Variable Recruitment Testing of Pneumatic Artificial Muscles for Robotic Manipulators

This paper investigates the orderly recruitment of pneumatic artificial muscles for efficient torque production in a robotic manipulator. Pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) are arranged in a parallel bundle, and independently-controlled “motor units” are employed to imitate the structure and function of human skeletal muscle. Simulated cycling tests are conducted on a model of the robotic manipulator to quantify the benefits of variable recruitment, and experimental testing is performed to validate the simulated predictions. Results reveal a distinct relationship between recruitment and system efficiency. Key factors influencing the value of a variable recruitment strategy include nonlinear PAM bladder elasticity, pneumatic losses, and dissipative forces in the robotic joint. Recruitment guidelines are proposed to maximize efficiency over a range of payload masses. The potential challenges associated with maintaining smooth motion control during discrete transitions in recruitment are also identified and discussed.

[1]  Daniel W. Repperger,et al.  Actuator design using biomimicry methods and a pneumatic muscle system , 2006 .

[2]  Daniel Vélez Día,et al.  Biomechanics and Motor Control of Human Movement , 2013 .

[3]  Bram Vanderborght,et al.  Trajectory Planning for the Walking Biped “Lucy” , 2006, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[4]  Septimiu E. Salcudean,et al.  A force-controlled pneumatic actuator , 1995, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[5]  Yildirim Hurmuzlu,et al.  A High Performance Pneumatic Force Actuator System: Part I—Nonlinear Mathematical Model , 2000 .

[6]  Carlo J. Deluc.  CONTROL PROPERTIES OF MOTOR UNITS , 1985 .

[7]  Yasuo Kuniyoshi,et al.  Mowgli: A Bipedal Jumping and Landing Robot with an Artificial Musculoskeletal System , 2007, Proceedings 2007 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[8]  Ryan M. Robinson,et al.  Pneumatic artificial muscle actuators for compliant robotic manipulators , 2014 .

[9]  Dylan Burns,et al.  Hierarchical actuator systems , 2005, SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring.

[10]  Roger D. Quinn,et al.  Design and control of a robotic leg with braided pneumatic actuators , 2001, Proceedings 2001 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Expanding the Societal Role of Robotics in the the Next Millennium (Cat. No.01CH37180).

[11]  Oussama Khatib,et al.  Design and Control of a Bio-inspired Human-friendly Robot , 2010 .

[12]  Bram Vanderborght,et al.  Variable Recruitment of Parallel Elastic Elements: Series–Parallel Elastic Actuators (SPEA) With Dephased Mutilated Gears , 2015, IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.

[13]  Taro Nakamura,et al.  Development of an orthosis for walking assistance using pneumatic artificial muscle: A quantitative assessment of the effect of assistance , 2013, 2013 IEEE 13th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR).

[14]  T. Tjahjowidodo,et al.  A New Approach to Modeling Hysteresis in a Pneumatic Artificial Muscle Using The Maxwell-Slip Model , 2011, IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.

[15]  Darwin G. Caldwell,et al.  Braid Effects on Contractile Range and Friction Modeling in Pneumatic Muscle Actuators , 2006, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[16]  D. Miller,et al.  Joule-Thomson Inversion Curve, Corresponding States, and Simpler Equations of State , 1970 .

[17]  Andreas Schulz,et al.  A Human-Like Robot Hand and Arm with Fluidic Muscles: Biologically Inspired Construction and Functionality , 2003, Embodied Artificial Intelligence.

[18]  Norman M. Wereley,et al.  Analysis of nonlinear elastic behavior in miniature pneumatic artificial muscles , 2012 .

[19]  Antonio Bicchi,et al.  Fast and "soft-arm" tactics [robot arm design] , 2004, IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine.

[20]  Radhika Nagpal,et al.  Design and control of a bio-inspired soft wearable robotic device for ankle–foot rehabilitation , 2014, Bioinspiration & biomimetics.

[21]  Norman M. Wereley,et al.  Experimental Characterization and Static Modeling of McKibben Actuators , 2009 .

[22]  C J De Luca,et al.  Rank‐ordered regulation of motor units , 1996, Muscle & nerve.

[23]  Bertrand Tondu,et al.  A Seven-degrees-of-freedom Robot-arm Driven by Pneumatic Artificial Muscles for Humanoid Robots , 2005, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[24]  Darwin G. Caldwell,et al.  Pneumatic muscle actuated continuum arms: Modelling and experimental assessment , 2012, 2012 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[25]  Bertrand Tondu,et al.  Modelling of the McKibben artificial muscle: A review , 2012 .

[26]  Ephrahim Garcia,et al.  Toward Variable Recruitment Fluidic Artificial Muscles , 2013 .

[27]  Blake Hannaford,et al.  The anthroform biorobotic arm: A system for the study of spinal circuits , 1995, Annals of Biomedical Engineering.

[28]  K. Tadano,et al.  Achieving Haptic Perception in Forceps’ Manipulator Using Pneumatic Artificial Muscle , 2013, IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.

[29]  H. Harry Asada,et al.  Scaling up shape memory alloy actuators using a recruitment control architecture , 2010, 2010 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[30]  Shahid Hussain,et al.  An Adaptive Wearable Parallel Robot for the Treatment of Ankle Injuries , 2014, IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.

[31]  Antonio Bicchi,et al.  Dealing with the Safety-Performance Tradeoff in Robot Arms Design and Control , 2004 .

[32]  Alessandro Tognetti,et al.  Recruited dielectric elastomer motor units as pseudomuscolar actuator , 2003, SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring.

[33]  Andrea Manuello Bertetto,et al.  Flexible Pneumatic Actuators: A Comparison between The McKibben and the Straight Fibres Muscles , 2001, J. Robotics Mechatronics.

[34]  G. Somjen,et al.  FUNCTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF CELL SIZE IN SPINAL MOTONEURONS. , 1965, Journal of neurophysiology.

[35]  Fumio Miyazaki,et al.  Control of pneumatic five-fingered robot hand using antagonistic muscle ratio and antagonistic muscle activity , 2010, 2010 3rd IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics.

[36]  Norman M. Wereley,et al.  Nonlinear analysis of quasi-static response of pneumatic artificial muscles for agonistic and antagonistic actuation modes , 2013, Smart Structures.

[37]  Bram Vanderborght,et al.  Modeling Hysteresis in Pleated Pneumatic Artificial Muscles , 2008, 2008 IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics.

[38]  Helge J. Ritter,et al.  Platform portable anthropomorphic grasping with the bielefeld 20-DOF shadow and 9-DOF TUM hand , 2007, 2007 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.