Elastic energy-recycling actuators for efficient robotics
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Actuator power consumption is a limiting factor in mobile robot design. Despite improvements in efficient design, motors still waste a significant portion of battery energy as heat, limiting what can be done on a single battery charge. Simple mechanical springs can convert between stored elastic energy and work with high efficiency and passively produce torque without thermal losses, yet they afford none of the control and versatility offered by electric motors. We introduce an elastic 'energy-recycling' actuator that leverages the efficiency of mechanical springs to perform repetitive tasks with less electrical energy via controlled capture and return of elastic energy. The prototype actuator comprises a motor in parallel with an array of springs that can be individually engaged and disengaged, without losing stored energy. Springs are controlled by pairs electroadhesive clutches, allowing high-bandwidth (12 Hz) control of passive torque production (> 6 Nm) with low power consumption (< 0.4 W). We developed a position tracking controller for the actuator and tested it in five repetitive tasks with features that occur frequently in actuation but are difficult to perform efficiently. The actuator reduced power consumption by at least 50% in all cases and by 97% in the best case. Elastic energy recovery, controlled by low-power clutches, can improve the efficiency of mobile robots, assistive devices, and many other engineered systems.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Place | California |
| Place | [Stanford, California] |
| Publisher | [Stanford University] |
| Copyright date | 2023; ©2023 |
| Publication date | 2023; 2023 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Krimsky, Erez |
|---|---|
| Degree supervisor | Collins, Steve |
| Thesis advisor | Collins, Steve |
| Thesis advisor | Cutkosky, Mark |
| Thesis advisor | Schwager, Mac |
| Degree committee member | Cutkosky, Mark |
| Degree committee member | Schwager, Mac |
| Associated with | Stanford University, School of Engineering |
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Mechanical Engineering |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|---|
| Genre | Text |
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Erez Krimsky. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering. |
| Thesis | Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2023. |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/zp832ck3846 |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2023 by Erez Krimsky
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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