Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : May 29, 2024 - June 01, 2024
In this paper, an ankle and foot model for efficient plantar flexion, named the passive energy storage mechanism, is proposed. It is known that the human ankle joint can sometimes function like a stiff spring depending on the situation. In such cases, compensating for external forces solely through motor performance can be considered inefficient. The proposed mechanism is equipped with a tendon-driven spring as a passive element for storing elastic energy. The ankle joint can rotate freely although it is equipped with a spring during non-ground contact, but the spring is stretched during ground contact. It is possible to utilize the energy stored in the spring during the kicking motion and achieve efficient plantarflexion movement by harnessing disturbances.
