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This robot is the first full-size humanoid able to rebalance after accidental or intentional shoves or kicks landed anywhere on its body, thanks to new software
(Image: Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, ACT/IEEE)
If robots are going to work alongside humans, then they will need to stand up to accidental bumps and shoves, not to mention the occasional deliberate kick.
That is why researchers in Japan have developed software that allows a life-size humanoid robot to stay on its feet no matter where on its body it is pushed. Theirs is the first full-size humanoid to show such steadiness others of similar size inevitably topple over when nudged in the right spot. In experiments, the robot was subjected to repeated pushes. A virtual robot received much harder shoves.
Rebalancing should allow humans to interact more naturally with robots, letting them act as a physical guide, for example. If a controller tries to show other full-size humanoids how to perform a task by moving its limbs, there is a strong chance the thing will fall over.
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The robot, made by US firm Sarcos and then developed by researchers at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology in Japan, suffers no such unsteadiness, it can easily rebalance when its arms are pulled into different positions.
The robots balancing ability depends on its joints. For one thing they are never kept rigid, even when standing still, meaning they yield slightly when the robot is pushed.
Force sensors within each joint also work out the position and velocity of the robots centre mass as it moves around. Control software rapidly figures out what forces the robots feet need to exert on the ground to bring it back into balance, and tells the joints how to act.
As well as keeping the robot steady as it moves itself around, the technique lets it readjust to sudden, external forces.
In cases when the robots joints cannot quickly swing its centre of mass back into place, it ends up staggering a bit like a boxer after a heavy punch. This constitutes several rounds of rebalancing, with each cycle shifting the centre of mass closer to its original balance point.
Some other humanoid robots rebalance themselves by measuring changes to the position of each joint. This requires very accurate knowledge of the magnitude of an applied shove, says ATR researcher Sang-Ho Hyon, which is difficult to achieve without covering the whole robot with force sensors.
Most robots lack such sensors, and so use a relatively simple trick to rebalance themselves. For example, Hondas ASIMO, shifts its hip joint in order to stay steady, which only works in some cases.
Imagine what happens if we push ASIMOs hip, says Hyon. This would leave the diminutive humanoid unable to rebalance. In our method, when we push the hip, the hip follows the external forces and other joints compensate for the balance, adds Hyon.
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You just dont see the real good humanoids out there get pushed, says Jerry Pratt, a roboticist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) in Pensacola, Florida, US.
This team is currently ahead of the pack in terms of having it work on a full robot, Pratt told New Scientist. Making the robot more compliant instead of stiff plays a big part in that, he says, and the ability to measure and control the torque force at every joint is also crucial.
Pratt and colleagues are working on their own control strategy, which involves rebalancing with a single step. Imagine you are crossing a pond and you can only step to one rock to rebalance, he says. The software will be tested next year after the team finishes building a suitable humanoid.
Journal reference: IEEE Transactions on Robotics (vol 23, p884)
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Looking to understand everything about degrees of freedom in robotics? Youre in the right corner of the internet!
Degrees of freedom allow robotic arms to do their thing and move around, grab, and interact with objects. If youre looking to automate a manufacturing process, for instance, understanding degrees of freedom is part of your new ABCs.
In this article, well go over everything there is to know about these degrees of freedom (DOF) and how they can be applied to a wide range of tasks.
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Lets get started!
Long story short: Degrees of freedom (DOF) refers to the number of independent movements a robotic arm can make. Basically, the more degrees of freedom, the more skilled and flexible the arm.
For starters, a single joint that can rotate 360 degrees provides one degree of freedom.
However, most robotic arms have several joints, each contributing one or more degrees of freedom. For example, a shoulder joint that can move vertically and horizontally provides two degrees of freedom, and an elbow joint adds another.
As a rule of arm, robotic arms typically range from three to seven degrees of freedom or more.
A three-degree arm can move up and down, left and right, and in and out. This provides basic functionality but limited flexibility.
On the other hand, five or six degrees of freedom allow for a greater range of motion and more complex movements. Highly articulated arms with seven degrees of freedom or more can perform high-dexterity tasks.
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