Reflex-based Motion Strategy of Musculoskeletal Humanoids under Environmental Contact Using Muscle Relaxation Control

TL;DR

This paper introduces a muscle relaxation control strategy for musculoskeletal humanoids that actively utilizes environmental contact to reduce internal muscle tension and improve movement efficiency.

Contribution

It presents a novel control method that minimizes muscle tension by leveraging environmental contact, addressing modeling complexity and internal tension issues.

Findings

Effective reduction of muscle tension during basic movements

Improved motion stability and efficiency

Validation through experiments on arm resting and handle operation

Abstract

The musculoskeletal humanoid can move well under environmental contact thanks to its body softness. However, there are few studies that actively make use of the environment to rest its flexible musculoskeletal body. Also, its complex musculoskeletal structure is difficult to modelize and high internal muscle tension sometimes occurs. To solve these problems, we develop a muscle relaxation control which can minimize the muscle tension by actively using the environment and inhibit useless internal muscle tension. We apply this control to some basic movements, the motion of resting the arms on the desk, and handle operation, and verify its effectiveness.