Torque and contact force analysis of Ski-Type walking for humanoid robots

Abstract

In our previous work, we introduced a new gait for humanoid robots called Ski-Type walking to improve stability performance for rough terrain walking. By the arms holding two canes to assist walking, the humanoid robot benefits from enlarged stability margin. With canes and feet touching the ground, a closed-chain system is formed where force/torque distribution among the canes and feet is not unique. We formulate and analyze both external and internal forces/torques in SkiType walking at its initial posture to determine the strategy for achieving optimal force/torque distribution. The result will enable our future study is designing dynamic gaits which specify not motion trajectories of the joints but also torques to according a desired criterion.