Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : May 29, 2024 - June 01, 2024
McKibben-type pneumatic artificial muscles, a type of soft actuator, contract like a muscle when compressed air is applied. Pneumatic muscles, which have characteristics similar to biological muscles, have been widely used in robots that imitate endoskeletal systems like humans. However, robots imitating exoskeletons, like crustaceans, mainly use servomotors to drive joints due to the difficulty of placing actuators inside the exoskeleton. In this study, we have developed bipennate muscles employing thin-type McKibben pneumatic muscles. We have also developed an exoskeleton robot imitating the walking legs of a crab. As a result of movement experiments, we confirmed the opening and closing movements of the joints from merus to propodus.
