組織様構造を持つ生体模倣関節被覆皮膚の設計：筋骨格ヒューマノイドの自己受容感覚向上
Design of a Biomimetic Joint-Covering Skin with Tissue-Like Structure to Enhance Proprioception in a Musculoskeletal Humanoid
筋骨格ヒューマノイドの関節角度推定を、筋肉センサに加えて関節を覆う皮膚の変形情報で補完するため、圧力・伸縮センサを内蔵した組織様多層構造の皮膚を設計し、実機で約3度の精度を達成した。
著者: Akihiro Miki, Shun Hasegawa, Yoshimoto Ribayashi, Kento Kawaharazuka, Kei Okada
分類: cs.RO
原文アブストラクト
Proprioception in musculoskeletal humanoids is typically estimated primarily from muscle sensing, while the role of cutaneous deformation around joints remains insufficiently explored. In biological systems, mechanoreceptors distributed within soft tissue complement muscle feedback and support reliable joint state estimation. This study presents the design of a biomimetic joint-covering skin with a tissue-like layered structure that integrates pressure- and stretch-sensitive elements within the joint-covering tissue. The proposed skin is implemented on the musculoskeletal humanoid Musashi-W, and its independent proprioceptive capability as well as its integration with muscle sensing are evaluated. Experimental results show that the proposed skin alone achieves joint angle estimation with an average error of approximately 3 degrees. Furthermore, integration with muscle sensing improves estimation accuracy. Owing to its joint-covering structure, the skin may mechanically mitigate the influence of external disturbances on the muscles, and the integration of multiple modalities suggests the possibility of contributing to the identification of external stimuli that are difficult to interpret using muscle sensing alone. This work presents a design methodology for biomimetic joint-covering skin and demonstrates that such tissue-structured skin can serve as an effective approach for extending proprioceptive systems in musculoskeletal humanoids.