Humanoid Robots, Human-like Machines

Abstract

1. Introduction Recently, many studies have focused on the development of humanoid biped robot platforms. Some of the well-known humanoid robots are Honda's humanoid robots, the WABIAN series of robots from Waseda University, Partner, QRIO, H6 and H7, HRP and JOHNNIE. Given that humanoids are complex, expensive and unstable, designers face difficulties in constructing the mechanical body, integrating the hardware system, and realizing real-time motion and stability control based on human-like sensory feedback. Among the robots, HRP and ASIMO are the most well known humanoid robot platforms. HRP-3P is a humanoid robot developed jointly by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and Kawada Industries, Inc in Japan. It stands 1.6 m tall, weighs 65 kg, and has 36 degrees of freedom (DOF). Upgraded from HRP-2, the new platform is protected against dust and water. In addition, Honda has unveiled a new type of ASIMO, termed the ASIMO Type-R, which stands 1.3 m tall, weighs 54 kg, and has 34 DOF. With the i-WALK technology, this robot has an impressive walking feature: it can walk at 2.7 km/h, and run at 6 km/h. HUBO is essentially an upgraded version of KHR-2. The objective of the development of HUBO was to develop a reliable and handsome humanoid platform that enables the implementation of various theories and algorithms such as dynamic walking, navigation, human interaction, and visual and image recognition. With the focus on developing a human-friendly robot that looks and moves like humans, one focus was on closely aligning the mechanical design with an artistic exterior design. This chapter also discusses the development of control hardware and the system integration of the HUBO platform. Numerous electrical components for controlling the robot have been developed and integrated into the robot. Servo controllers, sensors, and interface hardware in the robot have been explained. Electrical hardware, mechanical design, sensor technology and the walking algorithm are integrated in this robot for the realization of biped walking. This system integration technology is very important for the realization of this biped humanoid. The technologies utilized in HUBO are the basis of the development of other HUBO series robot such as Albert HUBO and HUBO FX-1. Albert HUBO is the only humanoid robot that has an android head and is able to walk with two legs. The face, which resembles Albert Einstein, can imitate human facial expressions such as surprise, disgust, laughter, anger, and sadness. The body, comprising the arms, hands, torso, and legs, is that of HUBO. The body of HUBO was modified to have the natural appearance despite the disproportionate sizes of the head and the body. It can be described as Albert Einstein in a space suit. The realization of a biped walking robot with an android head is a first-in-the-world achievement. The design and system integration between the head and the body are discussed. RC motors are used for the head mechanism, enabling facial expressions. The head and bod...