Stiffness Evaluation for a Tendon-Driven Robot with Variable Stiffness Mechanisms

Abstract

This paper proposes a new tendon-driven robot with variable stiffness mechanisms. The tendon-driven robot is able to change stiffness by sliding variable stiffness mechanisms over the link 1 by wire tensions. As a reason for that structure and moment arms of the tendon-driven robot are changed by a position of variable mechanism. The stiffness of the tendon-driven robot is evaluated by using a stiffness ellipsoid.