Design and Experimental Implementation of a Quasi-Direct-Drive Leg for Optimized Jumping

Yanran Ding1, Hae-Won Park2

  • 1University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • 2Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Details

10:30 - 10:45 | Mon 25 Sep | Room 202 | MoAT8.1

Session: Underactuated Robots

Abstract

This paper introduces a novel method for actuator design that exploits electromagnetic motorsÂ’ torque and speed potential in jumping applications. We proposed a nonlinear optimization process that integrates (a) the control design to obtain the optimal ground reaction force, and (b) the mechanical design to narrow down the choices of motor/gearbox pair. Based on this method, actuators were designed and assembled into a leg prototype with two actuated degrees of freedom. Experiments demonstrated that the leg could achieve a maximum vertical jumping height of 0:62 m (2:4 times of leg length) and maximum forward jumping distance of 0:72 m (2:7 times of leg length).