The humanoid robots developed until now are mostly very heavy and hence there exists a danger that they may destroy the surrownding environment and even injure their operators. In our laboratory, we have developed a humanoid robot closer to the size of a human being but very light in weight with a high level of flexibility and versatility, and able to execute self-supported action. The overview of this robot is shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1 The humanoid robot saika-3 with the research members.
Figure 2 shows the placement of its degrees of freedom. This under development humanoid robot has 30 degrees of freedom. The computer and batteries are integrated into its body and hence it is possible to control it remotely through wireless LAN. It also has terminals for external power and hence can operate on external power supplies too. Moreover, it can also capture a scene with the CCD cameras installed in its head and can transmit the video signals which can be sean on a remote monitor.
Fig. 2 The placement of all degrees of freedom. Fig. 3 The CAD model of the humanoid robot.
Figure 3 shows the CAD model of the humanoid robot. In order to be handled by a single person, it is designed small and light. The total height from foot sole to the tip of the transmitter antenna is 1271 [mm]. As it is even smaller than a normal human being, hence it can be handled without having fear. To improve the safety, every part is designed very light. Without arms, its total weight equipped with all batteries is only 46.9 [kg]. With the arms in place, it is expected to weigh a litter more than 50 [kg]. The arms are under development presently.
We have also developed the dynamic graphics of this humanoid robot. The state of a simulated walking motion is shown in Fig. 4. By giving the walking parameters to the simulator, it is possible to confirm the expected action without actually running the real robot.
Fig. 4 The state of a simulated walking motion with the simulator.