Stretchable Electrohydraulic Artificial Muscle for Full Motion Ranges in Musculoskeletal Antagonistic Joints

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel artificial muscle system that combines electrohydraulic actuators with electrostatic clutches to enable full motion ranges in antagonistic joints, advancing prosthetic and robotic musculoskeletal technology.

Contribution

The study presents a new antagonistic muscle design that allows both contraction and extension, overcoming limitations of existing artificial muscles and enabling full joint motion.

Findings

Achieved seamless antagonistic joint motion with up to 3.2 Hz operation.

Demonstrated synchronization of muscle and clutch units for smooth motion.

The concept is adaptable to various non-stretchable artificial muscles.

Abstract

Artificial muscles play a crucial role in musculoskeletal robotics and prosthetics to approximate the force-generating functionality of biological muscle. However, current artificial muscle systems are typically limited to either contraction or extension, not both. This limitation hinders the development of fully functional artificial musculoskeletal systems. We address this challenge by introducing an artificial antagonistic muscle system capable of both contraction and extension. Our design integrates non-stretchable electrohydraulic soft actuators (HASELs) with electrostatic clutches within an antagonistic musculoskeletal framework. This configuration enables an antagonistic joint to achieve a full range of motion without displacement loss due to tendon slack. We implement a synchronization method to coordinate muscle and clutch units, ensuring smooth motion profiles and speeds. This approach facilitates seamless transitions between antagonistic muscles at operational frequencies of up to 3.2 Hz. While our prototype utilizes electrohydraulic actuators, this muscle-clutch concept is adaptable to other non-stretchable artificial muscles, such as McKibben actuators, expanding their capability for extension and full range of motion in antagonistic setups. Our design represents a significant advancement in the development of fundamental components for more functional and efficient artificial musculoskeletal systems, bringing their capabilities closer to those of their biological counterparts.