Development of a pneumatic cylinder-driven arm wrestling robot system

In this study, we develop a pneumatic cylinder-driven arm wrestling robot system. The prototype system called ForceRobot comprises a five-DOF force display system with four pneumatic cylinders and a force sensor, and a human-like head robot equipped with a stereo visual servo system. The head robot can express its response by displaying facial expressions by using its eyes, eyelids, and lip and by changing its facial color. We introduce a force display response model on the basis of the impact absorption of hand into the system and verify, through behavior analysis, the effectiveness of the force display system based on the force exerted by the opponent. The system is then used in arm wrestling with children, and the effectiveness of the system is evaluated from the viewpoints of enjoyment and safe operability.