Constructive Approach for Developing a Musculoskeletal Robot Arm with Spinal Reflexes

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26700025
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Intelligent robotics
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Shuhei Ikemoto 大阪大学, 基礎工学研究科, 助教 (00588353)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 筋骨格ロボット / 空気圧人工筋 / 固有受容器 / 生物規範

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed to constructively investigate and exploit adaptability of human motor control by using a musculoskeletal robot arm with embedded sensors corresponding to proprioceptive organs. To this end, we proposed the shoulder complex linkage mechanism, which can provide the same mechanical constraints with that of a scapula, and developed a compact sensor system, which can generate the same responses with a muscle spindle and a tendon spindle, for the new musculoskeletal robot arm driven by pneumatic artificial muscles. By using the new musculoskeletal robot arm, we confirmed that the flexibility of the musculoskeletal system has advantages for tasks under mechanical constraints of the environment. In addition, we proposed a direct teaching method specialized for robots driven by pneumatic artificial muscles that is applicable even for the very complex musculoskeletal robot arm.

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