Accurate control of a human-like tendon-driven neck

In this paper we describe the actuation and control of a humanoid robot neck. Particular attention will be posed on the description of the neck actuation structure, whose design has a noticeable human similarity. Specifically, the final mechanical design was inspired by the human skeleton, with the neck bone movements constrained and actuated by the surrounding muscles. In our robotic platform, the neck bone was realized with a steel spring surrounded by steel tendons in place of muscles. The specific and innovative mechanical design have imposed the design of a non-standard actuation structure which, in turn, have lead to an innovative control scheme. The main focus of the paper will be on describing different control schemes and discussing their performances in details.