Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Joohyung Kim

Katsu Yamane

Alexander Nicholas Alspach

Stelian Coros

Zachary Thomas Batts

Seungmoon Song

Sehoon Ha

A robot design system, and associated method, that is particularly well-suited for legged robots (e.g., monopods, bipeds, and quadrupeds). The system implements three stages or modules: (a) a motion optimization module; (b) a morphology optimization module; and (c) a link length optimization module. The motion optimization module outputs motion trajectories of the robot's center of mass (COM) and force effectors. The morphology optimization module uses as input the optimized motion trajectories and a library of modular robot components and outputs an optimized robot morphology, e.g., a parameterized mechanical design in which the number of links in each of the legs and other parameters are optimized. The link length optimization module takes this as input and outputs optimal link lengths for a particular task such that the design of a robot is more efficient. The system solves the problem of automatically designing legged robots for given locomotion tasks by numerical optimization.

Computational design of robots from high-level task specifications

A prismatic actuator for imparting a hopping motion to a supported load such as a leg of robot. The apparatus includes a direct drive motor, such as a voice coil, operable to provide translational motion. The apparatus includes a spring element and a prismatic guide assembly. The guide assembly is configured to support the direct drive motor to constrain the translational motion to be along a drive axis and support the spring element to constrain compression and expansion of the spring element along a longitudinal axis parallel to the drive axis. The apparatus includes a controller that: (1) first controls the direct drive motor to compress the spring element during a first time period beginning when the apparatus initially contacts a surface; and (2) second controls the direct drive motor to expand the spring element when the apparatus has zero velocity while contacting the surface.

Parallel elastic mechanism for robot-environment force interaction

A robot designed for reducing collision impacts during human interaction. The robot includes a robot controller including a joint control module. The robot includes a link including a rigid support element and a soft body segment coupled to the rigid support element, and the body segment includes a deformable outer sidewall enclosing an interior space. The robot includes a pressure sensor sensing pressure in the interior space of the link. A joint is coupled to the rigid support element to rotate or position the link. During operations, the robot controller operates the joint based on the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor. The robot controller modifies operation of the joint from a first operating state with a servo moving or positioning the joint to a second operating state with the servo operating to allow the joint to be moved or positioned in response to outside forces applied to the link.

Soft body robot for physical interaction with humans

A robot having the motion style of a character defined by animation data obtained from an animation movie or computer animation data files. The robot is generated using a robot development method that obtains animation data for a character walking or performing other movements. The character may be humanoid, and the method includes developing a bipedal robot with a lower portion having a kinematic structure matching the kinematic structure of the lower portion of the animation character as defined in the animation data. A control program is generated for the robot such as by using trajectory optimization. The control program may include an open-loop walking trajectory that mimics the character's walking motion provided in the animation data. The open-loop walking trajectory may be generated by modifying the motion of the character from the animation data such that the Zero Moment Point (ZMP) stays in the contact convex hull.

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Joohyung Kim