Development of a Wire-Wound Muscle-Tendon Complex Drive and Its Application to a Two-Dimensional Robot Configuration

Muscle-tendon complexes that fill the body may also fill the gap between robots and humans. Several wire-driven humanoids have been developed, and their advantage is that they are soft and easily adaptable to the environment. However, wires are difficult to handle, and contact with the environment by wire parts causes malfunctions. In addition, the robot should look more human-like in order to coexist with humans. In this study, we approach these problems by proposing a driving method called wire-wound Muscle Tendon Complex (ww-MTC), which incorporates muscle expansion into the wire drive. We have realized the concept in a two-dimensional geometry and developed a 1-axis 3-muscle test robot with ww-MTC. The test robot was confirmed to suppress wire loosening, interference, and abrasion. It was also confirmed that the entire body can be in contact with the environment, and giving the robot a muscular appearance.