Humanoid Robot Wrist Tool Switching for Faster Multi-Task Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing humanoid robots struggle with low productivity and increased control load in tasks such as picking and packing diverse items due to slow finger and arm movements, and require indirect management of tools like drills and screwdrivers, leading to inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A control system for a humanoid robot with detachable tools at the wrist, allowing for selective attachment of tools based on job types, including a determination unit to identify the job type and a control unit to manage tool operations, along with multiple arm portions for main and auxiliary tasks, and monitoring devices for work site oversight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a robot structure with fingers and arms is used for gripping work, then the robot can perform gripping operations, but movement speed becomes slow and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical finger-gripping system with a suction cup-based gripping mechanism. The suction cup uses atmospheric pressure differential (suction force) to hold objects, eliminating the need for complex mechanical finger movements. This substitution of mechanical gripping with pneumatic/suction-based gripping significantly increases movement speed while maintaining versatile gripping capability for various cargo types.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a tool (such as a drill and a screwdriver) is gripped by a gripping portion for executing jobs other than gripping, then the robot can perform multiple job types, but the control load increases due to indirect management of the gripped state
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a universal suction cup tool that can perform multiple functions: gripping cargo, drilling holes, and driving screws. Instead of separately controlling a gripper and multiple specialized tools, the suction cup tool integrates all functions into a single device. The control unit manages this single tool's operations directly, eliminating the intermediate step of gripping tool handles and significantly reducing control complexity while maintaining versatility across different job types.
3Ease of operation
If the gripping portion structure is made to correspond to fingers for human-like operation, then the robot can perform natural gripping motions, but the movement of fingers and arms becomes slow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the finger-like mechanical gripping structure with a suction cup mechanism actuated by pneumatic pressure control. Instead of moving multiple finger joints and arm segments in complex coordination, the suction cup is activated by simple pressure differential control to achieve gripping in a single motion. This eliminates the multi-joint mechanical chain of finger-based gripping, dramatically increasing speed while maintaining ease of operation through intuitive pressure-based control.
Data Source
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AI summary
A control system of a robot is a control system of a robot to which a tool is attached according to a job type with respect to an object, and which executes a job on the object, the tool being detachable at a wrist portion of an arm portion that operates in a three-dimensional manner, the control system including: a determination unit that determines a job type with respect to the object; and a control unit that controls operation of attaching the tool according to the job type determined by the determination unit and controls operation according to the job type.