Scientists from ITMO have come up with a three-step algorithm for the development of manipulators and walking or wearable robots. Compared to the usual methods, the new approach results in lighter, more efficient, affordable, and compact mechanisms. Walking robots that can move without having a full map of their surroundings are just one example of the designs produced by the new method. Another is the jumping robot made by the researchers to demonstrate their new algorithm.<h1 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">Why it’s hard to combine movement and energy efficiency in robots</h1>Industrial robots need to move with high speed and precision. These are achieved with powerful electric drives that are very demanding in terms of the energy they consume. This means that such robots often need to be connected to a power outlet, making them stationary.Mobile robots are a whole other matter, however. They have to be designed in a way that allows them to perform all their tasks with just the energy they can get from a battery. And it can’t be the case of just increasing the battery’s capacity either – here, “more powerful” also means “heavier.” If a robot wastes half the energy gained from a heavier battery just to carry this battery around, it’s not a very efficient robot. That’s why researchers engineer robotic systems in a way that will make use of the mechanism’s inherent dynamics, thus requiring less energy.<h1 dir="ltr">Overcoming the challenge</h1>In robotics, such mechanisms are designed with morphology in mind. This means that most of the dynamics needed for the robot’s movements are provided by its body (the spread of its weight, its elasticity, or mechanical links). The control systems for such robots don’t need to program their every move, instead focusing on supporting its existing dynamics.&nbsp;When designing such robots, engineers must follow a formalized process that takes into account not only control algorithms, but also the design of the robot’s mechanics. According to Ivan Borisov, an engineer at ITMO’s Research Center “Strong AI in Industry,” for a long time robotics specialists concentrated on developing new algorithms while still using the same hardware and principles as in industrial robots.&nbsp;However, the success of Cassie the robot <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331449776_Walk_this_way_To_be_useful_around_people_robots_need_to_learn_how_to_move_like_we_do" target="_blank">has shown</a> that in order to achieve high speed, robustness, and capacity to navigate unstructured environments, robots need to be designed differently. First and foremost, they need to be adaptive and energy efficient.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a_YGPbWJO5g?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe><h1 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">The method from ITMO</h1>ITMO scientists used the principles of morphological design to suggest their own method of designing mechanisms for manipulator, locomotion, and wearable robots. The method is based on a three-step algorithm.First step: creating an open kinetic chain. Here, the algorithm determines which parts should make up the mechanism and the trajectories they need to follow in order to produce the desired movements.Second step: closing the chain of parts that make up the mechanism (the kinetic chain is closed when each link in the chain has over two connections). Here, the algorithm determines which links in the chain need to be connected to the core mechanism so that a drive can be transported to a different joint. At this point, the program may also decide to remove or add certain connections in order to lower inertia. This helps preserve energy and speed up the robot.&nbsp;Third step: placing electric drives with maximal efficiency. At this stage, physical and virtual elastic elements are also integrated into the mechanism. With these, the robot can adapt to the environment, cushion itself against rough and uneven surfaces, and conserve energy.By targeting performance and maximum functionality at every step, this approach produces more efficient devices.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1718581571013-1323200.jpg" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Ivan Borisov. Photo by Dmitry Grigoryev / ITMO.NEWS<blockquote id="isPasted">“Using our method, we can develop any leverage mechanism, such as a leg mechanism for a walking robot, a finger mechanism for a grasping device, or parts of an exoskeleton. What’s even more, we can make robots that are able to function in unstructured or unknown environments. For instance, a walking robot that will be able to map out their surroundings even in bad lighting or an anthropomorphic wrist that can grasp objects it can’t see,” explains Ivan Borisov.</blockquote>To demonstrate the algorithm’s capacity, the researchers developed a jumping robot that can move on uneven terrain. The robot moves thanks to self-sustained vibrations of its drive and springs; it can change the speed and direction of its movements. Thanks to the new method used in its design, the robot requires a drive four times less powerful than a similar robot designed with the classical approach.&nbsp;According to Ivan Borisov, the method squeezes the most out of each part of the algorithm, maximizing the drives’ efficiency and using elastic parts to restore some of the used energy.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1718581765992-ezgif-4-4d6d52b5a1.gif" style="width: 100%px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Flexible jumping robot. Video by Dmitry Grigoryev / ITMO.NEWS<h1 dir="ltr" id="isPasted">What’s next&nbsp;</h1>The new method will be presented at the prestigious IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (SJR 1.92), where ITMO will be this year’s only Russian participant.Additionally, the researchers are developing software that will use the algorithm to generate designs of walking robots and trajectories of their electric drives. It will also test the suggested solutions in a simulated environment.A similar&nbsp;<a href="https://github.com/aimclub/rostok" target="_blank">program</a> for grasping devices has already been developed at ITMO. This one can design a robot based on the parameters of an object it needs to grasp. For instance, if you need a device for grasping apples, you need to simply indicate the fruit’s characteristics – then, the algorithm will generate the mechanism’s structure with optimal parameters.According to the researchers, as the method involves randomization, it can produce several solutions for the same problem, allowing the human operating it to choose the best one.&nbsp;Both algorithms are meant to assist designers in making mechatronic and robotic systems, including industrial, collaborative, or manipulator robots.

Flexible jumping robot. Photo by Dmitry Grigoryev / ITMO.NEWS

Scientists from ITMO have come up with a three-step algorithm for the development of manipulators and walking or wearable robots. Compared to the usual methods, the new approach results in lighter, more efficient, affordable, and compact mechanisms. 

Scientists Suggest New Method to Make More Adaptive and Autonomous Robots

Small robots are important tools for the investigation and inspection of, well, small spaces. They can carefully place their steps, allowing them to navigate around obstacles, capabilities larger robots do not always possess. This can enable them to inspect machinery or search through rubble in disaster scenarios that other robots cannot reach. However, due to their size constraints, building small robots that can steer themselves and carry their own power sources is difficult.<a href="https://engineering.cmu.edu/directory/bios/johnson-aaron.html" target="_blank">Aaron Johnson</a>, an associate professor of <a href="https://www.meche.engineering.cmu.edu/index.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">mechanical engineeringOpens in new window</a>, and <a href="https://engineering.cmu.edu/directory/bios/bergbreiter-sarah.html" target="_blank">Sarah Bergbreiter</a>, a professor of mechanical engineering, and their team of researchers revolutionized the field with the construction of “Mugatu,” the first steerable bipedal robot that contains only a single motor. Mugatu is also self-contained and self-starting; open-loop stable in its gait; and has controlled left, right, and straight steering. The design uses two rigid bodies and one actuator, a simple walker design that is still capable of complex motions of other robots.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RLjmxp9vyTY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.wevolver.com" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe>“The first direction of the project was aimed at simplifying the way robots walk as much as possible,” says first author James Kyle, a recent mechanical engineering master’s and bachelor’s graduate. “Once we understand how scaling affects locomotion, it can be extremely useful for taking something that already exists and scaling it up or down to do things like fit through smaller pipes or carry more load.”Another team member, undergraduate mechanical engineering student Kendall Hart, worked on the robot’s current sensor, the part of the robot that allowed the team to calculate the total cost of transport, the amount of energy used over a certain distance. “Before I came into the lab, I had a vague understanding of MATLAB, (a programming and numeric computing platform) but working on this project allowed me to apply what I learned in class. When we were working on implementing the current sensor, there was a lot of debugging there, but now it’s made me more confident in debugging without my mentors,” Hart says.<blockquote>What makes the project so special and so impactful in the community is because it’s never been seen before.<cite>Kendall Hart, <cite id="isPasted">student (junior)<cite id="isPasted">, Mechanical Engineering</cite></cite> </cite></blockquote>Nicknamed “The LEGO Project,” the team aims to eventually get these walkers down to the size of a LEGO. “It’s going to take a while because the mechanics of everything changes as you start down-sizing,” Hart says. “But what makes the project so special and so impactful in the community is because it’s never been seen before.” The drastic simplification of this walking device combined with its single degree of freedom is a promising step (pun intended) toward highly-efficient small robots.The collaborators on this project include James Kyle, Justin Y. Kim, Kendall Hart, Sarah Bergbreiter, and Aaron Johnson.

A team of mechanical engineering researchers create “Mugatu,” the first steerable bipedal robot with only one motor.

Big picture, small robot

Unitree launched its first humanoid robot H1 on August 15. Showcasing six months of hard work, the H1 humanoid stands about 71 inches (1800mm) tall, but only weighs about 100 lbs (47kg) and boasts unmatched power.

bipeds