AAU-BOT1: a platform for studying dynamic, life-like walking

Abstract

This paper describes the development of the humanoid robot AAU-BOT1. The purpose of the robot is to investigate human-like walking and in this connection, test prosthetic limbs. AAU-BOT1 has been designed with modularity in mind making it possible to replace, e.g. the lower leg to test transfemoral or transtibial prosthesis or orthosis. Recorded motion data from a male test person, along with approximated inertial and mass properties, were used to determine necessary joint torques in human walking which was used as design parameters for the robot. The robot has 19 degrees of freedom (DoF), 17 actuated and 2 unactuated acting as passive toe joints. The project was granted 60,000 Euro, and to keep development costs below this, the development and instrumentation was carried out by three groups of master students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) and the Department of Electronic Systems at Aalborg University and supported by the Department of Health Sciences and Technology (HST). To further reduce the cost, the robot uses off-the-shelf hardware which also reduced the time from idea to practical implementation. The result is a low-cost humanoid robot fully assembled and equipped with sensors ready to take its first steps.

Keywords:

• humanoid robot
• dynamic walking
• mechanical design of humanoid robot
• robotics
• testbed for prosthetics

Acknowledgment

The AAU-BOT1 project was initiated in 2006 by a personal grant from the Dannin Foundation to Prof. Jakob Stoustrup. The Faculties of Engineering, Science and Medicine at Aalborg University decided to grant the same amount as the Dannin Foundation and also provided a PhD position for Mads S⊘lver Svendsen. This funding as well as voluntary work from faculty staff members, students and workshop employees made the AAU-BOT1 project possible.

In 2006–2007, a three member master group, Allan Agerbo Nielsen, Lars Fuglsang Christensen and Mikkel Melters Petersen, took the first important step in designing the mechanical construction. In 2007–2008, another three member master group, Per Kingo Jensen, Mathias Garbus and Jan Vestergaard Knudsen, received the partly assembled robot and continued with assembling and designing the needed control platform and modelling the robot for simulation and control. Brian Jensen and Michael Odgaard Koch Niss are currently continuing the work on AAU-BOT1. Much appreciation is due to these people and the members in the workshops at Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Electrical Engineering for their enthusiasm and making this project a success.