Variable stiffness McKibben muscles with hydraulic and pneumatic operating modes

Xiang, Chaoqun; Giannaccini, ME; Theodoridis, T; Nefti-Meziani, S; Davis, ST

Abstract

McKibben muscles have been shown to have improved stiffness characteristics when operating hydraulically. However, when operating pneumatically they are compliant and so have potential for safer physical Human Robot Interaction (pHRI). This paper presents a method for rapidly switching between pneumatic and hydraulic modes of operation without the need to remove all hydraulic fluid from the actuator. A compliant and potentially safe pneumatic mode is demonstrated and compared with a much stiffer hydraulic mode. The paper also explores a combined pneumatic/hydraulic mode of operation which allows both the position of the joint and the speed at which it reacts to a disturbance force to be controlled.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 5, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Apr 14, 2016
• Publication Date: Apr 14, 2016
• Deposit Date: Feb 8, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 19, 2016
• Journal: Advanced Robotics
• Print ISSN: 0169-1864
• Electronic ISSN: 1568-5535
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Volume: 30
• Issue: 13
• Pages: 889-899
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01691864.2016.1154801
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01691864.2016.1154801
• Related Public URLs: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tadr20/current
• Additional Information: Funders : Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC);This work was funded by the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Intelligent Automation.;National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 program);China Scholarships Council; Projects : Soft, safe and variable stiffness continuum manipulators for intelligent automation.; Grant Number: EP/IO33467/1; Grant Number: 2015AA042302; Grant Number: 201406080054