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Miniature, Lightweight, High-Force, Capstan Winch for Mobile Robots

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Actuators that apply tension forces are widely applicable in robotics. In many applications of tensile actuators, a large stroke length, high force, and small, lightweight device are important. For these… Click to show full abstract

Actuators that apply tension forces are widely applicable in robotics. In many applications of tensile actuators, a large stroke length, high force, and small, lightweight device are important. For these requirements, the best current solution is a winch, which uses a rotating shaft to pull lightweight string. However, most winches accumulate string in a spool on their shaft which limits maximum stroke length and force at a miniature scale. An alternative is a capstan winch, in which the string wraps around the shaft in a single-layered spiral before passing off the shaft. Although high-force and high-stroke versions exist, miniaturization has not been successfully demonstrated. We present the design, modeling, and characterization of a miniaturized capstan winch. The 16 g winch is capable of lifting 4.5 kg (280x body weight) a distance of 4.3 m (67x body length) or more. We also demonstrate it actuating a jumping robot and pulling a remote-controlled car out of a ditch. Through its miniature design and high-force, high-stroke performance, our winch expands the potential capabilities of small-scale robots.

Keywords: high force; miniature; shaft; force; winch; capstan winch

Journal Title: IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
Year Published: 2022

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