Active Synthetic-Wheel Biped With Torso

The design of a new biped robot is proposed. Based on the concept of a self-propelled wheel, the design eliminates vertical impact forces from the ground during walking. The biped comprises a torso and two legs. With arc-shaped feet, each leg is constrained to move in a manner that allows the robot to walk by rolling alternately on its two feet. The purpose of the torso is to generate motion through unbalance. The mathematical model of the robot is developed, and constraints are imposed to generate simple walking gaits. A hardware prototype of the biped was fabricated, and a controller was designed to generate one specific gait. This gait results in horizontal impulsive forces at the time of touchdown of the swing leg and the effect of these forces is studied through experiments. The experimental results of the biped successfully walking down a hallway are presented.