To realize energy-efficient running of flat-footed biped robots, we propose novel running based on flat-footed passive dynamic walking with mechanical impedance at ankles. In recent years, ZMP-based running is popular as one of the running of humanoid robots. However, ZMP-based locomotion of the biped robots are not energy-efficient, and they require complicated trajectory planning and feedback control. Flatfooted passive dynamic walkers with mechanical impedance at ankles have been proposed as a biped robot achieving energyefficient walking. Since they achieve energy-efficient walking without any control, we are interested in locomotion based on this passive walking. Therefore, we expect that flat-footed biped robots achieve energy-efficient running by taking advantage of the dynamics of the passive dynamic walker. In this paper, we show that the proposed method for a flat-footed biped robot achieves energy-efficient and high-speed limit cycle running.
In this paper, we present novel biped walking based on flat-footed Passive Dynamic Walking (PDW) with mechanical impedance at the ankles. To realize biped robot achieving high-efficient walking, PDW has attracted attention. Recently, flat-footed passive dynamic walkers with mechanical impedance at the ankles have been proposed. We show that this passive walker achieves fast, energy-efficient walking using ankle springs and inerters. For this reason, we propose novel biped walking control that mimics PDW to realize biped robots achieving fast, energy-efficient walking on level ground. First, we design a flat-footed biped robot that achieves fast, energy-efficient PDW. To achieve walking based on PDW, the biped robot then takes advantage of a virtual gravitational field that is generated by actuators. The biped robot also pushes off with the foot in the double-support phase to restore energy. By walking simulation, we show that a flat-footed biped robot achieves fast, energy-efficient walking on level ground by the proposed method.
Many biped robots that achieve high-efficient walking have been proposed in the recent years. Many researchers have thus developed biped robots that achieve active walking based on passive dynamic walking (PDW). Although these biped robots achieve energy-efficient active walking, their walking speed is generally slow. We have proposed a flat-footed PDW robot with the ankle springs and inerters. Using the ankle inerters, this robot achieves more high-speed PDW than PDW of conventional flat-footed robots. We thus developed a flat-footed biped robot achieving active walking on level ground by mimicking the flat-footed PDW. By simulations and experiments, we show that our biped robot achieves more highspeed and energy-efficient active walking than conventional biped robots.
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