Three additions to passive dynamic walking; actuation, an upper body, and 3D stability

Abstract

One of the main challenges in the design of human-like walking robots (useful for service or entertainment applications as well as the study of human locomotion) is to obtain dynamic locomotion, as opposed to the static form of locomotion demonstrated by most of the current prototypes. A promising concept is the idea of passive dynamic walking; even completely unactuated and uncontrolled mechanisms can perform a stable gait when walking down a shallow slope. This concept enables the construction of dynamically walking prototypes that are simpler yet more natural in their motions than the static bipeds. This paper presents three additions to the concept of passive dynamic walking. First, hip actuation is added to increase the fore-aft stability and to provide power to the system, removing the need for a downhill floor. Second, a reciprocating hip mechanism is introduced to allow the addition of a passive upper body without compromising the simplicity, efficiency and naturalness of the concept of passive dynamic walking. Third, skate board-like ankle joints are implemented to provide 3D stability. These ankles couple the unstable sideways lean motion to yaw (steering), a kinematic coupling which provides sideways stability when walking with sufficient forward velocity. The three additions are investigated both with elementary simulation models and with prototype experiments. All three prototypes demonstrate an uncannily natural and stable gait while requiring only two foot switches and three on/off actuators.