Design and Development of the MIT Humanoid: A Dynamic and Robust Research Platform

Enabling humanoid robots to achieve human-level athletic feats, such as running and jumping, is at the frontier of robotics research. To execute these behaviors, a robot platform must have high power density and robust mechanical and electrical systems. In this paper, we present the MIT Humanoid, a robust research platform that is designed to meet these requirements and be able to perform highly dynamic, parkour-style motions. The robot is just over 1 m tall and weighs approximately 24 kg, with 18 actuated degrees of freedom, each of which has a custom high-torque proprioceptive motor module. We also present initial hardware results from our new platform, demonstrating model-based controllers for pose control, walking, and jumping. The robot's high control bandwidth allows us to achieve stable pose control and walking, and the high power density allows the robot to achieve vertical jumps of roughly 30 cm, as measured by torso displacement.