Humanoid robot with a central region having an arrangement of actuator assemblies and components
A humanoid robot includes an upper region, a lower region, and a central region. The upper region includes a head, a torso, and a pair of arms coupled to the torso. The lower region is spaced apart from the upper region and includes a pair of legs. The central region is located between the upper region and the lower region and is configured to allow movement of the upper region and the lower region relative to one another. The central region of the humanoid robot is also configured to provide and facilitate at least three types of discrete movement—pitch, roll, and yaw—both forward and backward, both left and right, and independently or at the same time, of the upper region relative to the lower region to provide the humanoid robot with functionality that substantially mirrors movements that most human beings are typically capable of during daily life.
1 . A humanoid robot comprising:
an upper region including a head, a torso, and a pair of arms coupled to the torso, and wherein the torso includes a lower torso width that extends between a first lower point located within a lower extent of a first side of the torso and a second lower point located within a lower extent of a second side of the torso; and
a central region coupled to the upper region and including:
(i) a left hip yaw actuator assembly,
(ii) a right hip yaw actuator assembly, and
(iii) a pelvis width that extends between a first point located on a lateral outermost extent of the left hip yaw actuator assembly and a second point located on a lateral outermost extent of the right hip yaw actuator assembly, and wherein the lower torso width is greater than 67% of the pelvis width.
2 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein the central region further includes a first upper actuator assembly and a second upper actuator assembly, wherein both the first and second upper actuator assemblies are operably coupled to the torso and configured to move the upper region about a pitch axis.
3 . The humanoid robot of claim 2 , wherein the first and second upper actuator assemblies are linear actuator assemblies.
4 . The humanoid robot of claim 2 , wherein the central region further includes an articulation member having a roll pivotal axis that is oriented orthogonal to the pitch axis.
5 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein the central region further includes a spinal actuator assembly that is substantially centered between the left and right hip yaw actuator assemblies.
6 . The humanoid robot of claim 5 , wherein at least an extent of the spinal actuator assembly is laterally positioned between the left and right hip yaw actuator assemblies.
7 . The humanoid robot of claim 5 , wherein an uppermost surface of the left hip yaw actuator assembly is offset vertically from an uppermost surface of the spinal actuator assembly by a distance that is more than 35% of a height of the spinal actuator assembly.
8 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein the central region further includes: (i) a left hip X actuator assembly that is coupled to the left hip yaw actuator assembly, and (ii) a right hip X actuator assembly that is coupled to the right hip yaw actuator assembly.
9 . The humanoid robot of claim 8 , wherein the central region further includes: (i) a left hip Y actuator assembly that is coupled to the left hip X actuator assembly, and (ii) a right hip Y actuator assembly that is coupled to the right hip X actuator assembly.
10 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein the central region does not include a front support frame coupled to the left hip yaw actuator assembly and the right hip yaw actuator assembly.
11 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein electrical wires are routed through tubes formed in the center of the left hip yaw actuator assembly in order to electrically couple a lower actuator assembly with a battery pack.
12 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , wherein a cross-section of the torso is taken parallel with a transverse plane of the robot and through the first and second lower points, and wherein the cross-section is substantially rectangular.
13 . The humanoid robot of claim 1 , further comprising an end effector coupled to one arm of the pair of arms, and wherein the end effector includes more than 20 degrees of freedom.
14 . The humanoid robot of claim 13 , wherein the head is configured to convey its current operating state to nearby humans without using human-like features.
15 . A humanoid robot comprising:
an upper region including:
(i) a head configured to convey its current operating state to nearby humans without using human-like features,
(ii) a torso,
(iii) an arm coupled to the torso, and
(iv) an end effector coupled to the arm and including more than 20 degrees of freedom; and
a central region coupled to the upper region and including:
(i) a left hip yaw actuator assembly,
(ii) a spinal actuator assembly, and
(iii) wherein an uppermost surface of the left hip yaw actuator assembly is offset vertically from an uppermost surface of the spinal actuator assembly by a distance that is more than 35% of a height of the spinal actuator assembly.
16 . The humanoid robot of claim 15 , wherein at least an extent of the spinal actuator assembly is laterally positioned between the left hip yaw actuator assembly and a right hip yaw actuator assembly.
17 . The humanoid robot of claim 15 , wherein the central region further includes a hip X actuator assembly that is coupled to the left hip yaw actuator assembly.
18 . The humanoid robot of claim 17 , wherein the central region further includes a hip Y actuator assembly that is coupled to the hip X actuator assembly.
19 . The humanoid robot of claim 15 , wherein electrical wires are routed through tubes formed in the center of the left hip yaw actuator assembly in order to electrically couple a lower actuator assembly with a battery pack.
20 . The humanoid robot of claim 15 , wherein a cross-section of the torso is taken parallel with a transverse plane of the robot, and wherein said cross-section is substantially rectangular.
21 . The humanoid robot of claim 15 , wherein:
the torso includes a lower torso width that extends between a first lower point located within a lower extent of a first side of the torso and a second lower point located within a lower extent of a second side of the torso; and
the central region includes a pelvis width that extends between a first point located on a lateral outermost extent of the left hip yaw actuator assembly and a right point located on a lateral outermost extent of a right hip yaw actuator assembly, and wherein the lower torso width is greater than 67% of the pelvis width.
22 . A humanoid robot comprising:
an upper region including:
(i) a head configured to convey its current operating state to nearby humans without using human-like features,
(ii) a torso having substantially rectangular cross-sectional extent,
(iii) an arm coupled to the torso, and
(iv) an end effector coupled to the arm and including more than 20 degrees of freedom; and
a central region coupled to the upper region and including:
(i) a left hip yaw actuator assembly having a left hip yaw actuator axis,
(ii) a right hip yaw actuator assembly having a right hip yaw actuator axis,
(iii) a spinal actuator assembly having a spinal actuator axis, and wherein said spinal actuator axis is substantially centered between the left and right hip yaw actuator axes.
23 . The humanoid robot of claim 22 , wherein the left and right hip yaw actuator axes and the spinal actuator axis are located in a reference plane that is substantially parallel with a coronal plane of the humanoid robot.
24 . The humanoid robot of claim 22 , wherein at least an extent of the spinal actuator assembly is laterally positioned between the left and right hip yaw actuator assemblies.
25 . The humanoid robot of claim 22 , wherein an uppermost surface of the left hip yaw actuator assembly is offset vertically from an uppermost surface of the spinal actuator assembly by a distance that is more than 35% of a height of the spinal actuator assembly.
26 . The humanoid robot of claim 22 , wherein the central region further includes: (i) a left hip X actuator assembly that is coupled to the left hip yaw actuator assembly, and (ii) a right hip X actuator assembly that is coupled to the right hip yaw actuator assembly.
27 . The humanoid robot of claim 26 , wherein the central region further includes: (i) a left hip Y actuator assembly that is coupled to the left hip X actuator assembly, and (ii) a right hip Y actuator assembly that is coupled to the right hip X actuator assembly.
28 . The humanoid robot of claim 22 , wherein electrical wires are routed through tubes formed in the center of the left hip yaw actuator assembly in order to electrically couple a lower actuator assembly with a battery pack.