Motion Analysis of Passive-Dynamic Walker with Flexible Structure: Exploration for Novel Support Phase.

In the robotics, various walking models have been proposed to study the mechanisms of walking, and for better investigations, the walking model is excepted that can capture the most essence of walking problem with minimal complexity. According, propose a model that describe and explain the walking mechanism of creatures is our research target. In this study, we proposed a passive-dynamic walker which has flexible structure, and analyzed the walking performance by numerical simulation. The simulation result shows the influence of vibration on walking performance, and the flexible rimless wheel (FRW) can generate not only double-limb support phase, but also triple-limb support phase. Our work not only identified new gait patterns, but has also provided a theoretical basis for the mechanical design of locomotion.