Foot placement and velocity control in smooth bipedal walking

Abstract

For a walking robot to negotiate rough terrain it must adjust its step length to hit suitable footholds while simultaneously regulating its forward speed. This paper develops an algorithm to achieve these aims for a planar dynamic biped in the context of smooth exchange of support. The basis of the algorithm is an asymmetric gait to adjust walking velocity combined with a set of conditions on the leg lengths which ensure smooth exchange of support for any step size. The algorithm was tested on level surfaces in simulation and on an experimental biped robot. The algorithm could track a 30% change in desired walking velocity and a 25% change in desired step length.