Development of a Giant Human Riding Biped Humanoid Robot, Method II

Research in bipedal humanoid robots focuses on improving the walking performance of robots rather than designing them according to the presence or absence of human boarding. However, a bipedal robot can be operated by a human pilot. The pilot can control the robot’s arms, fingers, and bipedal locomotion using a wearable robot. As the wearable robot can allow physical interaction between the human and the robot, the control interface for the robot can be accurately described as a human–machine interface (HMI). In this regard, this study develops and assesses a new design of a humanoid robot that enhances load capacity and mobility through improved HMI. In particular, this study presents the design research of METHOD II, which is 4.2[Formula: see text]m tall, weighs 1.6 tons, and has 46 degrees-of-freedom (DoF). The robot can carry an adult weighing up to 100[Formula: see text]kg and is designed to execute both bipedal walking and arm movements. This giant humanoid mobility robot is inspired by AMP, a combat robot suit featured in the movie “Avatar.” This paper details the design philosophy, strategy, and results of METHOD II, highlighting the robot’s performance capabilities. A design method is proposed so that the giant robot can freely generate the motion of both arms of the robot through HMI while walking on its two legs.