Impact mitigation of robotic system using variable stiffness joints

It is well known that human hands or arthropod grippers (claws) have variable compliance or stiffness in their joints due to their muscle articulation. Like human hands, the adaptability and efficiency of robot control technology can be improved by utilizing the intrinsic dynamics of passive elements, leading to a well balanced coupling between control and mechanical design. In this research, we address shock and vibration isolation schemes of robotic system by embedding a variable stiffness elastomer component (B-MRE) in each articulated joint. In the future research, the B-MRE will be integrated with an actual robotic joint (revolute or prismatic) to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed shock and vibration isolation schemes.