Design principles of a human mimetic humanoid: Humanoid platform to study human intelligence and internal body system

Abstract

Many systems and mechanisms in the human body are not fully understood, such as the principles of muscle control, the sensory nervous system that connects the brain and the body, learning in the brain, and the human walking motion. To address this knowledge deficit, we propose a human mimetic humanoid with an unprecedented degree of anatomical fidelity to the human musculoskeletal structure. The fundamental concept underlying our design is to consider the human mechanism, which contrasts with the conventional engineering approach used in the design of existing humanoids. We believe that the proposed human mimetic humanoid can be used to provide new opportunities in science, for instance, to quantitatively analyze the internal data of a human body in movement. We describe the principles and development of human mimetic humanoids, Kenshiro and Kengoro, and compare their anatomical fidelity with humans in terms of body proportions, skeletal structures, muscle arrangement, and joint performance. To demonstrate the potential of human mimetic humanoids, Kenshiro and Kengoro performed several typical human motions.

The Spine: A Strong, Stable, and Flexible Structure with Biomimetics Potential

“…Articulated spines based on bio-inspired designs are being used in robotics, with the aim of improving stability and maneuverability during locomotion, both in quadrupedal [113] and bipedal designs [114]. Current and foreseen applications of such robots include the biomechanical study of locomotion and its neural control [115], providing a physical framework for the implementation of artificial intelligence solutions [114], military and search-and-rescue missions, space exploration, and outdoor industrial inspection [116]. Recently, bio-inspired robots aimed at the detailed study of animal locomotion [117], including that of extinct species [118], were presented and are currently a subject of intense research.…”

The Neck of Pinobo, A Low-Cost Compliant Robot

“…The effect of a motor with a cable and a pulley is quite similar to a muscle and we use it. Some robots mimic biology in a more realistic way [14], [10] but they are too complex for this study.…”

From Rough to Precise: Human-Inspired Phased Target Learning Framework for Redundant Musculoskeletal Systems

“…In fact, this branch of robotics mainly comprises muscle models (actuators), skeletal systems (supporting structure), and methods for motion control and learning (control systems). Related work can roughly be divided into two types, namely, muscle dynamics modeling along with hardware design (Jäntsch et al, 2013; Kurumaya et al, 2016; Asano et al, 2017) and musculoskeletal robot control (Pennestrì et al, 2007; Jagodnik and van den Bogert, 2010; Tahara and Kino, 2010). Although most studies have been focused on the first type, the development of neuroscience has gradually increased the research on human-inspired control.…”