Development of a Lightweight Biped Robot

Abstract

Robotics, as a research and technical field, finds inspiration in nature. In particular, bipedal robots, which structure and kinematics reproduce the lower limbs of a human body, are the first step toward functional humanoid robots. This document describes the development phases of a lightweight biped robot under construction at the department of Robotics and Mechatronics in Nazarbayev University. The mechanical design is the primary focus of this work; nevertheless, a big effort was also dedicated to formalize and realize the electrical, sensorial and software subsystems. By using 3D printing techniques and lightweight materials a lower power consumption and higher power over weight ratio was reached in comparison with state-of-the-art robots having comparable dimensions. Furthermore, thanks to a lower links inertia the system is inherently safer when operating in environment where humans are present. A detailed description of the robot kinematics and the methodology followed to dimension the actuation system is provided together with preliminary results on the execution of different postures and gaits.