Joint torque-based Cartesian impedance control with friction compensations

In order to investigate the joint torque-based Cartesian impedance control strategies and the influence of compensations for friction, an experimental study on the identification of friction parameters, friction compensation and the Cartesian impedance control are developed for the harmonic drive robot, by using the sensors available in the joint itself. Different from the conventional Cartesian impedance control schemes which are mostly based on the robot end force/torque information, five joint torque-based Cartesian impedance control schemes are considered, including the force-based schemes in Cartesian/joint space, the position-based schemes in Cartesian/joint space and the stiffness control. Four of them are verified by corresponding experiments with/without friction compensations. By comparison, it is found that the force-based impedance control strategy is more suitable than the position-based one for the robot based on joint torque feedback and the friction has even a positive effect on Cartesian impedance control stability.

Biomechanical research of knee joint during the process of running

To study the effect of speed on the biomechanics of a knee joint during running, a biomechanical model of human lower limb joints is established based on the Kane method and semi-physical simulation. Experiments on the running process were made at different speeds for healthy young men. The influence of running speed on knee Joint motion is analyzed quantitatively and a mathematical model of the knee angle is established with speed as the independent variable. Results show that, at the moment of the heel contacting with theground, with the increase of speed, the more, and the calf and thigh are closer to the same line. In the middle stage of a gait cycle, the thigh stretches back, and then the calf and thigh are close to collineation. At that moment, the stretch of the posterior cruciate ligament is the largest, and the slower the speed, the more obvious the collineation. The maximal joint angle of the calf relative to the thigh appears in the later stage, and themaximal joint angle increases with the increase of the velocity. With the increase of the running speed, the phase of the cure of knee angle moves forward. The results can be used in the field of rehabilitation robotics and humanoid robot.

Fault tolerant motion planning based on joint torque limit for redundant manipulators

First, two fault tolerant planning algorithms with avoidance of joint static torque limit or joint dynamic torque limit are proposed respectively. The former is suitable for the low-speed manipulators, and the latter is suitable for the high-speed manipulators. These algorithms not only can insure manipulation tasks to lie within the fault tolerant workspace but also can avoid joint torque limit, and hence can insure a redundant manipulator to be. fault tolerant in both kinematical sense and dynamic sense. Then, the simulation examples for a planar 3R manipulator demonstrate the validity of these algorithms.

Research on Precision Assembly Robot's Joint Torque Control Based on Current Measurement

A set of new current sensing device is used to realize joint torque control based on current measurement in a precision assembly robot's third joint. The output torque's model of the joint's brushless DC motor is founded. Disturbance factors and the compensated effect of the torque's closed loop based on current measurement are analyzed. Related simulations and experiments show that the system has good current tracking and anti-disturbances performance, which improve the force control performance of the robot in assembly.

Anti-Windup Control Strategy of Drive System for Humanoid Robot Arm Joint

To address the problems of torque limit and controller saturation in the control of robot arm joint,an anti-windup control strategy is proposed for a humanoid robot arm,which is based on the integral state prediction under the direct torque control system of brushless DC motor. First,the arm joint of the humanoid robot is modelled. Then the speed controller model and the influence of the initial value of the integral element on the system are analyzed. On the basis of the traditional antiwindup controller,an integral state estimator is set up. Under the condition of different load torques and the given speed,the integral steady-state value is estimated. Therefore the accumulation of the speed error terminates when the integrator reaches saturation. Then the predicted integral steady-state value is used as the initial value of the regulator to enter the linear region to make the system achieve the purpose of anti-windup. The simulation results demonstrate that the control strategy for the humanoid robot arm joint based on integral state prediction can play the role of anti-windup and suppress the overshoot of the system effectively. The system has a good dynamic performance.

Compliant landing of a trotting quadruped robot based on hybrid motion/force robust control

A compliant landing strategy for a trotting quadruped robot on unknown rough terrains based on contact force control is presented. Firstly, in order to lower the disturbance caused by the landing impact force, a landing phase is added between the swing phase and the stance phase, where the desired contact force is set as a small positive constant. Secondly, the joint torque optimization of the stance legs is formulated as a quadratic programming(QP) problem subject to equality and inequality/bound constraints. And a primal-dual dynamical system solver based on linear variational inequalities(LVI) is applied to solve this QP problem. Furthermore, based on the optimization results, a hybrid motion/force robust controller is designed to realize the tracking of the contact force, while the constraints of the stance feet landing angles are fulfilled simultaneously. Finally, the experiments are performed to validate the proposed methods.

Modelling and Analysis of Turning Motion of a Subsurface Mapping AUV with Split-Hull Design

There is much need for autonomous underwater vehicles(AUVs)for inspection and mapping purposes.Most conventional AUVs use torpedo-shaped single-rigid hull,because of which their manoeuvrability is limited.Moreover,any increase in payload results in a larger hull size and the turning diameter,limiting its operation in constrained areas.As a solution to this problem,we develop M-Hull,a subsurface mapping AUV with a modular-split hull design that provides better manoeuvrability than a conventional torpedo-shaped vehicle.At the same time,it has more agility than an unconventional bio-inspired snake-like vehicle though their designs look similar.This approach makes it a hybrid solution between conventional torpedo-shaped AUVs and unconventional bio-inspired vehicles.We focus on improving the turning diameter during the mapping operation,and hence this paper concentrates on the dynamic aspects of the 2D turning motion of the vehicle.It will provide the relationship between turning speed,thrust,and joint torque requirements for the multi-hull underwater vehicle.Different turning modes are compared to choose an optimum turning configuration,and the critical speed is calculated for the vehicle's safe operation.In the end,the modelling is verified using the experimental data.One can follow the method followed here for the 2D motion analysis of similar underwater vehicles.

Robotics and mechatronics for planetary surface exploration

The paper briefly addresses DLR' s ( German Aerospace Center) expertise in space robotics by handof corresponding milestone projects including systems on the International Space Station ISS. It then discussesthe key technologies needed for the development of an artificial "robonaut" generation with mechatronic ultra-light weight arms and multifingered hands. The third arm generation is nearly finished now, approaching thelimits of what is technologically achievable today with respect to light-weight and power losses. In a similar wayDLR' s second generation of artificial 4-fingered hands was a big step towards higher reliability, manipulabilityand overall performance.

A review of the design of load-carrying exoskeletons

The increasing necessity of load-carrying activities has led to greater human musculoskeletal damage and an increased metabolic cost.With the rise of exoskeleton technology,researchers have begun exploring different approaches to developing wearable robots to augment human load-carrying ability.However,there is a lack of systematic discussion on biomechanics,mechanical designs,and augmentation performance.To achieve this,extensive studies have been reviewed and 108 references are selected mainly from 2013 to 2022 to address the most recent development.Other earlier 20 studies are selected to present the origin of different design principles.In terms of the way to achieve load-carrying augmentation,the exoskeletons reviewed in this paper are sorted by four categories based on the design principles,namely load-suspended backpacks,lower-limb exoskeletons providing joint torques,exoskeletons transferring load to the ground and exoskeletons transferring load between body segments.Specifically,the driving modes of active and passive,the structure of rigid and flexible,the conflict between assistive performance and the mass penalty of the exoskeleton,and the autonomy are discussed in detail in each section to illustrate the advances,challenges,and future trends of exoskeletons designed to carry loads.