed method and the acceleration boundary depends on the configurations of fingers.

Kinematics and Experiments of a Life-Sized Masticatory Robot for Characterizing Food Texture

A life-sized masticatory robot, which is intended to chew foods in a human way while the food properties are evaluated, of a 6RSS parallel mechanism is discussed in this paper. A robotic mechanism is proposed, and its kinematic parameters are defined according to the biomechanical findings and measurements of the human masticatory system. For a given mandibular trajectory to be tracked, the closed-form solution to inverse kinematics of the robot is found for joint actuations, whereas differential kinematics is derived in Jacobian matrices. Major features of the robot, including the motion control system, are presented. Experimental results for free chewing, soft-food chewing, and hard-food chewing are given where the foods are simulated by foam and hard objects, and crank actuations and driving torques (an indication of muscular activities) required are compared for the chewing of different foods.

고중량 이송 가능한 초경량 로봇 팔의 설계

In this paper, a six degree-of-freedom robot arm which is very light but capable of delivering heavy loads was studied. The proposed robot arm has much higher load capacity than conventional robot arms actuated by motors with speed reducers such as the harmonic drive since a new type of robot actuator based on a closed chain mechanism driven by the ball screw was adopted. Analysis on the design scheme and on the mechanism of the joint actuator of the robot arm were made. Since the robot arm was designed very light, it has deflection in the links. To analyze this, a finite element analysis on the structure of the designed robot links was made using ANSYS software. Verifying experiments on the performance of high load capacity of the robot arm was performed by loading heavy weights on the robot arm. Through experiments, the correctness of the numerical analysis was also verified.

Singularity-Free Joint Actuation in Omnidirectional Mobile Platforms With Powered Offset Caster Wheels

This paper presents the analysis of singularity and motion capability of a mobile platform articulated by offset powered caster wheels. Specifically, it presents the analysis of the equations of motion resulting in the sufficient and necessary actuation condition to yield a workspace that is entirely free of singular configurations. This paper shows that powering both the steer and drive joints on two sets of offset caster wheels in a mobile platform guarantees a singularity-free condition throughout the entire workspace. Analysis and discussion on equations of motions that lead to this result are presented.