A Physical Architecture for Studying Embodiment and Compliance: The GummiArm

High bandwidth contacts and unforeseen deviations from planned actions are common in early human development. We here present the GummiArm, an open-source robot with characteristics that make it interesting for studying development, human motor control, and real-world applications that require robustness and safety. Joints with antagonist actuators and rubbery tendons provide passive compliance, where the stiffness can be adjusted in real-time through cocontraction. The robot structure is made printable on low-cost 3D printers, enabling researchers to quickly fix and improve broken parts. The arm has 7+3 Degrees of Freedom (DOF), of which 8 have variable stiffness. It is currently being replicated across 3 research groups, and we hope to establish a thriving and productive community around this replicable platform. The DeCoRo project is funded by a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Programme (DeCoRo FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF). Proceedings of EUCognition 2016 "Cognitive Robot Architectures" CEUR-WS 68