Exhibiting Various Gait Patterns and its Transition in Quadrupedal Locomotion Based on Phase Oscillator and Passive Dynamic Walking Mechanism

Abstract

In this study, we clarify how the backbone stiffness and the passive aspects of the body influence gait using a QW robot, RW06-Duo, based on a passive dynamic walking mechanism. Some experiments will prove that a knee oscillation with a phase oscillator excites some gaits and gait transition by mutual coordination between the hip and ankle joints, and a torsional backbone. The gait transitions depend not only on the intrinsic frequency of the oscillator but also on the stiffness of the backbone and the passive intralimb coordination. Moreover, we will show the existence of stable gait patterns and gait transition under the same conditions of the phase oscillator frequency and the backbone stiffness.