Response Adjustment of a Human-like Musculoskeletal Robotic Arm ”HUMA” to External Forces

-Adjusting Response to External Forces at the End Effector by switching paths of an Actuator Network-

Abstract

Recently, robots are expected to work alongside humans in our daily environment. To realize a safe physical interaction between the robot and its surroundings, the robot must be able to control the flexibility at the end effector to external forces. We have developed a humanlike musculoskeletal robotic arm “ HUMA ”as a robot platform for the physical interaction research. In this research, we improved the HUMA's shoulder joint structure, and investigated its adjustable response to external forces by switching paths of an actuator network system (ANS). In the experiment, we hit a ball to the HUMA's end effector and measured the trajectories of the rebound ball and the end effector. The results suggested that the robot can modify its response to external forces by changing the connection of the actuators.