A humanoid walking pattern generator for sole design optimization

Abstract

We devised a new walking pattern generator based on a minimization of the energy consumption that offers the necessary parameters to be used in flexible sole design problems. This pattern generator is implemented in two sets of experiments implying the HRP-2 humanoid robot: walking with different weighting between (i) the center of mass forces, and (ii) torques applied at the ankle joint. We also considered two types of feet: the HRP-2 built-in flexible ankle, and our proposed solution that keeps the ankle-to-foot without flexibility and add instead a flexible sole. The latter shows several benefits that are discussed.