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Design and Evaluation of a Bioinspired Tendon-Driven 3D-Printed Robotic Eye with Active Vision Capabilities

Hamid Osooli, Mohsen Irani Rahaghi, S. Reza Ahmadzadeh

TL;DR

Problem and approach: design a realistic, actively vision-enabled robotic eye using tendon-driven actuation with a minimal actuator count. Method: CAD-driven 3D-printed eyeball, orbit, and handle assembled around four XL-320 servos, controlled by a vision-based PID and face-tracking in MATLAB; four canonical eye movements are evaluated. Contributions: a compact, affordable prosthetic-eye prototype with open-source code, toolbox, and printable CAD sketches. Impact: enables active vision research, stereo sensing, and human-robot interaction with a scalable, reproducible platform.

Abstract

The field of robotics has seen significant advancements in recent years, particularly in the development of humanoid robots. One area of research that has yet to be fully explored is the design of robotic eyes. In this paper, we propose a computer-aided 3D design scheme for a robotic eye that incorporates realistic appearance, natural movements, and efficient actuation. The proposed design utilizes a tendon-driven actuation mechanism, which offers a broad range of motion capabilities. The use of the minimum number of servos for actuation, one for each agonist-antagonist pair of muscles, makes the proposed design highly efficient. Compared to existing ones in the same class, our designed robotic eye comprises aesthetic and realistic features. We evaluate the robot's performance using a vision-based controller, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed design in achieving natural movement, and efficient actuation. The experiment code, toolbox, and printable 3D sketches of our design have been open-sourced.

Design and Evaluation of a Bioinspired Tendon-Driven 3D-Printed Robotic Eye with Active Vision Capabilities

TL;DR

Problem and approach: design a realistic, actively vision-enabled robotic eye using tendon-driven actuation with a minimal actuator count. Method: CAD-driven 3D-printed eyeball, orbit, and handle assembled around four XL-320 servos, controlled by a vision-based PID and face-tracking in MATLAB; four canonical eye movements are evaluated. Contributions: a compact, affordable prosthetic-eye prototype with open-source code, toolbox, and printable CAD sketches. Impact: enables active vision research, stereo sensing, and human-robot interaction with a scalable, reproducible platform.

Abstract

The field of robotics has seen significant advancements in recent years, particularly in the development of humanoid robots. One area of research that has yet to be fully explored is the design of robotic eyes. In this paper, we propose a computer-aided 3D design scheme for a robotic eye that incorporates realistic appearance, natural movements, and efficient actuation. The proposed design utilizes a tendon-driven actuation mechanism, which offers a broad range of motion capabilities. The use of the minimum number of servos for actuation, one for each agonist-antagonist pair of muscles, makes the proposed design highly efficient. Compared to existing ones in the same class, our designed robotic eye comprises aesthetic and realistic features. We evaluate the robot's performance using a vision-based controller, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed design in achieving natural movement, and efficient actuation. The experiment code, toolbox, and printable 3D sketches of our design have been open-sourced.
Paper Structure (15 sections, 10 figures)

This paper contains 15 sections, 10 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. Background
  3. The Human Eye
  4. Eye Movements
  5. Bioinspired Design
  6. The Eyeball
  7. The Orbit
  8. The Handle
  9. Experiments and Results
  10. Assembling the Robotic Eye
  11. Saccadic Movement
  12. Smooth Pursuit Movement
  13. Vergence Movement
  14. Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR) Movement
  15. Conclusion

Figures (10)

  • Figure 1: The designed cornea (a) and sclera (b). a illustrates the camera view opening and guide holes, while b features the camera chamber, integrated groove, and cable output
  • Figure 2: The proposed robotic eye's orbit sections including the front (a)-(b), and back (c)-(d) components
  • Figure 3: Exploded view of the proposed robotic eye including the 3D-printed body, two Microsoft HD-3000 cameras, four Dynamixel XL-320 servos, and the OpenCM 9.04-C controller board.
  • Figure 4: The servo motor mounted within the back section of the robotic eye's orbit, as well as the woven bobbin with nylon-coated wires that are placed over the servo motor
  • Figure 5: The proposed robotic eye after final assembly. The final design is compact and affordable, allowing for easy replication and modification
  • ...and 5 more figures