Development and experiment of a kneed biped walking robot based on parametric excitation principle

Parametric excitation walking is one of methods to realize dynamic walking on a level ground. This method has first applied to a biped robot with telescopic legs and later to a robot with actuated knee joints. In parametric excitation walking, mechanical energy is increased by periodic up-and-down motion of the center of mass. While parametric excitation walking with telescopic legs has verified by an experimental robot, that with actuated knees has not yet as far as we know. The purpose of this paper is to present demonstration experiment of parametric excitation walking with a kneed biped robot. To do this, we develop an experimental kneed biped robot having four parallel legs with semicircular feet. In the experiment, the robot achieves walking on a level ground more than 15 steps. We also measure the movements of the robot during walking by a 3D motion capture and compare with simulation results.