Repetitive gait of passive bipedal mechanisms in a three-dimensional environment

H. Dankowicz, J. Adolfsson, A. B. Nordmark

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The inherent dynamics of bipedal, kneed mechanisms are studied with emphasis on the existence and stability of repetitive gait in a three-dimensional environment, in the absence of external, active control. The investigation is motivated by observations that sustained anthropomorphic locomotion is largely a consequence of geometric and inertial properties of the mechanism. While the modelling excludes active control, the energy dissipated in ground and knee collisions is continuously re-injected by considering gait down slight inclines. The paper describes the dependence of the resulting passive gait in vertically constrained and unconstrained mechanisms on model parameters, such as ground compliance and ground slope. We also show the possibility of achieving statically unstable gait with appropriate parameter choices.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)40-46
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Biomechanical Engineering
Volume123
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Physiology (medical)

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