Humanoid Robot’s Force-Based Heavy Manipulation Tasks with Torque-Controlled Arms and Wrist Force Sensors

Abstract

We present a torque controller for humanoid robot's arm and a method to execute heavy-load tasks under that controller. Torque control of arms can reduce the joint load when an impulsive force is applied to the robot's hand. This feature is important for robots that will work among many humans or obstacles because accidental collisions may happen in such situations. We also developed a static force filter for force sensors at the end-effectors. This filter is utilized for the compensation for the static reaction force during heavy-load tasks. A life-sized humanoid robot JAXON digs soil with a shovel and carries soil with a wheelbarrow using our proposed controller.