The Quadruped Robot "Tekken-II"

the self-contained quadruped robot : Tekken-II (2003.3-)

Movie (2003 Sep. - Present)

Dynamic walking using CPGs and reflexes

on natural ground with scattered pebbles and grasses
- (2004 Mar., ave. 0.7 m/s, 78 sec. : MPEG 13M)
- (2004 Mar., ave. 0.7 m/s, 33 sec. : MPEG 5M)
on paved road, long version
- (2004 Mar., ave. 0.6 m/s, 4 min. : MPEG 70M)
- (2004 Mar., ave. 0.7 m/s, 2 min. : MPEG 19M)
on paved road while slaloming (2004 Mar.., 0.6 m/s, 60 sec. : MPEG 16M)
on paved road (2003 Nov., 0.6 m/s, 60 sec. : MPEG 12M)

Robot Specifications

weight : 4.3 kg including power batteries
size : [H] 27.5 cm, [L] (body 30 cm), [W] (body 14 cm)
joints : 3 (hip, knee and ankle) joints around pitch axis and 1 (hip) joint around yaw axis for each leg
actuators : DC servo motors of 23 W on 2 pitch joints (pitch hip and pitch knee) and of 8 W on yaw hip joint
gear ratio : 20, 28 and 18 for pitch hip joint, pitch knee joint and yaw hip joint, respectively
sensors : a photo encoder on each joint, 2 rate-gyro sensors and 2 inclinometers for pitch and roll axes on the body, and a contact sensor on the tip of each leg
batteries : Li-Pol by Kokam (11V1000mAh x 2 and 11V720mAh x 2)
controller : RT-Linux on a board PC and TITECH-wire IO boards
operation : manual operation using a radio controller by Futaba

Characteristic Descriptions

Self-contaied (power autonomous)
The ankle joint is passive with the spring and lock mechanism.
In order to reduce the energy consumption, we attached the spring mechanism around the hip knee joint. Tekken-II can change the mechanical stiffness of the knee joint between the stance phase and swing phase.
We can operate Tekken-II using a radio-controller, such as stand up, start walking, change speed, change direction, stop, sit down, and others.

Research History and Abstract in English or Japanese