Robohub.org
 

Explosive motions

by
16 July 2012



share this:

Throwing, hitting, jumping or kicking are often referred to as explosive movements since they require the sudden release of large amounts of energy to be successful. Instead of using large and powerful motors to achieve such movements, researchers are turning to compliant actuators with elastic components capable of passively storing and releasing energy. Varying the stiffness of the actuator can be interesting to go from highly compliant actuators that are safe for human-robot interactions to stiffer actuators that are optimized for the task at hand. Exploring how stiffness impacts task performance is highly complex and is usually done through trial and error.

Instead, Braun et al. propose a framework that optimizes the control of actuator stiffness and torque automatically. Demonstrations are performed using a robot arm in simulation and reality on a ball throwing task (see video below). Interestingly, controlling the torque and stiffness independently leads to better performance than systems where stiffness can not be independently controlled.

Currently, the authors are implementing the proposed framework on anthropomorphic variable stiffness devices with many degrees of freedom, such as the DLR Hand-Arm System. This work provides a blueprint for achieving optimal control in the next generation of robotic devices where variable stiffness actuation is likely to play a dominant role.



tags: ,


Sabine Hauert is President of Robohub and Associate Professor at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory
Sabine Hauert is President of Robohub and Associate Professor at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory





Related posts :



Soft robotic tool provides new ‘eyes’ in endovascular surgery

The magnetic device can help visualise and navigate complex and narrow spaces.

‘Brainless’ robot can navigate complex obstacles

Researchers who created a soft robot that could navigate simple mazes without human or computer direction have now built on that work, creating a “brainless” soft robot that can navigate more complex and dynamic environments.
21 September 2023, by

Battery-free origami microfliers from UW researchers offer a new bio-inspired future of flying machines

Researchers at the University of Washington present battery-free microfliers that can change shape in mid-air to vary their dispersal distance.

Virtual-reality tech is fast becoming more real

Touch sensations are improving to help sectors like healthcare and manufacturing, while other advances are being driven by the gaming industry.
16 September 2023, by

High-tech microscope with ML software for detecting malaria in returning travellers

Method not as accurate as human experts, but shows promise.
14 September 2023, by and

How drones are used during earthquakes

Drones are being used by responders in the terrible Morocco earthquake.
13 September 2023, by and





©2021 - ROBOTS Association


 












©2021 - ROBOTS Association