Quasi-passive Walking Research Articles

3D Quasi-passive Walking of Bipedal Robot with Flat Feet

3D Quasi-passive Walking of Bipedal Robot with Flat Feet

3D Quasi-passive Walking of Bipedal Robot with Hip Joint Motion on Level Ground

3D Quasi-passive Walking of Bipedal Robot with Hip Joint Motion on Level Ground

334 Improvement of gait of a biped quasi-passive walking robot by design of foot

334 Improvement of gait of a biped quasi-passive walking robot by design of foot

A Simplified Control Method to Achieve Stable and Robust Quadrupedal Quasi-passive Walking with Compliant Legs

The principle of passive dynamic walking has drawn lots of attentions in the field of robotics for it provides a possibility to realize natural walking. However, stabilizing the quadrupedal passive walking remains challenging. In this paper, a novel control method is proposed to stabilize the quadrupedal quasi-passive walking. Inspired by biological concepts, this method treats the foreleg pair and hindleg pair as two bipedal walkers, and a virtual model controller is designed to maintain the quasi-passive walking of each bipedal walker independently. This control method was then verified by a planar quadrupedal model with compliant legs, which successfully achieved stable periodical walking gaits. It was found that although being controlled independently, the movement of fore and hind leg pairs still formed a time-invariant phase shift, showing remarkable resemblance to that of a walking horse. We further analyzed the influences of varying factors on the gait characteristics and stability. These analyses show the control method is robust since it can stabilize the gaits within a wide range of leg compliance parameters and resist considerably large disturbances. In addition, the optimal ranges of the leg compliance parameters for the largest stability margin were also found in this study.

Study of human walking patterns based on the parameter optimization of a passive dynamic walking robot.

The study of human walking patterns mainly focuses on how control affects walking because control schemes are considered to be dominant in human walking. This study proposes that not only fine control schemes but also optimized body segment parameters are responsible for humans' low-energy walking. A passive dynamic walker provides the possibility of analyzing the effect of parameters on walking efficiency because of its ability to walk without any control. Thus, a passive dynamic walking model with a relatively human-like structure was built, and a parameter optimization process based on the gait sensitivity norm was implemented to determine the optimal mechanical parameters by numerical simulation. The results were close to human body parameters, thus indicating that humans can walk under a passive pattern based on their body segment parameters. A quasi-passive walking prototype was built on the basis of the optimization results. Experiments showed that a passive robot with optimized parameters could walk on level ground with only a simple hip actuation. This result implies that humans can walk under a passive pattern based on their body segment parameters with only simple control strategy implying that humans can opt to walk instinctively under a passive pattern.

能動歩行機への抑制足形状の適用による歩行安定化

A constraining sole shape is known to provide stability effect when attached on the soles of passive and quasi-passive walking robots [1] [2]. This research shows the stabilizing effect of the constraining sole shape with respect to a change in road conditions when it is attached on the sole of an existing dynamic bipedal walking robot. For the constraining sole shape, we made an active constraining pin with height adjustment which is attached on the toe of an existing biped robot. The constraining pin will absorb excessive energy by the change of the center of rotation when the robot's posture exceeds from stable range. From the experiments conducted by a walking robot that performs dynamic walk in a fixed movement, it was shown that the stable walk were realized when walking on a down slope on which normal sole did not achieve stable walk.

918 扁平足を有する2足歩行ロボットによる3D準受動歩行(ロボティクス・メカトロニクスVI)

918 扁平足を有する2足歩行ロボットによる3D準受動歩行(ロボティクス・メカトロニクスVI)

Level-Ground Walking for 3D Quasi-Passive Walker with Flat Feet - Lateral-plane Input using McKibben-Type Artificial Muscle -

Currently, many bipedal robots have been proposed to realize the high energy efficiency walking. The passive dynamic walking does not require control input. Generally, a foot of passive dynamic walking robot is an arc foot. In this paper, it is intended to establish a control method and control mechanism to achieve energy efficient and stable gate. Therefore, we developed 3D quasi-passive walker with flat feet driven by an antagonistic pneumatic artificial muscle. An antagonistic mechanism is constituted by a pair of McKibben muscle. And an antagonistic pneumatic system is used as joint actuators of linkage mechanisms which control the torque, joint stiffness and position simultaneously. Finally, this report shows that the 3D quasi-passive walking in the level ground can realize by the swinging (simple) input of the frontal direction, and the stride of the robot is proportional to lateral-plane input.

Gait Stabilization of A Three Dimensional Quasi-Passive Walking Robot on a Ground with Different Coefficients of Restitution

Gait Stabilization of A Three Dimensional Quasi-Passive Walking Robot on a Ground with Different Coefficients of Restitution

Uphill and level walking of a three-dimensional biped quasi-passive walking robot by torso control

SUMMARYPassive walking robots can walk on a slight downward slope powered only by gravity. We propose a novel control strategy based on forced entrainment to stabilize a three-dimensional quasi-passive walking robot in uphill and level walking by using torso control in the frontal plane and synchronization of lateral motion with swing leg motion. We investigated the robot's walking energy efficiency, energy transformation, and transfer in simulation. The results showed that the proposed method is effective and energy-efficient for uphill and level walking. The relationship between energy utilization rate of actuation and energy efficiency of the robot was revealed, and mechanical energy transformation and transfer were characterized.

Turn Control of a Three-Dimensional Quasi-Passive Walking Robot by Utilizing a Mechanical Oscillator

A turn control strategy is proposed in order to improve environmental adaptability of a quasi-passive walking robot by utilizing a mechanical oscillator. The target trajectory of the fmechanical oscillator is determined by online planning of its period, phase, amplitude and angle of the central axis of oscillation. The motion of the mechanical oscillator is always entrained with the rocking motion of the robot based on forced entrainment in order to stabilize the robot. The turn radius can be controlled by adjusting the inclination angle of the central axis of the mechanical oscillator movement, and the control method is numerically and experimentally examined. Results show that the robot can turn with different radius and it is possible for the robot to walk in various environments. Finally, the gait of turn is compared with that of straight walking and analyzed in terms of mechanical work and energy.

3D quasi-passive walking of bipedal robot with flat feet: quasi-passive walker driven by antagonistic pneumatic artificial muscle

In this paper, we develop the three-dimensional quasi-passive walker with flat feet which is driven by antagonistic pneumatic artificial muscle. An antagonistic pneumatic system is used as joint actuators of linkage mechanisms which control the torque, joint stiffness and position simultaneously. We examine the structure of an ankle, the control method of an antagonistic pneumatic system and gait analysis using centre of pressure (COP) and rollover shape (ROS). As a result, a three-dimensional quasi-passive walking is realisable by means of adjusting the stiffness of an ankle joint. The average gaits were obtained with the travel distance 1,350 mm, the stride of a step: 210 mm, and the number of steps: six steps. It was demonstrated that the quasi-passive walking is stabilised when both the robotic motions in a lateral plane and in a sagittal plane are synchronised. The COP behaviour of robot gait was almost the same trend of human COP. It was demonstrated that rollover shapes of the sagittal and lateral plane could be adjusted by the internal pressure of the antagonistic pneumatic mechanism.

307 扁平足を有した2足歩行ロボットの3D準受動歩行:-拮抗駆動型空気圧人工筋を装備した準受動歩行機の足首特性-(ロボティクス・メカトロニクスII)

307 扁平足を有した2足歩行ロボットの3D準受動歩行:-拮抗駆動型空気圧人工筋を装備した準受動歩行機の足首特性-(ロボティクス・メカトロニクスII)

周期入力による二足準受動歩行ロボットの安定化制御

周期入力による二足準受動歩行ロボットの安定化制御

1306 上半身駆動型準受動歩行ロボットの動歩行のモデリング(要旨講演,一般セッション:メカニカルシステムとその知能化)

1306 上半身駆動型準受動歩行ロボットの動歩行のモデリング(要旨講演,一般セッション:メカニカルシステムとその知能化)

1307 歩行補助装具への応用を目指した足首駆動型準受動歩行機械の設計(要旨講演,一般セッション:メカニカルシステムとその知能化)

Based on the past experiments of the leg orthosis with powered knee joint for the spinal cord injured, we realized the necessity of stiffness/compliance design, smooth control of the mechanism, and energy saving concept. We are designing several types of quasi-passive walking machine from this viewpoint, and made many experiments so far. This time we designed ankle driven type of quasi-passive walking machine assuming to be applicable to the leg orthosis in the future. We described the design considerations of the driving mechanism and kinematic structure, and showed the basic experiments to evaluate the validity of machine design.

1P1-F08 足首駆動型準受動歩行機械の動歩行解析(受動歩行ロボット・メカトロニクス)

1P1-F08 足首駆動型準受動歩行機械の動歩行解析(受動歩行ロボット・メカトロニクス)

1P1-F07 上半身駆動型準受動歩行ロボットにおける動歩行と可変傾斜登坂(受動歩行ロボット・メカトロニクス)

1P1-F07 上半身駆動型準受動歩行ロボットにおける動歩行と可変傾斜登坂(受動歩行ロボット・メカトロニクス)

周期入力制御を用いた準受動的歩行ロボットの斜度・外乱に対するロバスト性

周期入力制御を用いた準受動的歩行ロボットの斜度・外乱に対するロバスト性

2P1-B18 上半身駆動型準受動歩行ロボットによる可変傾斜登坂実験

2P1-B18 上半身駆動型準受動歩行ロボットによる可変傾斜登坂実験