Hydraulic control systems have become increasingly popular as the means of actuation for human-scale legged robots and assistive devices. One of the biggest limitations to these systems is their run time untethered from a power source. One way to increase endurance is by improving actuation efficiency. We investigate reducing servovalve throttling losses by using a selective recruitment artificial muscle bundle comprised of three motor units. Each motor unit is made up of a pair of hydraulic McKibben muscles connected to one servovalve. The pressure and recruitment state of the artificial muscle bundle can be adjusted to match the load in an efficient manner, much like the firing rate and total number of recruited motor units is adjusted in skeletal muscle. A volume-based effective initial braid angle is used in the model of each recruitment level. This semi-empirical model is utilized to predict the efficiency gains of the proposed variable recruitment actuation scheme versus a throttling-only approach. A real-time orderly recruitment controller with pressure-based thresholds is developed. This controller is used to experimentally validate the model-predicted efficiency gains of recruitment on a robot arm. The results show that utilizing variable recruitment allows for much higher efficiencies over a broader operating envelope.

The knitted-sleeve fluidic muscle is similar in design to a traditional McKibben muscle, with a separate bladder and sleeve. However, in place of a braided sleeve, it uses a tubular-knit sleeve made from a thin strand of flexible but inextensible yarn. When the bladder is pressurized, the sleeve expands by letting the loops of fiber slide past each other, changing the dimensions of the rectangular cells in the stitch pattern. Ideally, the internal volume of the sleeve would reach a maximum when its length has contracted by 2/3 from its maximum length, and although this is not reachable in practice, preliminary tests show that free contraction greater than 50% is achievable. The motion relies on using a fiber with a low coefficient of friction in order to reduce hysteresis to an acceptable level. In addition to increased stroke length, potential advantages of this technique include slower force drop-off during the stroke, more useable energy in certain applications, and greater similarity to the force–length relationship of skeletal muscle. Its main limitation is its potentially greater effect from friction compared to other fluidic muscle designs.

A novel, meso-scale hydraulic actuator characterization test platform, termed a linear hydraulic actuator characterization device, is demonstrated and characterized in this study. The linear hydraulic actuator characterization device is applied to testing McKibben artificial muscles and is used to show the energy savings due to the implementation of a variable recruitment muscle control scheme. The linear hydraulic actuator characterization device is a hydraulic linear dynamometer that can be controlled to enable a desired force and stroke profile to be prescribed to the artificial muscles. The linear hydraulic actuator characterization device consists of a drive actuator that is connected in series with the test muscles. Thus, the drive cylinder can act as a controlled disturbance to the artificial muscles to simulate various loading conditions. With the ability to control the loading conditions of the artificial muscles, the linear hydraulic actuator characterization device offers the ability to experimentally validate the muscles’ performance and energetic characteristics. For instance, the McKibben muscles’ quasi-static force–stroke capabilities, as well as the power savings of a variable recruitment control scheme, are measured and presented in this work. Moreover, the development and fabrication of this highly versatile characterization test platform for hydraulic actuators is described in this article, and the characterization test results and efficiency study results are presented.

When a task calls for consistent, large amounts of power output, hydraulic actuation is a popular choice. However, for certain systems that require short bursts of high power, followed by a period of low power, the inefficiencies of hydraulics become apparent. One system that fits this description is a legged robot. McKibben muscles prove to be a wise choice for use on legged robots due to their light weight, high force capability, and inherent compliance. Variable recruitment, another novel concept for hydraulic actuation, offers the ability to further improve efficiency for hydraulic systems. This paper will discuss the efficiency characterization of variable recruitment McKibben muscles intended for use on a bipedal robot, but will focus on the novel test apparatus to do so. This device is a hydraulic linear dynamometer that will be controlled such that the muscles experience similar force-stroke levels to what will be required on a bipedal robot. The position of the dynamometer's drive cylinder will be controlled so that the muscles experience the proper position trajectory that will be needed on the robot. The pressure of the muscles will be controlled such that the force they experience will mimic the forces that occur on the robot while walking. Hence, these dynamic tests will ensure that the muscle bundles will meet the force-stroke requirements for the given robot. Once these muscle bundles are integrated onto the walking robot, the power savings of variable recruitment McKibben muscle bundles compared to the traditional hydraulic system will be demonstrated.

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