Development of a Human Symbiotic Assist Arm “PAS-Arm” (Basic Concept and Mechanism)

Mineo Higuchi

doi:10.20965/jrm.2012.p0458

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JRM Vol.24 No.3 pp. 458-463

doi: 10.20965/jrm.2012.p0458

(2012)

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Development of a Human Symbiotic Assist Arm “PAS-Arm” (Basic Concept and Mechanism)

Mineo Higuchi

Advanced Technology R&D Center, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, 8-1-1 Tsukaguchi-honmachi, Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo 661-8661, Japan

Received:

December 24, 2011

Accepted:

January 4, 2012

Published:

June 20, 2012

Keywords:

robot, mechanism, passive robotics, continuously variable transmission, differential gear

Abstract

We describe a new robotic assist device: a passive assist arm (PAS-Arm). PAS-Arms are intended for direct physical interaction with a human operator, handling a shared payload. PAS-Arms are physically passive. Their purpose is not to enhance human strength, but to provide virtual guiding surfaces, which constrain and guide the motion of the payload within a shared workspace. PAS-Arms have three joints and a three dimensional workspace, but possesses only a two degrees of freedom, due to the reduction of degrees of freedom created by a combination of Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVTs) and differential gears. The combination of CVTs and differential gears places one mechanical constraint on three angular velocities of the joints. PAS-Arms have no joint actuators and no force sensors. Thus they are potentially well suited to safety and low cost. This paper proposes a basic concept of PAS-Arms and explains a principle and a construction of PAS-Arms. We discuss the relation of PAS-Arms to conventionally actuated robots and another type of assist arms. We also describe range of transmission ratio of CVTs.¹
1. This paper is the full translation from the transactions of JSME, Series C, Vol.73, No.730, 2007.

Cite this article as:

M. Higuchi, “Development of a Human Symbiotic Assist Arm “PAS-Arm” (Basic Concept and Mechanism),” J. Robot. Mechatron., Vol.24 No.3, pp. 458-463, 2012.

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References

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[5] ISO/CD12100, Safety of machinery – Basic concepts, general principles for design, 1998.
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[17] M. Higuchi, “Working Auxiliary Arm,” application number JP20030410620 20031209, patent number JP2005169536, 2003.
[18] M. Higuchi, “Development of a Human Symbiotic Assist Arm “PAS-Arm”,” Proc. of 22nd Annual Conf. of Robotics Society of Japan, pp. 227-228, 2004 (in Japanese).
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This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationa License.

[1] [1] Y. Yamada, H. Konosu, T. Morizono, and Y. Umetani, “Proposal of Skill-Assist for Mounting Operations in Automobile Assembly Processes,” Trans. of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Series C, Vol.68, No.666, pp. 509-516, 2002 (in Japanese).

[2] [2] K. Kawamura and M. Iskarous, “Trends in Service Robotics for the Disabled and the Elderly,” Proc. of IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. on Intelligent Robotics and Systems, pp. 1647-1654, 1994.

[3] [3] M. Fujie, “Nowadays and Future in the Research and Development for Welfare Equipments,” J. of the Robotics Society of Japan, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 336-339, 2003 (in Japanese).

[4] [4] H. Ikeda, T. Saito, and N. Sugimoto, “Realization of Inherently Safe Human-Symbiotic Robot – Hazard-Elimination Process Based on International Safety Standards,” ISCIE J. “Systems, Control and Information,” Vol.13 No.12, pp. 575-584, 2000 (in Japanese).

[5] [5] ISO/CD12100, Safety of machinery – Basic concepts, general principles for design, 1998.

[6] [6] ISO10218, Manipulating industrial robots – safety, 1992.

[7] [7] S. Ishii, “Meal-assistance Robot “My Spoon”,” J. of the Robotics Society of Japan, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 378-381, 2003 (in Japanese).

[8] [8] J. Furusho, K. Koyanagi, J. Kataoka, R. Ushio, A. Inoue, and S. Takenaka, “Development of 3-D Rehabilitation System for Upper Limb – 1st Report: Development of Mechanism including ER Actuators and Whole System –,” J. of the Robotics Society of Japan, Vol.23, No.5, pp. 629-636, 2005 (in Japanese).

[9] [9] T. Saito and H. Ikeda, “Safe Torque Control System of Human-Collaborative Material Handling Robot for Crush Prevention,” The 36th Int. Symposium on Robotics, 2005.

[10] [10] T. Aoki and K. Taguchi, “Human-Assist Robot for Nursing Use,” J. of Robotics and Mechatronics, Vol.13, No.2, pp. 183-189, 2001.

[11] [11] A. Goswami, M. A. Peshkin, and J. E. Colgate, “Passive Robotics: An Exploration of Mechanical Computation,” Proc. of 1990, IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, pp. 279-284, 1990.

[12] [12] M. A. Peshkin and J. E. Colgate, “Cobots,” Industrial Robot, Vol.26, No.5, pp. 335-341, 1999.

[13] [13] Y. Delnondedieu and J. Troccaz, “PADyC: A Passive Arm with Dynamic Constraints,” A two degrees of freedom prototype. 2nd Int. Symp. on Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, MRCAS�� 95, pp. 173-180, 1995.

[14] [14] T. Morita and S. Sugano, “New Control Method for Robot Joint by Mechanical Impedance Adjuster – Proposition of Mechanisms and Application to Robot Finger –,” J. of the Robotics Society of Japan, Vol.14, No.1, pp. 131-136, 1996 (in Japanese).

[15] [15] T. Mitsuda, S. Kuge, M. Wakabayashi, and S. Kawamura, “Wearable force display using a Particle Mechanical Constraint,” Presence, Vol.11, No.6, pp. 569-577, 2002.

[16] [16] Y. Hirata, A. Hara, and K. Kosuge, “Passive-type Intelligent Walking Support System “RT Walker”,” Proc. of the 2004 IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, pp. 3871-3876, 2004.

[17] [17] M. Higuchi, “Working Auxiliary Arm,” application number JP20030410620 20031209, patent number JP2005169536, 2003.

[18] [18] M. Higuchi, “Development of a Human Symbiotic Assist Arm “PAS-Arm”,” Proc. of 22nd Annual Conf. of Robotics Society of Japan, pp. 227-228, 2004 (in Japanese).

[19] [19] A. Svoboda, “Computing mechanisms and linkages,” MIT Radiation Laboratory Series, No.27, McGraw-Hill, 1948.

[20] [20] M. Peshkin and J. E. Colgate, “Witaya Wannasuphoprasit, Carl Moore, Brent Gillespie, Cobot architecture,” IEEE Trans. on Robotics and Automation, Vol.17, No.4, p. 377, August, 2001.