Variable impedance actuators: A review

Variable Impedance Actuators (VIA) have received increasing attention in recent years as many novel applications involving interactions with an unknown and dynamic environment including humans require actuators with dynamics that are not well-achieved by classical stiff actuators. This paper present...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Robotics and autonomous systems 2013-12, Vol.61 (12), p.1601-1614
Main Authors: Vanderborght, B., Albu-Schaeffer, A., Bicchi, A., Burdet, E., Caldwell, D.G., Carloni, R., Catalano, M., Eiberger, O., Friedl, W., Ganesh, G., Garabini, M., Grebenstein, M., Grioli, G., Haddadin, S., Hoppner, H., Jafari, A., Laffranchi, M., Lefeber, D., Petit, F., Stramigioli, S., Tsagarakis, N., Van Damme, M., Van Ham, R., Visser, L.C., Wolf, S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actuators
Classification
Damping
Design engineering
Dynamical systems
Dynamics
Impedance
Inspiration
Soft robotics
Variable impedance actuators
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Summary:Variable Impedance Actuators (VIA) have received increasing attention in recent years as many novel applications involving interactions with an unknown and dynamic environment including humans require actuators with dynamics that are not well-achieved by classical stiff actuators. This paper presents an overview of the different VIAs developed and proposes a classification based on the principles through which the variable stiffness and damping are achieved. The main classes are active impedance by control, inherent compliance and damping actuators, inertial actuators, and combinations of them, which are then further divided into subclasses. This classification allows for designers of new devices to orientate and take inspiration and users of VIA’s to be guided in the design and implementation process for their targeted application.
ISSN:0921-8890
1872-793X
DOI:10.1016/j.robot.2013.06.009