An intrinsically safe mechanism for physically coupling humans with robots

Robots are increasingly used in tasks that include physical interaction with humans. Examples can be found in the area of rehabilitation robotics, power augmentation robots, as well as assistive and orthotic devices. However, current methods of physically coupling humans with robots fail to provide intrinsic safety, adaptation and efficiency, which limit the application of wearable robotics only to laboratory and controlled environments. In this paper we present the design and verification of a novel mechanism for physically coupling humans and robots. The device is intrinsically safe, since it is based on passive, non-electric features that are not prone to malfunctions. The device is capable of transmitting forces and torques in all directions between the human user and the robot. Moreover, its re-configurable nature allows for easy and consistent adjustment of the decoupling force. The latter makes the mechanism applicable to a wide range of human-robot coupling applications, ranging from low-force rehabilitation-therapy scenarios to high-force augmentation cases.