We present the design of a new robotic human augmentation system that will assist the operator in carrying a heavy payload, reaching and maintaining difficult postures, and ultimately better performing their job. The Extra Robotic Legs (XRL) system is worn by the operator and consists of two articulated robotic legs that move with the operator to bear a heavy payload. The design was driven by a need to increase the effectiveness of hazardous material emergency response personnel who are encumbered by their personal protective equipment (PPE). The legs will ultimately walk, climb stairs, crouch down, and crawl with the operator while eliminating all external PPE loads on the operator. The forces involved in the most extreme loading cases were analyzed to find an effective strategy for reducing actuator loads. The analysis reveals that the maximum torque is exerted during the transition from the crawling to standing mode of motion. Peak torques are significantly reduced by leveraging redundancy in force application resulting from a closed-loop kinematic chain formed by a particular posture of the XRL. The actuators, power systems, and transmission elements were designed from the results of these analyses. Using differential mechanisms to combine the inputs of multiple actuators into a single degree of freedom, the gear reductions needed to bear the heavy loads could be kept at a minimum, enabling high bandwidth force control due to the near-direct-drive transmission. A prototype was fabricated utilizing the insights gained from these analyses and initial tests indicate the feasibility of the XRL system.
翻译:我们提出了一个新的机器人人增强系统的设计,该系统将帮助操作者携带重型有效载荷,到达并保持困难的姿势,并最终更好地履行职责。超机器人腿系统由操作者穿戴,由两条与操作者一起移动的清晰的机器人腿组成,以携带重型有效载荷。设计的原因是需要提高危险材料应急人员的效力,这些人员由个人保护设备(PPE)组成。双腿最终将步行、爬上楼梯、蹲下并与操作者一起爬行,同时消除操作者的所有外部个人防护设备负荷。最极端装货案例所涉及的部队接受了分析,以找到减少动作器负荷的有效战略。分析表明,从爬行模式过渡到长期运动模式期间,最大压力是施加的。由于利用了由XRL的特殊姿势形成的封闭式运动系统(PPEE)所引发的冗余,因此大大降低了使用强度。启动者、动力系统和传输要素都是根据这些分析的结果设计的。使用差异机制,将多重操作器的精度整合到最接近的轴导力测试,使重动作系统能进行最起码的导力测试。