Cable-Driven Actuation for Highly Dynamic Robotic Systems

This paper presents the design and experimental evaluations of an articulated robotic limb called Capler-Leg. The key element of Capler-Leg is its single-stage cable-pulley transmission combined with a high-gap radius motor. Our cable-pulley system is designed to be as light-weight as possible and to additionally serve as the primary cooling element, thus significantly increasing the power density and efficiency of the overall system. The total weight of active elements on the leg, i.e. the stators and the rotors, contribute more than 60% of the total leg weight, which is an order of magnitude higher than most existing robots. The resulting robotic leg has low inertia, high torque transparency, low manufacturing cost, no backlash, and a low number of parts. The Capler-Leg system itself, serves as an experimental setup for evaluating the proposed cable-pulley design in terms of robustness and efficiency. A continuous jump experiment shows a remarkable 96.5% recuperation rate, measured at the battery output. This means that almost all the mechanical energy output during push-off is returned back to the battery during touch-down.