Page 37 - Handbook of Biomechatronics

CHAPTER TWO

Actuator Technologies

Reva E. Johnson*, Jonathon W. Sensinger †
*Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN, United States
†
Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of New
Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada

Contents
1 Introduction 31
2 Design Goals of Actuators 32
2.1 Safety 32
2.2 Performance 36
2.3 Ease of Use 41
3 Types of Biomechatronic Actuators 41
3.1 Motors 42
3.2 Transmissions 47
4 Purposes of Biomechatronic Actuators 55
4.1 Biological Function Replacement 55
4.2 Biological Function Augmentation 56
5 Conclusion 56
References 57
Further Reading 59

1 INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we focus on actuators that generate movement for
biomechatronic systems. Actuators are subsystems that transform various
types of energy into mechanical movement or force. In typical control sys-
tems (shown in Fig. 1), the actuator receives a signal from the controller and
responds by acting on the plant or process in some desired way. In
biomechatronic systems, the actuator usually converts supplied energy into
mechanical movement or force.
We begin this chapter by discussing broad goals and specific metrics for
designing biomechatronic actuators. We then introduce and categorize
types of biomechatronic actuators. We end by describing common purposes
of biomechatronic systems with examples of typical actuators.

Handbook of Biomechatronics © 2019 Elsevier Inc. 31
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812539-7.00002-7 All rights reserved.