Myon

Myon is a modular humanoid, which can be disassembled and reassembled during runtime. The body parts are fully autonomous in a threefold sense: they all possess their own energy supply, processing power, and a neural network topology which allows for stand-alone operation of single limbs. The robot has especially been designed for robustness and easy maintenance. It exhibits a combination of an endoskeleton with an exoskeleton, the latter of which can manually be detached without the need for technical equipment. One of the essential parts is a novel flange which firmly connects the body parts mechanically, whilst at the same time relaying the power supply lines and sensorimotor signals.

Properties

The robot consists of six body parts (head, torso, arms, and legs) and is — all in all — 1.25m tall and weighs 15 kg, including the shells. A total of 48 actuators is used to control 32 degrees of freedom (DOFs). Except for the eye, a single type of actuator (Dynamixel RX-28 by Robotis) is used for all joints. Joints which need a large amount of torque, e.g. the knee, are driven by multiple actuators in parallel.

Development

Myon's hardware design, circuit boards, firmware, controlling software and most of its mechanical parts were concepted and realised within the NRL Team. The outer appearance was designed by Frackenpohl-Poulheim and realised by Bayer MaterialScience (see Cooperations page). Particular attention was given to make the exterior appearance friendly and approachable, so that Myon, in contrast to other bulky-looking robots, appears friendly and approachable.

Making Of

Images