Y. Y. Fu, A.U. Kilic and D.J. Braun, Energy Minimization using Custom-Designed Magnetic-Spring Actuators, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2024 (accepted).
This study introduces an innovative actuator that resembles a motor with a non-uniform permanent magnetic field. We have developed a prototype of the actuator by combining a standard motor, characterized by a uniform magnetic field, with a custom rotary magnetic spring exhibiting a nonuniform magnetic field. We have also presented a systematic a computational approach to customizing the magnetic field to
minimize the energy consumption of the actuator when used for a user-defined oscillatory task. Experiments demonstrate that this optimized actuator significantly lowers energy consumption in a typical oscillatory task, such as pick-and-place or oscillatory limb motion during locomotion, compared to conventional motors. Our findings imply that incorporating task-optimized non-uniform permanent magnetic fields into conventional motors and direct-drive actuators could enhance the energy efficiency of robotic systems.