Analysis of the Relationship between Gait Generation with Improved Traction and Energy Dissipation

Abstract

Animals exhibit a variety of gait patterns depending on their locomotor speed and energy efficiency. Although various gait patterns have been studied, the mechanism of gait generation has remained unclear. In this study, a one-input, two-output legged robot with differential gears was developed and ground reaction force equalization was performed to realize a stable gait. The developed robot can tolerate angular velocity differences and equalize the torque transmitted to the legs. To study the feasibility of generating a gait based on ground reaction force equalization, we conducted hardware experiments. In addition, energy efficiency was measured and its relationship to autonomous gait generation was investigated. The results showed that the robot can spontaneously generate a gait pattern by equalizing the ground reaction force, and that the energy efficiency is maximized when the robot does so.