Suryank Joshi | Searcharxiv

arXiv2025

COMPAct: Computational Optimization and Automated Modular design of Planetary Actuators

The optimal design of robotic actuators is a critical area of research, yet limited attention has been given to optimizing gearbox parameters and automating actuator CAD. This paper introduces COMPAct: Computational Optimization and Automated Modular Design of Planetary Actuators, a framework that systematically identifies optimal gearbox parameters for a given motor across four gearbox types, single-stage planetary gearbox (SSPG), compound planetary gearbox (CPG), Wolfrom planetary gearbox (WPG), and double-stage planetary gearbox (DSPG). The framework minimizes mass and actuator width while maximizing efficiency, and further automates actuator CAD generation to enable direct 3D printing without manual redesign. Using this framework, optimal gearbox designs are explored across a wide range of gear ratios, providing insights into the suitability of different gearbox types while automatically generating CAD models for all four gearbox types with varying gear ratios and motors. Two actuator types are fabricated and experimentally evaluated through power efficiency, no-load backlash, and transmission stiffness tests. Experimental results indicate that the SSPG actuator achieves a mechanical efficiency of 60-80%, a no-load backlash of 0.59 deg, and a transmission stiffness of 242.7 Nm/rad, while the CPG actuator demonstrates 60% efficiency, 2.6 deg backlash, and a stiffness of 201.6 Nm/rad. CODE: https://github.com/singhaman1750/COMPAct.git VIDEO: https://youtu.be/etK6anjXag8?si=jFK7HgAPSBy-GnDR

cs.RO↗

arXiv2025

A Co-Design Framework for Energy-Aware Monoped Jumping with Detailed Actuator Modeling

A monoped's jump height and energy consumption depend on both, its mechanical design and control strategy. Existing co-design frameworks typically optimize for either maximum height or minimum energy, neglecting their trade-off. They also often omit gearbox parameter optimization and use oversimplified actuator mass models, producing designs difficult to replicate in practice. In this work, we introduce a novel three-stage co-design optimization framework that jointly maximizes jump height while minimizing mechanical energy consumption of a monoped. The proposed method explicitly incorporates realistic actuator mass models and optimizes mechanical design (including gearbox) and control parameters within a unified framework. The resulting design outputs are then used to automatically generate a parameterized CAD model suitable for direct fabrication, significantly reducing manual design iterations. Our experimental evaluations demonstrate a 50 percent reduction in mechanical energy consumption compared to the baseline design, while achieving a jump height of 0.8m. Video presentation is available at http://y2u.be/XW8IFRCcPgM

cs.RO↗