Actuation and power system influences on mechatronic design

Actuators form one of the critical components of any mechatronic system, converting stored energy available in a range of forms (typically electric, hydraulic, pneumatic or chemical), into useful mechanical actions that allow a system to interact with the environment. The selection of the actuators and the power sources in any mechanism is therefore one of the key determinants of the mechanical performance. For animals, muscle has a unique ability to provide power for land, sea and air borne creatures ranging in size from whales to microbes, with adaptation to cope with environmental extremes, but the engineering world has failed to provide one universal solution and the task of “optimum” actuator selection often remains unresolved. In this talk, I will present our work on the development of both conventional and novel actuation systems to try to resolve these often conflicting demands. In particular I will focus on the needs of biomimetic and humanoid robots and the development of embodied cognition within these systems (eg the child robot iCub) which sees the actuators having a central rather than a peripheral part in the definition of intelligence as well as simple mechanical performance.