This research aims to develop a novel foot sole mechanism which utilizes the jamming transition effect of granular material enclosed in an air tight bag, for use by bipedal robot walking on uneven ground. The mechanism is designed to make the foot sole be soft and compliant to adapt to the surface of an uneven terrain, and be stiff when the robot is in the support phase of the walking gait. The stiffness-variable property of the mechanism according to the internal air pressure of the bag is investigated. To measure the tilting stability when center of pressure is moved across the proposed foot sole, a test using an inverted pendulum apparatus had been carried out and compared to when using a rigid flat foot sole.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.