Biomimetic knee design to improve joint torque and life for bipedal robotics

Steele, Alexander; Hunt, Alexander; Etoundi, Appolinaire C.

Abstract

© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018. This paper details the design, construction, and performance analysis of a biologically inspired knee joint for use in bipedal robotics. The design copies the condylar surfaces of the distal end of the femur and utilizes the same crossed four-bar linkage design the human knee uses. The joint includes a changing center of rotation, a screw-home mechanism, and patella; these are characteristics of the knee that are desirable to copy for bipedal robotics. The design was calculated to have an average sliding to rolling ratio of 0.079, a maximum moment arm of 2.7 in and a range of motion of 151°. This should reduce wear and perform similar to the human knee. Prototypes of the joint have been created to test these predicted properties.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (published)
• Conference Name: Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems (TAROS) Conference
• Start Date: Jul 25, 2018
• End Date: Jul 27, 2018
• Acceptance Date: Jun 4, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jul 21, 2018
• Publication Date: Jul 21, 2018
• Deposit Date: Sep 17, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 21, 2019
• Journal: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
• Print ISSN: 0302-9743
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10965 LNAI
• Pages: 91-102
• Series Title: Lecture Notes in Computer Science
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96728-8_8
• Keywords: condylar hinge joint, knee biomechanics, bipedal robot, adaptive robotics, knee joint, screw-home mechanism, four bar linkages
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/864347
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96728-8_8
• Additional Information: Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems 19th Annual Conference, TAROS 2018
• Contract Date: Sep 17, 2018