Abstract
The minimization of energy consumption plays a key role in the design of walking machines. As these vehicles tend to carry their own energy source, a reduction in energy consumption results in machines which can not only travel further, but require smaller actuators that typically yield a reduction in vehicle weight and cost. This paper examines how spring-damper (SD) systems, incorporated within the limbs of walking machines, can be used to transfer a portion of the energy typically dissipated, from one step to the next. Unlike previous efforts which have concentrated on hopping machines, this paper examines walking machines which have a definite multi-limb support phase. Two methods, active and passive locking, are developed and applied to a five-link biped. Dynamic simulations demonstrate that energy consumption can be reduced by 34%.
