Shock Absorption for Legged Locomotion through Magnetorheological Leg-Stiffness Control
The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of a magnetorheological-fluid-based variable stiffness actuator leg under high impact forces through optimal tuning and control of stiffness and damping properties. To achieve this, drop testing experiments were conducted with the leg at va...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Machines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/11/2/236 |
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| author | Matthew Daniel Christie Shuaishuai Sun Lei Deng Haiping Du Shiwu Zhang Weihua Li |
| author_facet | Matthew Daniel Christie Shuaishuai Sun Lei Deng Haiping Du Shiwu Zhang Weihua Li |
| author_sort | Matthew Daniel Christie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of a magnetorheological-fluid-based variable stiffness actuator leg under high impact forces through optimal tuning and control of stiffness and damping properties. To achieve this, drop testing experiments were conducted with the leg at various drop heights and payload masses. The results showed that while lower stiffness and higher damping can lead to lower impact forces and greater energy dissipation, respectively, optimal control can also protect the leg from deflecting beyond its functional range. Comparison with a rigid leg with higher damping showed a 57.5% reduction in impact force, while a more compliant leg with lower damping results in a 61.4% reduction. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering both stiffness and damping in the design of legged robots for high impact force resistance. This simultaneously highlights the efficacy of the proposed magnetorheological-fluid-based leg design for this purpose. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:31:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5cef4a082a1345029a2a395c8c01cd0e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1702 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:31:28Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Machines |
| spelling | doaj.art-5cef4a082a1345029a2a395c8c01cd0e2023-11-16T21:45:46ZengMDPI AGMachines2075-17022023-02-0111223610.3390/machines11020236Shock Absorption for Legged Locomotion through Magnetorheological Leg-Stiffness ControlMatthew Daniel Christie0Shuaishuai Sun1Lei Deng2Haiping Du3Shiwu Zhang4Weihua Li5School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, AustraliaCAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, ChinaSchool of Electrical, Computer & Telecommunications Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, AustraliaSchool of Electrical, Computer & Telecommunications Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, AustraliaCAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, ChinaSchool of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, AustraliaThe objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of a magnetorheological-fluid-based variable stiffness actuator leg under high impact forces through optimal tuning and control of stiffness and damping properties. To achieve this, drop testing experiments were conducted with the leg at various drop heights and payload masses. The results showed that while lower stiffness and higher damping can lead to lower impact forces and greater energy dissipation, respectively, optimal control can also protect the leg from deflecting beyond its functional range. Comparison with a rigid leg with higher damping showed a 57.5% reduction in impact force, while a more compliant leg with lower damping results in a 61.4% reduction. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering both stiffness and damping in the design of legged robots for high impact force resistance. This simultaneously highlights the efficacy of the proposed magnetorheological-fluid-based leg design for this purpose.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/11/2/236biologically inspiredmagnetorheological fluidrobot legshock absorbervariable stiffness |
| spellingShingle | Matthew Daniel Christie Shuaishuai Sun Lei Deng Haiping Du Shiwu Zhang Weihua Li Shock Absorption for Legged Locomotion through Magnetorheological Leg-Stiffness Control Machines biologically inspired magnetorheological fluid robot leg shock absorber variable stiffness |
| title | Shock Absorption for Legged Locomotion through Magnetorheological Leg-Stiffness Control |
| title_full | Shock Absorption for Legged Locomotion through Magnetorheological Leg-Stiffness Control |
| title_fullStr | Shock Absorption for Legged Locomotion through Magnetorheological Leg-Stiffness Control |
| title_full_unstemmed | Shock Absorption for Legged Locomotion through Magnetorheological Leg-Stiffness Control |
| title_short | Shock Absorption for Legged Locomotion through Magnetorheological Leg-Stiffness Control |
| title_sort | shock absorption for legged locomotion through magnetorheological leg stiffness control |
| topic | biologically inspired magnetorheological fluid robot leg shock absorber variable stiffness |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/11/2/236 |
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