A general method for dimensioning antagonistic artificial muscles
(2026) Mechanism and Machine Theory — Vol. 226, p. 106453 (2026)
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Details
- Authors
- Abstract
- This paper presents a method to dimension antagonistic, artificial muscles actuating a revolute joint while modulating its intrinsic stiffness through the biologically inspired principle of co-contraction. Our method aims to identify the force-length characteristic of candidate artificial muscles-i.e., the relationship between the force and the length of the muscles-to achieve a specified joint torque, stiffness, and rotation range. We leverage a generalist model capturing the behaviour of existing muscles technologies to derive relationships between the activation level of both muscles and the corresponding joint torque, angle, and stiffness. Then, we provide a graphical representation of these relationships that underlies our dimensioning method, leading to the identification of muscle parameters to reach a desired stiffness range. We also highlight the relationship between the stiffness range of the joint and that of the muscles. Finally, we illustrate this approach by dimensioning artificial muscles actuating a prosthetic finger from the literature. Our method and the corresponding open-access algorithm are intended to be used for pre-dimensioning and technology selection by the designer targeting a robotic system actuated by artificial muscles.
- Affiliations
Citations
Pomponio, T., & Ronsse, R. (2026). A general method for dimensioning antagonistic artificial muscles. Mechanism and Machine Theory, 226, 106453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2026.106453 (Original work published 2026)