%0 Conference Paper %B Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation %D 2005 %T Design and Control of a Variable Stiffness Actuator for Safe and Fast Physical Human/Robot Interaction %A G. Tonietti %A R. Schiavi %A A. Bicchi %K Robotics %X

This paper is concerned with the design and control of actuators for machines and robots physically interacting with humans. According to criteria established in our previous work on mechanical-control co-design for intrinsically safe, yet performant machines, we pursue the Variable Impedance Actuation (VIA) approach, purporting actuators that can control in real-time both the reference position and the mechanical impedance of the moving parts in the machine. In this paper we describe an implementation of such concepts, consisting of a novel electromechanical Variable Stiffness Actuation (VSA) motor. The design and the functioning principle of the VSA are reported, along with the analysis of its dynamic behavior. A novel scheme for feedback control of this device is presented, along with experimental results showing performance and safety of a one-link arm actuated by the VSA motor.

%B Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation %P 528-533 %G eng