Patent ID: 8727894

Claim:
An elastic rotary actuator comprising an output member rotatable about an axis of rotation; an input member rotatable about said axis of rotation; an elastic member interposed between the output member and the input member in such a manner as to allow the transmission of torque between the output and input members about said axis of rotation, and to allow at the same time, as a result of the elastic deformation of the elastic member, a relative rotation between the output and input members about said axis of rotation; a driving unit operatively connected to the input member to cause it to rotate about said axis of rotation; a first sensor for providing a signal indicative of the angular position of the output member about said axis of rotation; an electronic control unit arranged to receive the signal provided by said first sensor and to control the driving unit so as to position the output member in a desired angular position about said axis of rotation; and a braking unit arranged to apply a variable braking torque on the output member, thereby introducing an adjustable damping between the input member and the output member, in parallel to said elastic member, wherein said braking unit is arranged around the driving unit with an axially overlapping or copenetrating arrangement relative thereto.