Humanoid robots are the main components and challenges
First, the hardware part
1. Actuator module
Linear actuators are often used in conjunction with incremental encoders, but they are sensitive to the accumulation of errors, which can easily cause positioning deviations, which can affect the dynamic performance of the robot.
There are two types of core technical challenges common to rotary actuators:
There are structural limitations of harmonic reducer:
The flexible wheel is easy to break due to fatigue in long-term operation;
The range of transmission ratios is limited, limiting the room for fine control.
The above problems will lead to the reduction of motion accuracy, response lag, and increase the failure rate of joint structures under high-intensity use.
Frameless torque motors have not yet broken through the key technical bottlenecks:
It is difficult to increase the power density;
Difficulty in temperature rise control;
The torque loss during energy transfer is large.
As a result, the robot's endurance is weakened, the overall energy efficiency level is reduced, and the output is insufficient.
2. Dexterous Hand Module
In the drive system of dexterous hands, the planetary reducer is limited in its single-stage transmission ratio, and the load capacity is limited when undertaking complex grasping tasks, which is difficult to meet the needs of high degree of freedom and high-precision collaboration.
3. Perception system module
As the core component of robot environment perception, vision sensors face two major problems:
It is easy to be disturbed by environmental factors such as external light and shading;
High-precision image processing requires extremely high computing power.
These factors will directly lead to the degradation of perception accuracy and the weakening of real-time response ability, which in turn will affect the stability and accuracy of robot operation.
Figure: The main components and technical challenges of humanoid robots
Second, the software part
1. The underlying algorithm model
At present, there are obvious deficiencies in data collection and core algorithm modeling of humanoid robots:
There are limitations to the applicability of the collection method;
The algorithm system has not yet been systematized, and the degree of engineering implementation is low.
These shortcomings limit the robot's ability to learn and adapt to complex task scenarios, and also make it difficult to further improve the performance and operation efficiency of the overall system.
Third, Detailed explanation of typical technical problems
1. Fatigue fracture of flexible pulley increases the risk of failure
As a key component of harmonic reducer, the main task of the flexible wheel is to transmit power and torque. If the tooth surface is worn, it will lead to an increase in the coefficient of friction, a decrease in transmission efficiency, and eventually lead to fatigue fracture and the failure of the entire joint system. The fracture of the flexible wheel not only directly paralyzes the robot, but also significantly increases energy consumption and increases maintenance costs.
At the same time, once the outer ring of a flexible bearing is worn, it can also cause problems such as lubrication failure, friction and temperature increase, which will eventually lead to the accumulation of fatigue damage, which in turn will induce structural failure.
2. The speed ratio of harmonic reducer is limited, which restricts high-precision applications
The transmission speed ratio of harmonic reducer is generally concentrated between 30:1 and 320:1, which cannot adapt to the speed ratio requirements below 30. In humanoid robots, scenarios such as precise finger control and fast dynamic response often require a lower speed ratio to achieve higher precision and faster response. This limitation not only affects the positioning accuracy, but also weakens the robot's performance in high-frequency actions such as dancing and running.
3. The temperature control problem of frameless torque motor restricts energy efficiency performance
During high load or long working time, the winding resistance of the motor will increase with the increase of temperature, resulting in a decrease in output torque. In order to maintain the output, the system needs to apply more current, which further pushes up energy consumption and heat loss. This cycle of "heat-loss-consumption" will accelerate the aging of components, significantly reduce the energy efficiency of the whole machine, and affect the endurance and stability of the robot.
To sum up, in the process of moving towards large-scale application, humanoid robots still face a series of core technical bottlenecks that need to be broken through, including the life of key components, control accuracy, power density and energy efficiency management. To achieve truly "human-like" capabilities, it is inseparable from the collaborative evolution of software and hardware systems and the continuous innovation of underlying technologies.
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