Asymmetric gait analysis based on passive dynamic walking theory

Existence of asymmetric features in a passive walker can be the result of environmental and physical parameters such as mass distribution of legs, length of the legs, path slope, and so on. A great part of previous research works relies on the belief that lack of symmetry and equilibrium would amplify phenomena such as bifurcation and chaos and eventually would cause different step lengths and instability in the bipedal system. This paper attempts to analyze the dynamical behavior of an asymmetric passive walker. In this regard, the simplest asymmetric passive dynamic walker is introduced in order to better understand the dynamics of physical disabilities. This objective is accomplished by extending previously introduced symmetric models. Influences of all parameters in each model on the system stability are analyzed. Unstable boundaries, stable periodic intervals, and average velocity of motion are compared with symmetric models.