An alternative approach to synthesizing bipedal walking

Based on mechanical analysis, three gait descriptors are found which should be controlled to generate cyclic gait of a seven-link humanoid biped in the sagittal plane: (i) step length, (ii) step time, and (iii) the velocity of the center of mass (CoM) at push off. Two of these three gait descriptors can be chosen independently, since the CoM moves almost ballistically during the swing phase. These gait descriptors are formulated as end-point conditions and are regulated by a model predictive controller. In addition, continuous controls at the trunk and knees are implemented to maintain the trunk upright and to ensure weight bearing. The model predictive controller is realized by quadratic dynamic matrix control, which offers the possibility of including constraints that are exposed by the environment and the biped itself. Specifying step length and CoM velocity at push off, the controller generates a symmetric and stable gait. The proposed control scheme serves as a general-purpose solution for the generation of a bipedal gait. The proposed model contains fewer parameters than other models, and they are all directly related to determinants of bipedal gait: step length, trunk orientation, step time, walking velocity, and weight bearing. The proposed control objectives and the model of humanoid bipedal walking have potential applications in robotics and rehabilitation engineering.