A novel variable stiffness actuator: minimizing the energy requirements for the stiffness regulation

The design of robots required to work in the close vicinity or physically interact with humans such as humanoids machines, rehabilitation or human performance augmentation systems should not follow the traditional design rule 'stiffer is better'. Safety is a particularly vital concern in these systems and to maximize it a different design approach should be used. The role of compliance in improving specific suspects of the robotic system, including safety and energy efficiency, has been studied and validated in many works. This work presents the design and realization of a new variable compliance actuator for robots physically interacting with humans, e.g. prosthesis devices and exoskeleton augmentation systems. The actuator can independently control the equilibrium position and stiffness using two motors. The main novelty of the proposed variable stiffness actuator is that the stiffness regulation is achieved not through the pretension of the elastic elements which needs the stiffness tuning actuator to act against the forces generated by the springs but by mechanically adjusting the fixation of the spring elements. As a result the stiffness actuator does not need to act against the spring forces reducing the energy required for the stiffness adjustment to minimal.