Stiffness evaluation of a tendon-driven robot with variable joint stiffness mechanisms

Abstract

This paper proposes a new tendon-driven robot with variable joint stiffness mechanisms. The tendon-driven robot is able to vary the stiffness of joints by sliding variable stiffness mechanisms over the link by wire tensions. As a reason for that structure and moment arms of the tendon-driven robot are changed depending on the position of the variable mechanism. Thus in this paper, the tendon-driven robot with variable stiffness mechanisms is designed, and the stiffness of the tendon-driven robot is evaluated by using a stiffness ellipsoid.