An Underactuated Biped Robot Guided via Elastic Elements: EKF-Based Estimation of Ankle Mechanical Parameters.

When studying humanoid robots, many of the processes involving the synthesis of robots motion have much in common with problems found in biomechanics and human motor-control research. Based on the use of simulation tools, additive manufacturing and system identification techniques, this work presents the design and implementation of an underactuated biped robot guided via elastic elements. In particular, the focus was on the analysis of stable posture maintenance during standing obtained on a completely passive humanoid robotic system. An estimation of the mechanical parameters of the elastic mechanical network was performed using an Extended Kalman Filter. The results provided here are part of a larger project that aims to implement a hybrid robotic system where the balance of bipeds are obtained using passive elastic elements, thus simplifying the control of gait. This work contributes to the research and development of increasingly efficient human-like robots.