Constraint-based Equilibrium and Stiffness Control of Variable Stiffness Actuators

M. Howard; D. J. Braun; S. Vijayakumar

doi:10.1109/ICRA.2011.5979776

Publications

Constraint-based Equilibrium and Stiffness Control of Variable Stiffness Actuators

M. Howard, D. J. Braun and S. Vijayakumar

IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, pp. 5554–5560, 2011

DOI

@inproceedings{Howard2011conf,
  author    = {M. Howard and D. J. Braun and S. Vijayakumar},
  title     = {Constraint-based Equilibrium and Stiffness Control of Variable Stiffness Actuators},
  booktitle = IEEEicra,
  pages     = {5554--5560},
  address   = {Shanghai, China},
  month     = {May},
  year      = {2011},
  doi       = {10.1109/ICRA.2011.5979776}
}

This paper presents a unified control framework for variable stiffness actuators (VSAs) that is independent of the underlying mechanical design. By constraining commands to ensure accurate tracking of both equilibrium position and stiffness, the method allows VSAs to be controlled in joint and task space. Experiments demonstrate its effectiveness in online teleoperation, where compliant human behavior is transferred to a robotic device.

Why it matters: While many VSA designs exist, their control strategies are often device-specific. This work provides a general approach to exploiting the benefits of variable stiffness, enabling broader applicability of VSAs in robotics, human–robot interaction, and teleoperation.