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Project

PoC project PoweRing Design-for-Craftsmanship PoC: A TRL6 golden sample demonstrator of a compact, lightweight, and highly efficient gearbox to drive the next generation of robots (IOFPOC54)

A fully new generation of robotic devices designed to interact directly with humans brings a broad potential todrastically improve our lives. Examples include robotic devices that can restore the full functionality of an amputatedarm or leg, service robots that allow us to live longer and independently in our own homes as we age, exoskeletonsdesigned to augment worker capability and rehabilitate patients outside a clinic, or mobile robots that can work inhazardous environments. Unfortunately, current actuation technologies cannot cope with these needs and currentlyprevent the exploitation of this vast potential.We build on our R&MM and BRUBOTICS research groups' extensive experience in actuation for Human-CenteredRobotic (HCR) devices. Our PoweRing technology takes advantage of the high versatility of planetary gear trains(PGTs) to result in a gearbox designed precisely to match the specific needs of HCR, where weight and efficiencyare more crucial than the extreme accuracy that characterizes conventional industrial robots.This PoC project is crucial for achieving the objective of launching a spin-off in 2024 to valorize these gearboxtechnology making sure that practical aspects related to the manufacture, testing, and service of planetarygearboxes are adequately incorporated to our design such that the foundation of the spin-off is backed by theavailability of a functionally robust TRL6 golden sample.
Date:15 Jul 2022 →  Today
Keywords:robotic devices
Disciplines:Robotics and automatic control
Project type:Collaboration project