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Synovial joints are the most common type of joint in the body. A key structural characteristic for a synovial joint is the presence of a joint cavity. This fluid-filled space is where the articulating surfaces of the bones contact each other. Also, unlike fibrous or cartilaginous joints, the articulating bone surfaces at a synovial joint are not directly connected to each other with fibrous connective tissue or cartilage. This gives the bones of a synovial joint the ability to move smoothly...
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A wrist-inspired suspended tubercle-type tensegrity joint with variable stiffness capacity.

Xiongdun Xie1, Dezhu Xiong1, James Zhiqing Wen1

  • 1Ji Hua Laboratory, Engineering Research Center for Intelligent Robotics, Foshan, People's Republic of China.

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
|November 9, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Soft robots offer enhanced safety and impact resistance. This study introduces a novel tensegrity joint with suspended tubercles, providing bionic flexibility and adjustable stiffness for advanced robotic applications.

Keywords:
bionic robotflexible jointtendon driven robottensegrityvariable stiffness

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Area of Science:

  • Robotics
  • Bionics
  • Mechanical Engineering

Background:

  • Traditional rigid robots pose safety risks in human-robot interaction and unpredictable environments.
  • Bionic features like flexibility, compliance, and variable stiffness are crucial for advanced robotic joints.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To research tensegrity structures with suspended tubercles for bionic robotic joints.
  • To develop a wrist-inspired joint with variable stiffness and multiple degrees of freedom.
  • To investigate the range of motion, stiffness adjustability, and their interplay.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical derivation and simulation using the NASA Tensegrity Robot Toolkit (NTRT).
  • Design and construction of a prototype wrist-inspired tensegrity joint.
  • Experimental testing of the prototype using a motion capture system.

Main Results:

  • The suspended tubercle design effectively provides joint compliance and flexibility.
  • Variable stiffness is achieved by modulating internal tensegrity stress via driving tendons.
  • Experimental results closely match theoretical simulations, validating the design.

Conclusions:

  • The suspended tubercle tensegrity joint demonstrates flexibility, adjustable stiffness, and ease of control.
  • This technology holds significant potential for developing advanced bionic robotic joints.
  • Soft, compliant robotic designs are superior for human-robot interaction and complex environments.