Abstract:

This dissertation aims to develop an integrated humanoid robot arm system that can be assembled into robot platforms designed for a variety of purposes, assisting, cooperating, and even interacting with humans in different fields and environments.

The dissertation presents the development of this integrated system in two major parts. The first focuses on developing an integrated system for a vertically intersected dual-axis modularized actuator system (DAMA), which is applied to a 6-axis humanoid robot arm. This section does not carefully consider the safety of human-robot interaction. The second part discusses actuation design, focusing on achieving a proper level of safety in human-robot interaction, and proposes a new actuation approach, active variable stiffness elastic actuation (AVSEA). Several active variable stiffness elastic actuators (APVSEA, AVSEA, ADEA) are designed, offering a compromise between proper safety levels and high manipulation performance. The end section of the dissertation describes another application of active variable stiffness elastic actuators－the elbow rehabilitation system (AVSER).

The research discussed involves the creation of a prototype for an active variable stiffness elastic actuator that has adjustable characteristics. It can be adapted to unknown environments and applied to the creation of a humanoid robot arm system that offers high levels of safety and performance.