Improving the energy efficiency and speed of walking robots

Abstract This study analyses the superior performance of gravitationally decoupled actuation in terms of energy efficiency, and hence autonomy. Based on the decoupling concept, a new design is presented for a 3 dof leg, and its performance is validated by including it in a 84 kg hybrid locomotion robot. The proposed leg obtains a straight-line constant-velocity motion of the foot as only one of its 3 motors is operated at constant speed. This feature, together with the hybrid structure, increases the robot’s efficiency and speed when operating on surfaces without obstacles, and drastically simplifies the walking operation control. A series of simulations have been done comparing the energy consumption of the hybrid robot including traditional coupled legs, and including the proposed decoupled legs. They show a superior performance of the later one. A real prototype has been built including the proposed mechanism. It shows a similar performance to that obtained from simulation, and a natural gait in flat terrains,at speeds up to 0.9 m/s.

[1]  Kunikatsu Takase,et al.  Integration of posture and rhythmic motion controls in quadrupedal dynamic walking using phase modulations based on leg loading/unloading , 2010, Auton. Robots.

[2]  Dennis A. Randolph,et al.  What Price Speed , 2000 .

[3]  K. Kurien Issac,et al.  Gaits and energetics in terrestrial legged locomotion , 2003 .

[4]  Wei Li,et al.  Power Consumption Optimization for a Hexapod Walking Robot , 2013, J. Intell. Robotic Syst..

[5]  Shigeo Hirose,et al.  Design of prismatic quadruped walking vehicle TITAN VI , 1991 .

[6]  Russ Tedrake,et al.  Efficient Bipedal Robots Based on Passive-Dynamic Walkers , 2005, Science.

[7]  Dayal C. Kar,et al.  Design of Statically Stable Walking Robot: A Review , 2003, J. Field Robotics.

[8]  Martin Buehler,et al.  Design, control, and energetics of an electrically actuated legged robot , 1997, IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern. Part B.

[9]  Tad McGeer,et al.  Passive Dynamic Walking , 1990, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[10]  Tad McGeer,et al.  Passive walking with knees , 1990, Proceedings., IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[11]  Eiji Nakano,et al.  Mechanism and control of a quadruped walking robot , 1988 .

[12]  C. Harris,et al.  Harris' Shock and Vibration Handbook , 1976 .

[13]  Gen Endo,et al.  Quadruped walking robots at Tokyo Institute of Technology , 2009, IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine.

[14]  Y. Narahari.  Petri nets , 1999 .

[15]  R. McGhee,et al.  The adaptive suspension vehicle , 1986, IEEE Control Systems Magazine.

[16]  Marc H. Raibert,et al.  Running on four legs as though they were one , 1986, IEEE J. Robotics Autom..

[17]  Angel Gaspar Gonzalez-Rodriguez,et al.  Design and simulation of an easy operating leg for walking robots , 2009, 2009 IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics.

[18]  R. McNeill Alexander,et al.  Walking Made Simple , 2005, Science.

[19]  Pablo González de Santos,et al.  Building an energetic model to evaluate and optimize power consumption in walking robots , 2004, Ind. Robot.

[20]  Pierluigi Rea,et al.  A new articulated leg for mobile robots , 2011, Ind. Robot.