New augmented motors can boost next-gen robot performance

Researchers have invented a way to augment electric motors to make them much more efficient at performing dynamic movements through a new type of actuator.The standard electric motor was designed for many steady or ongoing activities, and it wastes a lot of energy while making more complicated movements. Today, all eyes are on machines that are needed to perform complex tasks, such as powered prostheses to assist a person who has lost a limb or an independent robot navigating the outside world.

Steve Collins, associate professor of mechanical engineering and senior author of the paper, explained that rather than wasting lots of electricity to sit there humming away and generating heat, the actuator uses these clutches to achieve the very high levels of efficiency that they see from electric motors in continuous processes, without giving up on controllability and other features that make electric motors attractive.

Each rubber spring is sandwiched between two clutches: one that connects the spring to the joint to assist the motor and one that locks the spring in a stretched position when it’s not being used. The researchers tested the design through a series of challenging motion tests, and at every task, the enhanced motor used at least 50 percent less power than a standard electric motor and, in the best case, reduced power consumption by 97 percent.In this case, robots can work the whole day and not just an hour or two before needing a recharge. It also gives them the potential to do more significant tasks, for example, in situations that include toxic materials and hazardous environments.

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