Repetitive Control of Robotic Joint With Variable Impedance Utilizing Agonist-Antagonist Muscle Pair Structure Based on Virtual Trajectories

Realizing accurate trajectory-tracking control for flexible robotic joints using a model-free approach is challenging. In this study, the repetitive control based on virtual trajectory, which is a model-free control method proposed for flexible human multi-joints, is extended and applied to a real r...

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Main Authors: Kaho Umeda, Yinlai Jiang, Hiroshi Yokoi, Shunta Togo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
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Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10849553/
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author Kaho Umeda
Yinlai Jiang
Hiroshi Yokoi
Shunta Togo
author_facet Kaho Umeda
Yinlai Jiang
Hiroshi Yokoi
Shunta Togo
author_sort Kaho Umeda
collection DOAJ
description Realizing accurate trajectory-tracking control for flexible robotic joints using a model-free approach is challenging. In this study, the repetitive control based on virtual trajectory, which is a model-free control method proposed for flexible human multi-joints, is extended and applied to a real robotic joint with a variable mechanical impedance mechanism. The virtual trajectory is modeled by a time series of the equilibrium position of the spring. In conventional methods, the virtual trajectory is corrected according to the trajectory error resulting from repetitive control. To achieve trajectory tracking even with a soft joint, this study proposes a strategy for starting repetitive control with a high joint impedance and switching to a lower joint impedance after convergence to the target trajectory, thereby successively correcting the estimated impedance change ratio by repetitive control. We developed a robotic joint with an agonist-antagonist muscle pair structure that can easily change its mechanical impedance using a position-controlled motor combined with a grommet, which changes its stiffness nonlinearly with respect to elongation, in addition to a wire traction mechanism as the control target. The results of simulations and real robot experiments demonstrated that the proposed method can achieve trajectory-tracking control even when the joint impedance is so low that the trajectory diverges from that of the conventional method. These results show that the proposed method is capable of trajectory tracking control while maintaining joint softness even when the dynamics of the control target and the impedance values before and after the change are unknown, that is, model-free.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2169-3536
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher IEEE
record_format Article
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spelling doaj-art-4625449785ab4a9da419a483e730f51b2025-01-31T00:01:50ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-0113168661687810.1109/ACCESS.2025.353263310849553Repetitive Control of Robotic Joint With Variable Impedance Utilizing Agonist-Antagonist Muscle Pair Structure Based on Virtual TrajectoriesKaho Umeda0Yinlai Jiang1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0825-6444Hiroshi Yokoi2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8571-1175Shunta Togo3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3464-0765Department of Mechanical and Intelligent Systems Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, JapanCenter for Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, JapanDepartment of Mechanical and Intelligent Systems Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, JapanDepartment of Mechanical and Intelligent Systems Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, JapanRealizing accurate trajectory-tracking control for flexible robotic joints using a model-free approach is challenging. In this study, the repetitive control based on virtual trajectory, which is a model-free control method proposed for flexible human multi-joints, is extended and applied to a real robotic joint with a variable mechanical impedance mechanism. The virtual trajectory is modeled by a time series of the equilibrium position of the spring. In conventional methods, the virtual trajectory is corrected according to the trajectory error resulting from repetitive control. To achieve trajectory tracking even with a soft joint, this study proposes a strategy for starting repetitive control with a high joint impedance and switching to a lower joint impedance after convergence to the target trajectory, thereby successively correcting the estimated impedance change ratio by repetitive control. We developed a robotic joint with an agonist-antagonist muscle pair structure that can easily change its mechanical impedance using a position-controlled motor combined with a grommet, which changes its stiffness nonlinearly with respect to elongation, in addition to a wire traction mechanism as the control target. The results of simulations and real robot experiments demonstrated that the proposed method can achieve trajectory-tracking control even when the joint impedance is so low that the trajectory diverges from that of the conventional method. These results show that the proposed method is capable of trajectory tracking control while maintaining joint softness even when the dynamics of the control target and the impedance values before and after the change are unknown, that is, model-free.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10849553/Agonist-antagonist muscle pairflexible jointrepetitive controlvariable impedancevirtual trajectory
spellingShingle Kaho Umeda
Yinlai Jiang
Hiroshi Yokoi
Shunta Togo
Repetitive Control of Robotic Joint With Variable Impedance Utilizing Agonist-Antagonist Muscle Pair Structure Based on Virtual Trajectories
IEEE Access
Agonist-antagonist muscle pair
flexible joint
repetitive control
variable impedance
virtual trajectory
title Repetitive Control of Robotic Joint With Variable Impedance Utilizing Agonist-Antagonist Muscle Pair Structure Based on Virtual Trajectories
title_full Repetitive Control of Robotic Joint With Variable Impedance Utilizing Agonist-Antagonist Muscle Pair Structure Based on Virtual Trajectories
title_fullStr Repetitive Control of Robotic Joint With Variable Impedance Utilizing Agonist-Antagonist Muscle Pair Structure Based on Virtual Trajectories
title_full_unstemmed Repetitive Control of Robotic Joint With Variable Impedance Utilizing Agonist-Antagonist Muscle Pair Structure Based on Virtual Trajectories
title_short Repetitive Control of Robotic Joint With Variable Impedance Utilizing Agonist-Antagonist Muscle Pair Structure Based on Virtual Trajectories
title_sort repetitive control of robotic joint with variable impedance utilizing agonist antagonist muscle pair structure based on virtual trajectories
topic Agonist-antagonist muscle pair
flexible joint
repetitive control
variable impedance
virtual trajectory
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10849553/
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AT yinlaijiang repetitivecontrolofroboticjointwithvariableimpedanceutilizingagonistantagonistmusclepairstructurebasedonvirtualtrajectories
AT hiroshiyokoi repetitivecontrolofroboticjointwithvariableimpedanceutilizingagonistantagonistmusclepairstructurebasedonvirtualtrajectories
AT shuntatogo repetitivecontrolofroboticjointwithvariableimpedanceutilizingagonistantagonistmusclepairstructurebasedonvirtualtrajectories