IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (TMECH)に当研究室の論文が採録

■書誌情報
Shuai Mao, Zhongchao Zhou, Ziming Wang, Mauricio Villarroel, Liang He: Design, Modelling, and Control of a Bio-Inspired Passive-Extensible McKibben Muscle System with Self-Sensing and Self-Locking, IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (TMECH), 2026 (*equal contribution)
■概要
Although McKibben pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) offer a high power-to-weight ratio and human-like actuation, they cannot simultaneously provide three key biological functions: passive extensibility of muscle fibers and tendons, self-locking through the actin–myosin cross-bridge mechanism, and self-sensing through neuromuscular feedback. Conventional McKibben PAMs are unable to transition between passive extension and active contraction. When arranged in an antagonistic configuration, they also exhibit limitations in both range of motion (RoM) and dynamic response. To address these limitations, a Passive-Extensible, Self-Locking, and Self-Sensing McKibben PAM (PSS-PAM) was designed and fabricated. Furthermore, a PSS-PAM-driven antagonistic structure was modeled and controlled using a state-augmented Feedback Error Learning (saFEL) controller. Calibration results demonstrated that the PSS-PAM achieved a sensing resolution of 0.002 mm with an accuracy of 0.4 mm and generated more than 35 N of self-locking force at a threshold pressure below 20 kPa. Compared with conventional PAMs, the PSS-PAM increased the RoM of the antagonistic structure by 342.9%. In addition, the saFEL controller reduced position-tracking errors by 33.4% and 50.9% compared with the FEL and PID controllers, respectively. Overall, the PSS-PAM advances soft mechatronic systems toward robust, biomimetic, and application-ready actuation and control.