Bio-mimetic impedance control of robotic manipulator for dynamic contact tasks

A human performs a variety of skillful movements by adjusting dynamic characteristics of his or her musculoskeletal system according to a task involved. Such characteristics of human movements can be described by mechanical impedance parameters. If the regulation mechanism of human impedance properties during the task can be clarified and modeled, there is a possibility that human skillful strategies can be integrated into robot motion control. This paper investigates human hand impedance in preparation for task operations, the so-called “task-readiness impedance”, in a virtual ball-catching task. It further discusses a bio-mimetic impedance control of robotic manipulators for contact tasks via computer simulations using measured task-readiness impedance.