Abstract
Design and control of human-like robots mimicking the motion using biped legs are still in demand. However, the vast majority of the biped robots are too heavy due to the number of actuators and their bulky design. Compliant designs can mimic the motions in nature through the large deformation of their compliant members and have the ability to be designed as a single piece thereby reducing the overall weight and increasing the performance of the mechanism. Biped robots specifically designed for walking currently existing in the literature often arranged in series form. Although serial design leads high flexibility, each link carries its actuator compromising the overall weight and stability. This paper presents the design and development of a bioinspired leg for biped robots without the requirement of actuation of the knee or addition of a spring element. Each leg is designed as a single piece by exploiting a compliant knee joint, 3D printed using TPU filament and actuated through a cam design using a servo motor. Servo motor is also attached to the trunk which serves as the torso of the robot body. Zero moment point (ZMP) analysis is performed by adopting simple cart-table and inverted pendulum methods. Stiffness of the compliant knee is obtained from multibody dynamic simulations in MSC Adams. The preliminary testing of the bio-inspired biped robot reveals that the robot performs successful periodic gait.
