Noboru Momose

Jumping Mechanism Imitating Vertebrate by the Mechanical Function of Bi-articular Muscle

In proposing the jumping mechanism imitating the leg of vertebrate, unique mechanical function of bi-articular muscle was analyzed. The bi-articular muscle is an actuator which exists only in vertebrate. The ground reaction force and/or jumping motion were examined using the following three jumping mechanisms, 1) the mechanism which arranged two actuators on the knee and ankle joint independently (Mechanism-A), 2) the mechanism which arranged two actuators on the knee and ankle joint, and connected two joints by a wire (Mechanism-B), 3) the mechanism which arranged one actuator only on the knee joint, and connected two joints by a wire (Mechanism-C). It became clear that the Mechanism-C is excellent as the result of analyses in this study. A pantograph mechanism is constituted by the wire equivalent to the bi-articular muscle which transmits the joint torque between two joints. And, ideal ground reaction force for jumping motion is generated. Furthermore, the jumping mechanism or robot which has the function of bi-articular muscle was made and the vertebrate like jumping motion was realized. In this study, it is said that the muscular arrangement of vertebrate is ideal arrangement. It is also an answer to the general question why is the crus very thinner than the femur of vertebrate which makes a jump elated.

Basic Structure and Prototype of Novel Linear Actuator with Electro-Rheological Gel

Nowadays, robots manipulated by human are aggressively researched and developed. Such robots need large generative force, high speed response, good controllability, high safety, low friction, backdriveability and so on. We have put emphasis on the backdriveability and created a novel prototype linear actuator with new structure applying an ER (electro-rheological) gel, a recent functional material. It is an all-purpose actuator satisfying characteristics for human-coexistence welfare robot.

Development of robot leg which provided with the bi-articular actuator for training techniques of rehabilitation

The robot leg for rehabilitation education requires the characteristics of the output force and the stiffness of the human leg to be mimicked correctly. There have been several efforts to mimic the motion characteristic of living organism by taking into account the arrangement of muscles in the mechanism of the robot. The present paper introduces a robot leg with a human-like two-joint link mechanism that is operated with the muscle coordinate system. The force and stiffness characteristics will enable the proposed robot leg to be used as a training robot for rehabilitation education.

Effects of the Lower Leg Bi-Articular Muscle in Jumping

We studied the effects of the lower leg bi-articular muscle in vertebrates in jumping. We used the proposed Jumping Jack model in computer simulation to analyze the impact of bi-articular muscle on postural jumping stability, energy transition caused by postural change, and the relationship between the ground reaction force and the center of gravity. We made a trial model and measured the jumping posture, ground reaction force, and jumping height to verify simulation results. The bi-articular muscle adjusted the ground reaction force so that the line of action invariably passed near the center of gravity and the conversion of elastic energy to rotational kinetic energy was suppressed, leading to a stable posture after takeoff.

Development of Passive Force Display Glove System and Its Improved Mechanism

The purpose of this study is development of a passive type virtual reality glove, which represents force sensations of grasping virtual objects and rather enhances immersive feelings in virtual space. VR technologies are recently actively researched for application or practical use, and actually some sensor gloves were commercialized. Though, force display gloves have not become popular. One of the major reasons would be safety of the device. We aim to develop a passive force display glove which consists of only passive elements like brakes, have no danger of hurting operator even if the controller runs away, and is to have characteristics of safety, high performance and inexpensive. This paper reports the prototype glove and its improved type.