Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T00:36:59.516Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A novel dynamic walker with heel, ankle, and toe rocker motions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2011

R. Prasanth Kumar
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and ReCAPT, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea
Abdullah Özer
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and ReCAPT, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea
Gabsoon Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Control Instrumentation Engineering, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea
Jungwon Yoon*
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and ReCAPT, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

Summary

This paper proposes a novel dynamic walker capable of walking with heel, ankle, and toe rocker motions. The heel and toe rocker motions are obtained by using inelastic stoppers between leg and foot, which limit the range of rotation of the foot about the ankle joint. A generalized set of equations of motion and associated transition equations applicable for multiple foot segments is derived. Passive dynamic walking is studied with equal heel and toe strike angles for the case of symmetric foot walking. It is shown that by including the ankle joint, low-speed walking is made possible. The energy efficiency of the proposed walker is studied theoretically and through numerical simulations. Finally, three different underactuated modes of active walking that do not require toe and heel actuation are presented. In order to implement these modes of walking, the proposed walker can be constructed with little modification from an existing flat-foot walker that uses ankle rocker motion alone. Results show that substantial benefits can be obtained in efficiency and stability compared to point/flat-foot walker of the same leg length and mass distribution.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.McGeer, T., “Passive dynamic walking,” Int. J. Robot. Res. 9 (2), 6282 (1990).Google Scholar
2.Goswami, A., Espiau, B. and Keramane, A., “Limit cycles in a passive compass gait biped and passivity-mimicking control laws,” Auton. Robots 4 (3), 273286 (1997).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Hobbelen, D. G. E. and Wisse, M., “Ankle Joints and Flat Feet in Dynamic Walking,” Proceedings of the International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots (CLAWAR), Madrid, Spain (Sep. 22–24, 2004).Google Scholar
4.Wisse, M., Hobbelen, D. G. E., Rotteveel, R. J. J., Anderson, S. O. and Zeglin, G. J., “Ankle Springs Instead of Arc-Shaped Feet for Passive Dynamic Walkers,” Proceedings of the IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots, Genua, Italy (Dec. 2006) pp. 110116.Google Scholar
5.Asano, F. and Luo, Z.-W., “Asymptotically stable biped gait generation based on stability principle of rimless wheel,” Robotica 27 (6), 949958 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Harata, Y., Asano, F., Luo, Z.-W., Taji, K. and Uno, Y., “Biped gait generation based on parametric excitation by knee-joint actuation,” Robotica 27 (7), 10631073 (2009).Google Scholar
7.Adamczyk, P. G., Collins, S. H. and Kuo, A. D., “The advantages of a rolling foot in human walking,” J. Exp. Biol. 20 (209), 39533963 (2006).Google Scholar
8.Kwan, M. and Hubbard, M., “Optimal foot shape for a passive dynamic biped,” J. Theor. Biol. 248 (2), 331339 (2007).Google Scholar
9.Tazaki, Y. and Imura, J., “A study of the energy-saving effect of foot shape on planar passive bipedal walking,” J. Robot. Soc. Japan 23 (1), 131138 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10.Kim, J., Choi, C.-H. and Spong, M. W., “Passive Dynamic Walking with Symmetric Fixed Flat Feet,” Proceedings of the International Conference on Control and Automation, Guangzhou, China (2007) pp. 2430.Google Scholar
11.Hobbelen, D. G. E. and Wisse, M., “Ankle actuation for limit cycle walkers,” Int. J. Robot. Res. 27 (6), 709735 (2008).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Kumar, R. P., Yoon, J. W., Christiand, , and Kim, G., “The simplest passive dynamic walking model with toed feet: A parametric study,” Robotica 27 (5), 701713 (2009).Google Scholar
13.Asano, F., Luo, Z.-W. and Yamakita, M., “Biped gait generation and control based on a unified property of passive dynamic walking,” IEEE Trans. Robot. Autom. 21 (4), 754762 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Collins, S. H., Wisse, M. and Ruina, A., “A three-dimensional passive-dynamic walking robot with two legs and knees,” Int. J. Robot. Res. 20 (7), 607615 (2001).Google Scholar
15.Collins, S., Ruina, A., Tedrake, R. and Wisse, M., “Efficient bipedal robots based on passive-dynamic walkers,” Science 307, 10821085 (2005).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Kuo, A. D., “Choosing your steps carefully: Trade-offs between economy and versatility in dynamic walking bipedal robots,” IEEE Robot. Autom. Mag. 14 (2), 1829 (2007).Google Scholar
17.Hobbelen, D. G. E. and Wisse, M., “A disturbance rejection measure for limit cycle walkers: The gait sensitivity norm,” IEEE Trans. Robot. Autom. 23 (6), 12131224 (2007).Google Scholar
18.Asano, F., Yamakita, M., Kamamichi, N. and Luo, Z.-W., “A novel gait generation for biped walking robots based on mechanical energy constraint,” IEEE Trans. Robot. Autom. 20 (3), 565573 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19.Ruina, A., Bertram, J. E. A. and Srinivasan, M., “A collisional model of the energetic cost of support work qualitatively explains leg sequencing in walking and galloping, pseudo-elastic leg behavior in running and the walk-to-run transition,” J. Theor. Biol. 237 (2), 170192 (2005).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Asano, F. and Luo, Z.-W., “The Effect of Semicircular Feet on Energy Dissipation by Heel-Strike in Dynamic Bipedal Walking,” Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Roma, Italy (April 2007) pp. 39763981.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21.Spong, M. W., “Passivity-Based Control of the Compass Gait Biped.” Proceedings of the 14th World Congress IFAC (1999) pp. 1923.Google Scholar
22.Asano, F. and Luo, Z.-W., “On Energy-Efficient and High-Speed Dynamic Biped Locomotion with Semicircular Feet,” Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligence Robots Systems, Beijing, China (Oct. 9–15, 2006) pp. 59015906.Google Scholar
23.Asano, F. and Luo, Z.-W., “Dynamic Analyses of Under actuated Virtual Passive Dynamic Walking,” Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Roma, Italy (April 2007) pp. 32103217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24.Kuo, A. D. and Zajac, F. E., “A biomechanical analysis of muscle strength as a limiting factor in standing posture,” J. Biomech. 26 (1), 137150 (1993).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25.Yi, K. Y. and Zheng, Y. F., “Biped locomotion by reduced ankle power,” Auton. Robots 4, 307314 (1997).CrossRefGoogle Scholar