ADDING ADAPTABLE TOE STIFFNESS AFFECTS ENERGETIC EFFICIENCY AND DYNAMIC BEHAVIORS OF LIMIT CYCLE WALKING

This paper presents a limit cycle walking model with segmented feet. We add adaptable ankle and joint stiffness to a limit cycle walker based on previous biological studies to further understand the effects of segmented feet on walking performance. The equilibrium position and stiffness of the toe joints vary during one step depending on the current walking phase. Both the walking phase sequence and the toe joint behavior show a great resemblance to human normal walking. Experimental results show the effects of toe parameters on walking speed, step length, energetic efficiency and the net works of ankle and toe joints, which could provide us a better understanding of segmented-foot limit cycle walkers and help in building a physical robot with toe joints.http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000342693100043&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Automation & Control SystemsEngineering, Electrical & ElectronicRoboticsCPCI-S(ISTP)