Effect of step size and step period on feasible motion of a biped robot

Stability and performance are two main issues in motion of bipeds. To ensure stability, motion of a biped need to follow specific pattern to comply with certain stability criterion such as zero moment point. However, there are infinity many patterns of motion, i.e. different paths, which may ensure stability, so one might think of achieving better performance by choosing proper parameters of motion. Among different parameters which have a great influence on quality of motion we, in this paper, studied the effect of step size and step period, considering saturation limits of actuators. The study not only shed some light on the relation between these parameters with actuator demand which can be used in design process, but also it can help to find the maximum achievable velocity of a biped and to plan a robust pattern of motion.