Dynamic simulation of passive walker based on virtual gravity theory

Abstract

Passive dynamic walking is a high efficiency way for bipedal robots to reduce energy cost. To study the nature of passive dynamic walking, we propose a new dynamic simulation method and build a virtual passive walker prototype based on virtual gravity theory using ADAMS. The results of the simulation are believable by comparing with the former research results, and the influences on gait stability of three critical physical parameters are obtained by using the parameterization analysis tools. These simulation results show that the suitable initial parameter is a critical factor for a simplest passive walker's stability on slope ground and the dynamic simulation is an available way to study the bipedal robot's walking. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.