Structure transforming for constructing constraint force field in musculoskeletal robot
ISSN: 0144-5154
Article publication date: 1 December 2021
Issue publication date: 24 March 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Human-like musculoskeletal robots can fulfill flexible movement and manipulation with the help of multi joints and actuators. However, in general, sophisticated structures, accurate sensors and well-designed control are all necessary for a musculoskeletal robot to achieve high-precision movement. How to realize the reliable and accurate movement of the robot under the condition of limited sensing and control accuracy is still a bottleneck problem. This paper aims to improve the movement performance of musculoskeletal system by bio-inspired method.
Design/methodology/approach
Inspired by two kinds of natural constraints, the convergent force field found in neuroscience and attractive region in the environment found in information science, the authors proposed a structure transforming optimization algorithm for constructing constraint force field in musculoskeletal robots. Due to the characteristics of rigid-flexible coupling and variable structures, a constraint force field can be constructed in the task space of the musculoskeletal robot by optimizing the arrangement of muscles.
Findings
With the help of the constraint force field, the robot can complete precise and robust movement with constant control signals, which brings in the possibility to reduce the requirement of sensing feedback during the motion control of the robot. Experiments are conducted on a musculoskeletal model to evaluate the performance of the proposed method in movement accuracy, noise robustness and structure sensitivity.
Originality/value
A novel concept, constraint force field, is proposed to realize high-precision movements of musculoskeletal robots. It provides a new theoretical basis for improving the performance of robotic manipulation such as assembly and grasping under the condition that the accuracy of control and sensory are limited.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Wei Wu, Erlong Kang for their help in discussions. This work is supported by The National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFB1300200, 2017YFB1300203), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (under grant 61627808, 91648205, 91948303), the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Science under grant XDB32050100.
Citation
Zhong, S., Chen, Z. and Zhou, J. (2022), "Structure transforming for constructing constraint force field in musculoskeletal robot", Assembly Automation, Vol. 42 No. 2, pp. 169-180. https://doi.org/10.1108/AA-07-2021-0093
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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