Design and Simulation of a Biped Locomotor with Walking and Turning Operation

Abstract

A study on the mechanical design and walking and turning operation of a biped locomotor is presented in this paper. The biped locomotor consists of two identical 3 degree-of-freedom (DOF) tripod leg mechanisms and a turning waist mechanism. Gait analysis in terms of straight walking and turning is performed by coordinating the motions of the two legs and waist mechanisms. A 3D CAD model is elaborated in SolidWorks® environment to characterize a feasible mechanical design of the proposed biped locomotor and a corresponding dynamic model is built in the MSC.ADAMS® environment to evaluate the walking and turning performance of the proposed gait. Simulation results show that the proposed biped locomotor performs a practical and feasible walking and turning motion on flat surfaces with reasonable actuation forces of linear actuators and limited reaction forces between its feet and the ground.