An active compliant impact protection system for humanoids: Application to WALK-MAN hands

This paper reports on the development of a new pneumatically actuated impact protection system which can be applied to protect humanoid robots during high impact physical interactions. The proposed device is based on a soft inflating vessel which is integrated and validated on the hands of a humanoid robot WALK-MAN. The system incorporates an active pressure control unit with on-off solenoid valves that permit the regulation of the air pressure of the protection chamber. The impact protection system is smaller and lighter than a rubber-based passive protection previously mounted on the hands, while it offers better impact reduction performance via fast and accurate pressure control. The effectiveness of the system is verified by actual physical interaction experiments with WALK-MAN while the robot is falling against an inclined surface, making contact with its hands to support its body and prevent falling and damage.