Modeling and Testing of a Series Elastic Actuator with Controllable Damping

Abstract

Compliant Actuators are much safer than traditional stiff joint actuators, but at the cost of high overshoot, positional accuracy, and speed. A damper that varies its damping torque during motion is introduced to alleviate these downsides. The equations of motion for the system are derived and simulated. The simulations demonstrated a decrease in the overshoot and ringing time. A physical proof of concept was manufactured and tested. The results from the physical model were inconclusive due to a fault in the physical model. A more accurate physical test model is proposed, and is simulated