RT Actuator - New variable impedance actuator

Last Updated on Thursday, 26 August 2010 15:20 Written by Administrator Monday, 26 April 2010 14:08

RT Actuator (Patent Pending )

During the past 50 years the assertion of most robotic designers concerning actuation was: “the stiffer the better”. This assertion holds true for standard industrial robotic applications which require accurate, reference-trajectory tracking. For the next 50 years a whole new generation of robots will be used in daily society of which the fundaments are developed today. For the advancement of these new robots, compliant, safe, and new actuators are one of the important issues turning energy efficiently into safe motion. 

In the field of manipulation variable impedance actuators can be used to make the robots more robust, safe, and performant in terms of peak torque and speed. For legged robots and prosthesis the new actuators are used to make the locomotion more energy efficient and in rehabilitation the soft actuators are used to better fit a human. ( According to VIA Workshop ICRA 2010)

The RT actuator based on mechanically controlled stiffness was developed at the Biorobotics Laboratory in Korea. The advantages of  RT actuator are that the control of position and stiffness can be fully independent. By using four springs, the RT actuator has fast dynamic response, wide range of stiffness. Moreover, the RT actuator can be easily integrated to robotic arms.