From Concept to Realization: Designing Miniature Humanoids for Running
Youngbum Jun, Robert Ellenburg, Paul Oh
Humanoid robots present exciting research possibilities
such as human gaits, social interaction, and even
creativity. Full-size humanoid designs have shown
impressive capabilities, yet are custom-built and expensive.
Cost and sophistication barriers make reproducing and
verifying results very difficult. The recent proliferation of
mini-humanoids presents an affordable alternative, in that
smaller robots are cheaper to own and simpler to operate.
At less than 2000 USD, these robots are capable of
human-like motion, yet lack precision sensors and
processing power. The authors’ goal is to produce a
miniature humanoid robot that is both small and
affordable, while capable of advanced dynamic walking
and running. This requires sensing of the robot’s inertia
and velocity, the forces on its feet, and the ability to
generate and modify motion commands in real time. The
presented design uses commercial parts and simple
machining methods to minimize cost. A power-efficient
mobile x86 computer on-board leverages existing operating
systems and simplifies software development. Preliminary
results demonstrate controlled walking and feedback
control. Full Text
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