Development of mobile robot/seat simulator using tetrahedral shaped flexible pneumatic actuators

Abstract

A home healthcare support device that can give passive exercise to keep the treated joint moving area has been desired. In the previous study, a Tetrahedral-shaped Flexible Pneumatic Actuator (it is called TFPA for short) using three extension type flexible pneumatic actuators (it is called EFPAs for short) was proposed and tested as a healthcare support device for wrist. As a core training machine while playing video game, the six-legged mobile robot using TFPAs that can translate and rotate as a movable cushion was also developed. However, the tested robot lacks the load capacity to carry the patient on board. In this paper, to increase the carrying load per plane unit area of the robot, a miniaturized TFPA was proposed and tested. The generated lifting force of the improved TFPA was investigated. As a result, it can be confirmed that the improved TFPA increases the generated lifting force by increasing the setting angle of the EFPA and it improves the rigidity due to miniaturization. The 18-legged mobile robot / seat simulator using miniaturized TFPAs was proposed and tested. It was confirmed that the improved robot can translate and rotate by changing driving pattern of each EFPA. By increasing the number of legs per plane unit to get enough carrying force of human, the estimated lifting force of the 18-legged robot is 2700N, that is 3.2 times compared to the previous one. In addition, both translational and rotational motions using the improved robot could be realized.

Keywords

• 6-legged mobile robot
• 18-legged mobile robot
• seat simulator for video game
• extension type flexible pneumatic actuator
• tetrahedral-shaped flexible pneumatic actuators