Design of the robot-cub (iCub) head

Abstract

This paper describes the design of a robot head, developed in the framework of the RobotCub project. This project goals consists on the design and construction of a humanoid robotic platform, the iCub, for studying human cognition. The final platform would be approximately 90 cm tall, with 23 kg and with a total number of 53 degrees of freedom. For its size, the iCub is the most complete humanoid robot currently being designed, in terms of kinematic complexity. The eyes can also move, as opposed to similarly sized humanoid platforms. Specifications are made based on biological anatomical and behavioral data, as well as tasks constraints. Different concepts for the neck design (flexible, parallel and serial solutions) are analyzed and compared with respect to the specifications. The eye structure and the proprioceptive sensors are presented, together with some discussion of preliminary work on the face design