A team led by Swiss researchers from ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems created the first robotic leg with “artificial muscles” made of oil-filled bagswhich allow you to jump on different surfaces.
The researchers They hope that their technique will be used to create humanoid robots capable of performing “boring household tasks.”Robert Katzschmann, co-author of the study published by the journal Nature Communications, told AFP.
The team was inspired by the 600 muscles the human body uses to create a robot that is capable of fluid walking and jumping.. To do this, he used “artificial muscles,” which are also known as electrohydraulic actuators.
These muscles resemble small freezing bags, attached to the metal bones of the robotic leg. These oil-filled structures, equipped with electrodes, contract and relax, imitating the movement of a muscle.
The artificial muscle technique
Humanoid robots are typically built with motors and rigid metal joints. similar to those used on industrial assembly lines, explained Katzschmann, professor of robotics at ETH Zurich.
But these industrial robots are too heavy, and therefore dangerous, and too expensive for use in the home. A domestic robot should be able not only to transport loads, but “also to give a hug or shake hands.”
The artificial muscle technique has the advantage of consuming less energy than a traditional motor when the robot’s knee bends, the study indicates. It also allows the leg to be used on difficult terrain with greater agility, according to the researchers.
The leg presented in the study is capable of jumping 13 centimeters, that is, 40% of its height. But at the moment it can only perform this feat in a circle, since it is connected to an axis around which it rotates.
It is not yet possible to create a humanoid robot powered entirely by artificial muscles. But Katzschmann believes that mass production of artificial muscles, facilitated by the low cost of their components, could accelerate future advances.
ee (afp, Nature Communications)
