Developed by the Delft University of Technology, Meta is their first robot that has electric actuation. Maxon DC motors are used to actuate the ankles and hips with series elastic actuation. The robot’s passive knees consist of a solenoid-driven latch that unlocks the knee at the beginning of the swing phase.
Besides adding electric actuation, the electronic subsystem has also been considerably enhanced. Meta has encoders on each motor as well as on each joint. Moreover, it includes an inertial sensor, which measures the robot’s absolute orientation with respect to gravity. The robot has an actuated upper body and actuated ankles, a height of 1.1 m and a weight of 12 kg.
Meta is capable of taking 3 cm step-downs in the floor as well as walking stably at a speed of 0.3 to 0.65 m/s. The robot is also is able to begin from a standstill and attain a full stop after walking.
Delft Biorobotics Lab.
TU Delft
