Flexible Robotic Limbs With Rolling Contact Joints for Gentle Human Lifting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robotic systems struggle to safely and gently lift and transfer humans due to the high forces and delicate nature of human bodies, as traditional robotic limbs are rigid and unable to conform to human shapes, while straps provide the necessary compliance but require manual manipulation.
Innovation Solution
A flexible robotic limb design featuring a backbone of serially arranged rolling contact joints with pulley structures and flexible actuators that allow for passive conformation and active articulation, mimicking the properties of straps, providing high tensile strength and bending flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If traditional robotic manipulators are used, then high forces can be applied to lift the body, but the interaction is not sufficiently gentle and cannot conform to human shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic manipulator uses a flexible strap-like structure with high tensile strength to replace rigid robotic arms. This flexible structure can conform to human body shapes and distribute forces over larger contact areas, enabling gentle interaction while maintaining the capability to lift heavy loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs composite materials that combine high tensile strength with flexibility. The strap structure integrates materials that provide both the necessary strength to lift human bodies and the compliance to interact gently with delicate body parts.
2Ease of operation
If straps are used to distribute load over large contact area, then gentle interaction is achieved, but manual manipulation is required to attach straps
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible robotic manipulator is designed to autonomously attach and configure itself around the human body without requiring manual intervention. The system can independently determine optimal harnessing configurations and execute the attachment process, eliminating the bottleneck of manual strap manipulation while maintaining gentle interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The manipulator features a dynamic, adaptable structure that can change its configuration to match different human body shapes and sizes. This dynamic capability enables autonomous operation across diverse subjects while maintaining the gentle, distributed contact characteristic of strap-based systems.
3Strength
If rigid robotic structures are used, then high torque and strength are achieved, but the structure cannot conform to varied human shapes and sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces rigid robotic structures with a flexible strap-like manipulator that can conform to varied human body geometries. The flexible structure maintains high tensile strength to support heavy loads while adapting its shape to match different human forms, achieving both strength and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The manipulator's physical parameters such as length, curvature, and contact area are dynamically adjustable to match different human subjects. This parameter adaptability allows the same flexible structure to effectively harness and lift individuals of varying sizes and shapes while maintaining structural integrity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enables safe and gentle manipulation of human bodies by distributing load over a larger surface area, accommodating varied shapes and sizes, and allowing for autonomous operation without manual harnessing.
Implementation Method 1
a backbone of serially arranged rolling contact joints with pulley structures
Implementation Method 2
rolling contact joints with pulley structures and flexible actuators
Implementation Method 3
flexible actuators that allow for passive conformation and active articulation
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a flexible robotic limb. The design may include a backbone with rolling-contact joints connected to one another by pulley structures and corresponding cord loops engaged with the pulley structures. One or more flexible actuators may be used to control a length between adjacent links of the rolling contact joints to control articulation of the flexible robotic limb while still permitting passive reconfiguration of the flexible robotic limb when it is not being actively articulated.