Energy pumping-and-damping for gait robustification of underactuated planar biped robots within the hybrid zero dynamics framework

Abstract

This paper addresses the robust gait control for planar and passive biped robots using approaches based on energy properties. Energy pumping-and-damping passivity-based control is used to increase the robustness against uncertainties on the initial conditions of the passive gait exhibited by planar biped robots. The stability analysis is carried out by exploiting the system’s passivity and the hybrid zero dynamics method. Besides, the proposed approach is applied to new gaits that are generated using interconnection and damping assignment passivity-based control. The performance of the proposed design is evaluated through numerical simulations and compared with an existing technique.