Passive dynamic walking with elastic energy

Abstract

This paper presents passive dynamic walking with elastic energy. We propose a new type of passive dynamic walking robot. by adding elastic materials such as spring or rubber between a supporting leg and a swing leg of the robot By utilizing restoring force of spring or rubber, we can make the passive dynamic walking robot easily walk since the crotch angle between legs is restricted. In this paper, we firstly derive dynamics of the passive dynamic walking robot with elastic energy. Next, we show the effectiveness of adding elastic energy by computer simulation. Finally, we make the actual passive dynamic walking robot with elastic energy and carry out walking experiments.