English Abstract

Soft Materials will Contribute to Designing a Sophisticated Humanoid Masao NISHIKAWA Kyushu Tokai University, Kumamoto Nippon Gomu Kyokaishi,(2005),78(8),290-294 General Review in Japanese Abstract Currently, many humanoids have been unveiled and successfully demonstrate various walking performance for indoor use. But they are hesitating to go to outdoor fields, such as to streets where so many people are crowded or as to wetlands where water penetration would give them a significant damage. On the contrary, human beings are covered with soft tissue to mitigate the shock of the collision with another person or an obstacle when he goes to crowded places, or to protect themselves against water penetration. Current humanoids want something like soft tissue covering their skins and the most potential candidate is the rubber, which should be strong and elastic enough and durable for a long term usage. One of the most significant weak points of the rubber is its heavy weight, which increases robot weight beyond the practical limit. And generally speaking, soft materials often suffer from abrasion problems. This paper describes prospective better collaborations between the robotic engineers and the soft material engineers. Keywords: Walking Robot, Skin, Shock Absorber, Water Proof, Aspiration, Tendon, Spring

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