The BionicMobileAssistant moves autonomously in three dimensions and can independently detect objects, adapt its grip, and work together with people. The information is processed by a neural network that has been trained in advance with the aid of data augmentation.
In the future, operators and robots will work ever more closely together. That is why here at Festo, we are working intensively on systems which, for example, can relieve people of monotonous or hazardous activities while at the same time posing no risk. Artificial intelligence plays a central role in this regard.
The BionicMobileAssistant, which was developed in collaboration with ETH Zurich, consists of three subsystems: a mobile robot, an electric robot arm, and the BionicSoftHand 2.0. The pneumatic gripper is inspired by the human hand and is an advanced version of the BionicSoftHand developed in 2019.
The DynaArm, an electric robot arm, can carry out fast and dynamic movements thanks to its lightweight design with highly integrated actuator modules that weigh just one kilo. These modules, known as DynaDrives, pack the motor, gear unit, motor control electronics, and sensors into a very compact design. In addition, the arm features an extremely high power density that, with a kW at 60 Nm drive torque, far exceeds that of conventional industrial robots.
Thanks to model-based force control and control algorithms to compensate for dynamic effects, the arm is able to respond well to external influences and therefore interact extremely precisely with its environment. It is controlled by a Ballbot via an EtherCAT communication bus. Thanks to its modular design, the DynaArm can quickly be brought into operation and easily maintained.
The Ballbot is based on a sophisticated drive concept – it balances on a ball powered by three Omniwheels. This means that the BionicMobileAssistant can move freely in every direction. The robot only touches the floor at one point at a time and can therefore navigate through tight spaces. In order to keep its balance, it must stay moving. The movements are planned and coordinated using planning and control algorithms that are saved on a powerful computer in the body of the Ballbot.
The robot’s stability is achieved entirely dynamically – in the event of external influences, the Ballbot can quickly rotate its ball in order to maintain its balance. Using an inertial measuring unit and position encoders on the wheels, it tracks its movements and the relative tilt of the system. Based on this data, an optimization program calculates how the robot and arm must move in order to bring the hand into the target position and simultaneously stabilize the robot.
The fingers of the pneumatic robot consist of flexible bellows structures with air chambers, surrounded by a firm yet yielding knitted fabric. This makes the hand light, adaptive, and sensitive, yet capable of exerting strong forces. Similar to the BionicSoftHand released in 2019, the pneumatic fingers are actuated by a compact valve manifold with piezo valves mounted directly on the hand.
The hand wears a glove with tactile force sensors on the fingertips, the palm, and the outer sides of the robot hand. This allows it to sense how hard the item to be gripped is and how well it is positioned in the hand, and to adapt its gripping force to the particular item – just as people do. There is also a depth camera on the inside of the wrist for visual object detection.