Fall detection in walking robots by multi-way principal component analysis

Large disturbances can cause a biped to fall. If an upcoming fall can be detected, damage can be minimized or the fall can be prevented. We introduce the multi-way principal component analysis (MPCA) method for the detection of upcoming falls. We study the detection capability of the MPCA method in a simulation study with the simplest walking...

Swing-Leg Retraction for Limit Cycle Walkers Improves Disturbance Rejection

Limit cycle walkers are bipeds that exhibit a stable cyclic gaitwithout requiring local controllability at all times during gait. A well-known example of limit cycle walking is McGeer’s “passive dynamic walking,” but the concept expands to actuated bipeds as involved in this study. One of the stabilizing effects in limit cycle walkers is the...

Guided wave modes in porous cylinders: Theory

The classical theory of wave propagation in elastic cylinders is extended to poro-elastic mandrel modes. The classical theory predicts the existence of undamped L modes and damped C, I, and Z modes. These waves also appear in poro-elastic mandrels, but all of them become damped because of viscous effects. The presence of the Biot slow bulk wave...

How to keep from falling forward: Elementary swing leg action for passive dynamic walkers

Passive dynamic walking model with upper body

How Crouch Gait Can Dynamically Induce Stiff-Knee Gait

Children with cerebral palsy frequently experience foot dragging and tripping during walking due to a lack of adequate knee flexion in swing (stiff-knee gait). Stiff-knee gait is often accompanied by an overly flexed knee during stance (crouch gait). Studies on stiff-knee gait have mostly focused on excessive knee muscle activity during (pre...