Advancements in Actuation Solutions for Human-Centric Robotics

For over three decades, the Brubotics team at Vrije Universiteit Brussel has been at the forefront of human-centric robotics research. Our extensive portfolio encompasses a wide
range of innovative approaches designed to enhance the performance, safety, and efficiency of robots across various applications. Through our expertise in developing cutting-edge
robotic devices such as exoskeletons, prostheses, and collaborative robots, we have identified a critical issue: conventional engineering design methods often produce
systems that are excessively heavy and bulky, resulting in limited productivity, high costs, and significant energy demands. These issues are predominantly linked to the actuation systems. Consequently, our team has concentrated on
pioneering advancements in actuation technology to reduce mass and size, lower energy consumption, and improve safety,
productivity, and cost-effectiveness. In this extended abstract, we provide a concise overview of our lab's key achievements
in this area, both past and present.