Abstract
This paper proposes an inflatable robotic arm controlled by a joystick for welfare robots. The robot arm is constructed of inflatable links, pneumatic bag actuators, and ABS joints. The robot arm has softness and lightness in comparison with general robotic arms which made of metal and heavy elements. The softness and lightness realize intrinsic safety. Therefore, the robot is expected to apply for the welfare robots. In this paper, we propose a new control method for joystick operation. The method is robust to errors of physical parameters of the robot. Thereby, the method is suitable for the inflatable robot arm whose links are easily deformed. Some experiments using the robot arm is demonstrated to confirm the usefulness of the proposed method.
