Development of humanoid with distributed soft flesh and shock-resistive joint mechanism for self-protective behaviors in impact from falling down

Abstract

In order for the activity area and application range for robots to expand significantly, it is preferable that robots have a soft outer cover and absorb smaller impact from contact with humans or their surroundings. Although self-protection is a very important function and inevitably required for robust robot architecture, simply introducing thick ”flesh” to a robot tends to impede movability and task generality. In this paper, we have developed a soft and thick outer cover with multilayered and distributed softness, while considering that each part of a multijointed body structure has its own demands. We have also introduced joint protection with a dislocation and auto-recover function. Finally, with our new robot, which has a distributed soft cover and joint location abilities, we have examined various contact behaviors, including toppling while walking and falling down from a desk.