Design of transmission mechanisms for the head of the 'Huggable' robotic teddy bear

Abstract

The head of the Huggable teddy bear, a robotic companion for use in hospitals, schools, and other locations, must contain three degrees of freedom. It must contain transmissions allowing it to nod up and down, tilt side to side, and move its eyebrows and ears to convey emotions. In addition to the desired movement, care must be taken to integrate the transmissions such that they do not interfere with each others movement. The transmissions themselves must be silent and back drivable in order to appear more lifelike The resulting design allows for all of the desired degrees of freedom and was designed with silence and back drivability in mind. The transmissions are formed together into one mechanical head mechanism to which all other components in the head, such as speakers and controllers, can be attached. The design is currently being built and tested.