ITMO: Method of morphological design of flexible robots

Main article: Robots (robotics)

2021: Flexible Robot Design Method Presentation

On July 28, 2021, ITMO University announced that its scientists had developed a method for designing flexible, safe and energy-efficient robots that can interact with objects in an unfamiliar space. The capabilities of the method were demonstrated on a assembled prototype - a compact jumping robot.

"Classic" industrial robots, for example, robots on the assembly line of cars, can work effectively only in a certain static environment and only with those objects that are previously taken into account at the programming stage. As of July 2021, scientists are developing methods for designing service robots that can safely interact with an unfamiliar environment: people, objects, and the surface of the earth. In the future, such devices can become assistants in the inspection and maintenance of infrastructure, delivery of goods or care for the elderly.

This method, proposed by Ivan Borisov, an employee of the ITMO Department of Control Systems and Robotics, and his colleagues, will allow robots to solve complex problems in an unknown environment without using complex control algorithms.

{{quote 'The standard approach when designing a four-legged robot is to make the body box-shaped and use simple mechanisms controlled by complex algorithms as legs. An alternative approach is to see how nature solved a similar problem over millions of years of evolution. Using morphological calculation, we design a complex mechanical system, the actions of which will be determined by simple algorithms. Most of the required dynamics are already embedded in the system itself, and algorithms are necessary only to stabilize and supplement the movement of the mechanisms of the robot, "explains Ivan Borisov. }}

The method proposed by scientists is a morphological design method. With it, it is possible to create devices that generate force and moments of motion due to the competent weight distribution, the suitable arrangement of elastic elements, as well as the use of joints made of elastic materials, for example polyurethane, instead of bulky traditional joints with bearings and axes. At the same time, in such mechanisms, the operation of the engine and microcontrollers does not provide the entire movement process, but only corrects behavior, which significantly saves energy.

By minimizing control effects and using elastic parts, the robots created become safe for people and the environment, require less power for movement, and do not break down under dynamic load. To demonstrate the capabilities of the method, we designed and assembled a prototype of a compact jumping robot that confirmed our hypotheses, "said Kirill Nasonov, a master's student in the Robotics direction.

The prototype created is an intermediate stage of research, but it demonstrates the promise of the method proposed by scientists. Its ultimate goal is to develop a galloping robot with a flexible back.