Elastic Actuation : Potential and Pitfalls ∗

In this paper we explore the space of design freedoms associated with series elastic actuators. We specifically focus on the problem of damping, and evaluate through simulation how inclusion of series damping can improve the reliability and controllability of tasks involving force control and impact. We explicitly build upon the pioneering work by Pratt and colleagues at the MIT Leg Lab in the mid to late 1990s, and seek to define metrics for evaluating performance of series elastic actuation systems. The conclusion demonstrates the utility of including well tuned damping in such systems.