Dr. Jennifer L. Dawson

Assistant Professor

Mechanical Engineering

York College of Pennsylvania

York, PA 17403

Kinsley Engineering Center 106

Phone: 717-815-1520

Fax: 717-849-1621

jdawson1@ycp.edu

Home

Personal

Research

• Series Elastic Actuator

• Sanitation Project - Ghana

Courses

• ME 380

• EGR 392

• ME 400/401

• CS 101

Dynamic Modeling, Simulation, and Control of a Series Elastic Actuator

Series Elastic Actuator

An active research area in the field of robotics is the development of biomimetic robots (robots that imitate the structure and motion of animals), in particular bipedal walking robots [1], [2], [3].   Significant research has been conducted to develop the sensors, actuators, dynamic models, and control laws necessary to build a robot that is capable of robust, human-like motion when walking, running, or climbing stairs.  These robots have the potential to benefit society through a variety of applications such as exoskeletons to assist people with spinal injuries and as tools for first responders, law enforcement, and military personnel to protect them from hazardous environments.

In 2007, Bucknell University and the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) in Pensacola, FL began a collaborative research effort to develop a bipedal walking robot.  This robot’s legs are comprised of specialized actuators called Series Elastic Actuators (SEA), that are designed to mimic the compliance found in human legs.  The actuators are made by Yobotics, a company founded by an IHMC research scientist which specializes in the development of robotic legs.  While the Yobotics SEAs generally perform well, there are some mechanical features of the devices that prevent efficient energy recovery during cyclic use.  The primary goal of this research is to study the dynamic characteristics of the SEAs and use the findings to improve the mechanical design of the actuators.

Bipedal robot developed by IHMC

[1] T. Ha, C. Choi, “An effective trajectory generation method for bipedal walking,” Robotics and Autonomous Systems, vol. 55, no. 10, pp. 795-810, 2007.

[2] A. Mahboobin, P. Loughlin, M. Redfern, S. Anderson, C. Atkeson, J. Hodgins, “Sensory adaptation in human balance control: Lessons for biomimetic robotic bipeds,” Neural Networks, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 621-627, 2008.

[3] B. Vanderborght, R. Van Ham, B. Verrelst, M. Van Damme, D. Lefeber, “Overview of the Lucy Project: dynamic stabilization of a biped powered by pneumatic artificial muscles,” Advanced Robotics, vol. 22, no. 10, pp. 1027-1051, 2008.