Small maxon DC motors help Androids blink.
Imagine entering a room to see you twin in front of you. Not a flesh and blood twin, but a humanoid robot. This scenario is no longer science fiction, it is reality. Lifelike museum human artworks blink, and move their various body parts with the use of small maxon DC motors. Entwining art with technology.
The technology firm Xi’an Chaoren Robots has combined the fine art of replicating the human form and robotics with intriguing detail. These humanoid robots are a true life model right down to the hair and eye-brows that are exhaustively applied real human hair. The robots have skin made from silicone that even feels like real skin. "With the lifelike appearance of the robot, we want to convey a human touch instead of portraying a cold machine as is the case with most other humanoid robots," said Zou Ziting, General Manager of Xi’an Chaoren Robots.
It is an almost identical resemblance between Zou Ren and his robot twin. This maxon DC motor driven robot is the first generation of lifelike humanoid robots. Over seven years ago the company started early development of humanoid robots, marketing them since 2006. It was then that Xi’an Chaoren Robots received the "Robot of the year" award from Time Magazine. The robots can be used in many ways from presenting products at exhibitions to museum exhibits. Even the Chinese TV station, China Central Television, has ordered a robotic twin for TV presenter Li Yong. In the future the robots will be equipped for roles at home including the nanny, butler and even the nurse.
Every robot is different.
Every robot must first to learn to walk. At present its movement is limited to simple functions. It can move its head in all directions; it can blink and look around. The movements of arms, wrists, legs and feet are possible, it can wave and tap its feet. It can even speak via remote control. It takes almost 6 months to manufacture a complete a robot because every robot has a unique appearance and its own movement characteristics.
Small, powerful DC servo motors are a critical element for the robots. Zou Ziting explains that Xi’an Chaoren Robots chose DC motors from maxon because they are not only small but also highly efficient. There are 16 brushless DC motors from maxon utilised in the third generation robots and the robot twin of the Chinese TV-presenter Li Yong is equipped exclusively with DC motors by maxon.
The high quality DC servo motors have diameters from 16 mm up to 40 mm. The brushless “in-runner” DC motor, EC-i40 flat in combination with the fitted GP 32 C 32mm ceramic planetary gearhead. This gear motor combination controls the robot arms. The ceramic axles in the gearbox give much higher torque levels than traditional steel axles and the ceramic gearboxes have much higher wear resistance and there-fore lifespan than that of steel. Similar to the Hubo robot manufactured by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, these humanoid robots are fitted with energy efficient maxon EC-4pole motors. This brushless DC motor 4 pole rotor helps achieve very high power density levels. At 120 W the EC-4pole is just 22mm diameter and it is used to make the robot bow on command. In the near future, the "human" robots will become more intelligent with the aid of maxon's DC motors. In addition to human facial expressions, the robots will soon take their first steps and react to spoken commands.
© maxon motor ag
