access icon free Design of mechanical stiffness switch for hydraulic quadruped robot legs inspired by equine distal forelimb

© The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Received 23/09/2014, Published 15/12/2014

A new method, inspired by the gait of horses, for regulating the ground reaction force of a quadruped walking robot, is proposed. The method uses the mechanical stiffness switch with a dual-spring structure inspired by an equine distal forelimb. This includes the use of a low-stiffness spring activated at the moment of touchdown and a high-stiffness spring for the support phase. This method has been applied to Jinpoong, a hydraulic quadruped walking robot, and has contributed to the robot's stable gait on uneven terrain.

Inspec keywords: biomimetics; springs (mechanical); legged locomotion; robot kinematics; elasticity

Other keywords: dual-spring structure; mechanical stiffness switch design; ground reaction force; hydraulic quadruped walking robot; hydraulic quadruped robot legs; high-stiffness spring; quadruped walking robot; low-stiffness spring; Jinpoong; equine distal forelimb

Subjects: Elasticity (mechanical engineering); Robot and manipulator mechanics; Mechanical components

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