Powering the Future - 立命館大学

Ritsumeikan University College of Science and Engineering
Department of Robotics
Research/Development Areas
Control of Locomotion and Legged Robots
Research/Development Areas
Making a mechanical system intelligent
using dynamics
Associate Professor / Sang Ho HYON
Our research focuses on the following topics:
“Science of locomotion”: Study of attractive artificial leg design
and their real-life motions.
Development of realistic-looking artificial legs: Robotic
realization of human/animal-like, compliant, fault-tolerant legs.
Creation of smooth motions: Control theory of stable, robust,
dynamic locomotion such as walking, running, and jumping.
We evaluate our systems and theory on real human-sized
humanoid robots, amusement robots, exoskeleton robots,
construction robots, or animated computer figures. These
valuable experimental and mathematical findings are aimed at
practical applications for the industrial or medical fields.
Professor / Shinichi HIRAI
At the integrated mechanical intelligence laboratory research on
the shift of mechanical systems being intelligent based on
dynamics is very much being focused upon. Taking into
consideration the physical system that intellectually connects
sensations and motion and moving in the actual world has
resulted in a Robot that has lead to us promoting robotic
research using a scholarship system for realization. We are
aiming at realizing a physical system that can cleverly and
robustly move in the actual world and establishing scholarly
theory. In recent years we have been especially interested in
soft robots. Our research has revealed that functionality that
could not be realized by robots configured with hard materials
can be easily realized using soft materials. We wish to realize a
physical system that allows a robot to move in the actual world
like a human using soft objects and biomedical materials etc in
the future.
■[Left] Running rex robot
[Right] NICT/ATR humanoid robot (ex. collaboration)
■Soft finger operation
An object can be skillfully operated by
a robotic hand with soft fingers
■Jumping locomotion soft robot
A robot configured with a soft body
and soft actuator
Research/Development Areas
Motion intelligence of robots and humans
Professor / Sadao KAWAMURA, Assistant Professor / Mitsunori UEMURA, Mizuho SHIBATA
Our research focuses on the motion science of multi-joint structure
common to both humans and robots, and its application.
Due to multi-joint structure, the control of this motion becomes
difficult. However, by developing innovative mechanisms and
control systems, very efficient motion can be realized. In 2010,
we are focusing on the following research projects:
(1) Realization of a Highly Energy-Efficient Robot based on Resonance
Principles.
Theoretical and practical research is being carried out based on
the resonance of mechanical stiffness devices. From a theoretical
viewpoint, resonance for linear systems is developed to the
nonlinear dynamics of robots.
(2) Development of a Human-size Underwater Robot with Dual
Arms and its Testing in Biwa Lake.
We are focusing on the dexterity of an underwater robot with
dual arms. A movable floating blocks system and a new type of
controller for an operator have been developed. Experiments
are conducted in both a pool on campus and in Biwa Lake.
(3) Realization of Muscular Structure
Robots and High Performance Control.
A muscular structure robot resembling
a human body has been developed
using rubber actuators. Robust visual
feedback control systems are being
developed.
■Small underwater robot
Research/Development Areas
Understanding the dynamic phenomena of
life’s intelligence of motion and developing
environmentally-adaptive robots with novel
morphology and functionality
Professor / Shugen MA
Nature systems behaving a body with a large number of
degrees of freedom are often considered as the ultimate model
for intelligence. To confer the performance advantage of animal
systems on robotic machines, at this laboratory, we are carrying
out the studies on a thorough understanding of the biological
systems at both biomechanical and physiological levels and the
developments of biomimetic intelligent machines, biologicallyinspired
robots and environmentally adaptive mechanisms with
the keywords, ‘animal system’, ‘intelligence’, ‘environmental
adaptation’, ‘flexibility’ and ‘energy-saving’. Our research topics
include - but not limited to - studies and developments of new
types of robots such as snake-like robots and quadruped
robots that have a similar body with animals and show the
correspondent intelligence, and studies and developments of
rescue robots such as crawler-driven robots that behave
polymorphic motions and show better impact absorption ability.
http://www.malab.se.ritsumei.ac.jp/
■Upper left: A crawler-driven robot, upper middle: An in-pipe inspection robot,
upper right: A snake-like robot, lower left: A hyper-redundant robot arm, lower
middle: A quadruped robot, lower right: a 5-DOF tendon-driven arm
21 Ritsumeikan University Powering the Future