Efficient Bipedal Robots Based on Passive-Dynamic Walkers

Collins, Steven H.; Ruina, Andy; Tedrake, Russ; Wisse, Martijn

doi:10.1126/science.1107799

Cited by 1,562 publications

(1,047 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

1,024

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…These simple, mechanical bipedal robots capitalize on the physical dynamics of bipedal gait in order to walk with no actuation down a shallow slope [4][5][6][7]. Minimal actuation in the form of footsprings or hip actuators allows these robots to walk over flat ground with an energetic cost of transport that is comparable with a human and is an order of magnitude less than the cost of transport of traditional walking robots [8]. Insights gained from passive dynamic walking robots explain the energetic efficiency of human walking in flat, obstacle-free environments [9], but efficiency is no less important when walking over complex terrain such as a rocky trail.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Humans exploit the biomechanics of bipedal gait during visually guided walking over complex terrain

Matthis

Fajen

2013

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

How do humans achieve such remarkable energetic efficiency when walking over complex terrain such as a rocky trail? Recent research in biomechanics suggests that the efficiency of human walking over flat, obstacle-free terrain derives from the ability to exploit the physical dynamics of our bodies. In this study, we investigated whether this principle also applies to visually guided walking over complex terrain. We found that when humans can see the immediate foreground as little as two step lengths ahead, they are able to choose footholds that allow them to exploit their biomechanical structure as efficiently as they can with unlimited visual information. We conclude that when humans walk over complex terrain, they use visual information from two step lengths ahead to choose footholds that allow them to approximate the energetic efficiency of walking in flat, obstacle-free environments.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Humans exploit the biomechanics of bipedal gait during visually guided walking over complex terrain

Matthis

Fajen

2013

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the context of rhythmic locomotion, passive strategies have inspired passive-based designs with small active power sources to walk on level ground, revealing the prominence of passive stability in the architecture of the human locomotor system (see e.g. Collins, Ruina, Tedrake, and Wisse (2005), Collins, Wisse, and Ruina (2001) and Kuo (1999)). …”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

Robotics and neuroscience: A rhythmic interaction

2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c tAt the crossing between motor control neuroscience and robotics system theory, the paper presents a rhythmic experiment that is amenable both to handy laboratory implementation and simple mathematical modeling. The experiment is based on an impact juggling task, requiring the coordination of two upper-limb effectors and some phase-locking with the trajectories of one or several juggled objects. We describe the experiment, its implementation and the mathematical model used for the analysis. Our underlying research focuses on the role of sensory feedback in rhythmic tasks. In a robotic implementation of our experiment, we study the minimum feedback that is required to achieve robust control. A limited source of feedback, measuring only the impact times, is shown to give promising results. A second field of investigation concerns the human behavior in the same impact juggling task. We study how a variation of the tempo induces a transition between two distinct control strategies with different sensory feedback requirements. Analogies and differences between the robotic and human behaviors are obviously of high relevance in such a flexible setup.

show abstract

“…One can find some examples in [29]- [35]. As it was shown that locomotion is dynamically analogous to manipulation [24], [36], [37], the results of studies on passive locomotion can be utilized in design of passive locomotion mechanisms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%