用智能软材料让机器人摔倒更安全，还能反复摔不坏
Soft Responsive Materials Enhance Humanoid Safety
- 用非牛顿流体材料实现遇冲击自硬化，正常时柔软，撞时变硬
- 42公斤人形机器人从3米高坠落或滚下楼梯，峰值冲击力大幅降低
- 结合仿真与学习控制，适合工业级人形机器人安全设计
人形机器人在人机共处环境中应用前景广阔，但受限于易跌倒及刚性金属塑料结构对人和环境的潜在风险。本文提出一种软-硬协同设计框架，利用基于非牛顿流体的软响应材料，在正常交互时保持柔顺，受冲击时迅速硬化，有效吸收并耗散跌倒产生的能量。物理仿真指导防护装置布局与厚度，并用于学习主动防跌策略。该方法应用于一台42公斤全尺寸人形机器人，在从3米高坠落、沿长楼梯翻滚等多样场景中，显著降低峰值冲击力，实现多次跌倒后硬件无损。通过融合响应材料、结构协同设计与学习型控制，该工作推动了安全可交互、面向产业落地的人形机器人发展。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Humanoid robots are envisioned as general-purpose platforms in human-centered environments, yet their deployment is limited by vulnerability to falls and the risks posed by rigid metal-plastic structures to people and surroundings. We introduce a soft-rigid co-design framework that leverages non-Newtonian fluid-based soft responsive materials to enhance humanoid safety. The material remains compliant during normal interaction but rapidly stiffens under impact, absorbing and dissipating fall-induced forces. Physics-based simulations guide protector placement and thickness and enable learning of active fall policies. Applied to a 42 kg life-size humanoid, the protector markedly reduces peak impact and allows repeated falls without hardware damage, including drops from 3 m and tumbles down long staircases. Across diverse scenarios, the approach improves robot robustness and environmental safety. By uniting responsive materials, structural co-design, and learning-based control, this work advances interact-safe, industry-ready humanoid robots.
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