UCLA

The vision of seamlessly integrating robots into daily life, where they assist people across diverse tasks, has driven research in humanoid robotics. For robots to function effectively in human-centered environments, a humanoid form with highly dynamic capabilities—such as running, jumping, and adapting to unpredictable situations—is essential. However, replicating human-like agility and versatility remains challenging due to current limitations in actuation, sensing, and control. To meet these demands, dedicated research platforms for dynamic lower-body locomotion and versatile robotic manipulation are crucial. By making these platforms accessible and reliable, we can accelerate innovation in dynamic robotics, enabling researchers to explore advancements that will eventually bring humanoid robots into real-world, daily applications.

This dissertation aims to address the problem by presenting two highly dynamic robotic platforms: BRUCE -- Bipedal Robot Unit with Compliance Enhanced, and YORI -- Yummy Operations Robot Initiative.

BRUCE is a proprioceptive actuated miniature bipedal robot designed for dynamic motion capabilities and robust interaction with unstructured environments. With 5 degrees of freedom (DoF) per leg, including a spherical hip joint, knee, and ankle, BRUCE achieves a human-like range of lower body motion. Its design incorporates a novel cable-driven differential pulley system and a linkage mechanism to minimize leg inertia, enhancing stability and control. Tests of dynamic bipedal locomotion and jumping demonstrate BRUCE's high dynamic performance.

In parallel, YORI represents a major breakthrough in culinary automation as an autonomous robotic cooking system. Featuring a dual-arm manipulator equipped with proprioceptive actuators, YORI performs a wide variety of cooking tasks with speed, precision, and force control. Its modular kitchen design allows for seamless integration of custom tools and appliances, enhancing adaptability for diverse culinary activities.

Together, BRUCE and YORI showcase the potential of robotic platforms in dynamic and adaptive tasks, from the physical robustness and stability of BRUCE to YORI's efficiency and versatility in food preparation. Guidelines for Highly Dynamic Robot Platforms Design is provided in the end. By adhering to these guidelines, future robotic platforms can achieve high dynamic performance, ensuring versatility, scalability, and reliability across a broad spectrum of applications.