The mechanical design of the new lower body for the child humanoid robot ‘iCub’

The ¿iCub¿ is a robotic platform that was developed within the RobotCub European project to provide the cognition research community with an open ¿child-like¿ humanoid platform for understanding and development of cognitive systems. In this paper we present the mechanical realization of the new lower body developed for the ¿iCub¿ child humanoid robot in order to keep up with the latest technology and solve mechatronic problems found in the previous version. The new lower body assembly demonstrates significant improvements over the old prototype including higher modularity, full joint state sensing and improved range of motion and torque capabilities. In particular the new leg and waist mechanisms to match the size and physical abilities of a 3¿ year old human child are introduced.