Anthrob - A printed anthropomimetic robot

Abstract

Anthropomimetic robotics differ from conventional approaches by capitalizing on the replication of the inner structures of the human body, such as muscles, tendons, bones and joints [1]. Prominent examples for this class of robots are the robots developed at the JSK laboratory of the University of Tokyo and the robots developed by the EU-funded project Embodied Cognition in a Compliantly Engineered Robot (Eccerobot). However, the high complexity of these robots as well as their lack of sensors has so far failed to provide the desired new insights in the field of control. Therefore, we developed the simplified but sensorized robot Anthrob. The robot replicates the human upper limb and features 13 compliant tendon driven uni- and biarticular muscles as well as a spherical shoulder joint. Whenever possible, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) was used for the production of the robot parts to reduce the production costs and to implement cutting-edge technologies, such as tendon canals or solid-state joints.