Kinematic Design and Dynamic Analysis of a Planar Biped Robot Mechanically Coordinated by a Single Degree of Freedom

This paper presents a method of integrating kinematic mechanism design and hybrid system analysis for the design of a single-degree-of-freedom (DOF) planar biped robot that can achieve dynamic walking gaits that are stable. Reducing the DOF in a biped can result in a reduction of the complexity of the control strategies needed to enable stable walking. Although the biped designed by this procedure is restricted to a single gait, this biped may be less complex, lighter, and less costly to construct than one whose multiple DOF are coordinated via feedback.