Novel mechanical design of biped robot SHERPA using 2 DOF cable differential modular joints

— This paper discusses the mechanical kinematics solutions and design aspects of the biped robot SHERPA, a bipedal platform able to walk and carry load. Starting from the analysis of the human lower limbs, we figure out that 6 DOF per leg are fundamental for a correct walking motion and can be adopted in a mechanical design of a humanoid robot. A close investigation of the joints leads us to a novel modular mechanical design, with a parallel architecture mechanism characterized by and high degree of interchangeable components. The robot is using twelve high performance hollow shaft electrical actuators acting in pairs in a parallel manner, a remote compact and transparent actuation with zero-backlash cable transmissions, 2 DOF differential joints between each segment of the limb and a light-weight carbon fiber skeleton modeling and mimic the anatomy of the human legs. The modular 2 DOF cable differential joint has been implemented at the hip, knee and ankle level. Using our approach,...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: IROS
• Authors: Ionut Mihai Constantin Olaru, Sébastien Krut, François Pierrot
• Keywords: IROS 2009, Mechanical Design, Mechanical Kinematics Solutions, Robot Sherpa, Robotics