A New Soft Robot Control Method: Using Model Predictive Control for a Pneumatically Actuated Humanoid

Traditional rigid robots, such as those used in manufacturing, have been effective at precise, accurate, rapid motions in well-structured environments for many decades now. However, they operate largely behind cages due to the danger of injury when moving in close proximity to people. A significant and recent shift in robotics involves trading rigid links and rigid actuators for soft, deformable links and compliant actuators. These soft robots generally have lower inertia and avoid many of the problems caused by the high effective inertia resulting from the high gear ratios necessary for rigid robots.