Prototype of Musculoskeletal Trunk with Thin Mckibben Muscles

Abstract

Musculoskeletal trunk with 76 degree of freedom driven by thin McKibben muscles has been developed. Trunk mechanism of conventional musculoskeletal robots is simplified or underactuated and do not have all muscles of human because it is difficult for conventional actuators to be attached. Because thin McKibben muscles are small enough to be densely attached, we can overcome these problems by applying them to the back of the musculoskeletal robot.