Robot's Weight Distribution Influence on Angular Momentum Produced by a Standing Vertical Jump

Abstract

Vertical jump movement generators usually apply the ZMP (Zero Moment Point) and/or angular momentum equations as restrictions when planning the movements of the robot joints, which can cause undesired oscillations in the torso, compromise accuracy of the jump and/or complicate the search for online solutions. This paper presents a strategy to solve the problem related to angular momentum generated by the movement of the vertical jump, performed by a robot with 3 DoF (Degree of Freedom) and 4-links. Mentioned links correspond to the following parts of the human body: foot, leg, thigh and torso, and its weighted mass distribution and CoM (Center of Mass) position define an angular momentum profile within a specified range of speed values for the jump. In order for that to happen, simulations were performed using MATLAB, considering homogeneous and weighted distributions of total mass between the links of a robot and applying a third-degree polynomial function for the vertical acceleration curve of the CoM. The results suggest that based on the strategy proposed in this paper, it is possible to perform a vertical jump with dynamically stable movements and with angular moment near zero, and, at the same time, minimizing the problems presented in some prior methods.