Compact and Impact-resilient Robot Actuators via Lightweight Overload Clutch with Wedged Rollers
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Robots avoid collisions as these can lead to hardware damage. To deploy robots in less structured environments, robust hardware is required. Traditional approaches that improve impact-resilience result in bulky actuators, increased backlash or decreased torque density. A lightweight and compact clutch principle based on wedged rollers is presented as well as an experimental proof-of-concept. A use case involving the design of clutched planetary gearbox actuators tailored to humanoid robot legs shows a reduction in axial length of 25% up to 40% depending on the maximum expected overload.
Authors: Frederik Ostyn, Guillaume Crevecoeur
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6930834691
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