CREATING WALKING MECHANISM IN BIPED

ROBOT USING COUPLER CURVES

Name:- SAAD BIN SARFRAZ.

Reg No:- BME-143004.
Section:- S2.

Capital University of Science and Technology

Islamabad

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1
Introduction------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2
Project Statement------------------------------------------------------------------- 4
Methodology------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
Resource Requirements------------------------------------------------------------- 6
Schedule ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
Budget----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8

ABSTRACT
With the advancement in science and technology, the interest to study the human
walking has developed the demand for building the biped robots. They have higher
mobility especially when moving on rough terrain, steep stairs and in environments
with obstacles. It also requires a control system to ensure the stability of the robot
while walking. Among the different types of legged robots, biped robots represents
a very interesting research subject, with several particularities and scope topics,
such as gait simulation, pattern generation, kinematics, equilibrium etc. Basically
the purpose of this project is to create walking mechanism using a particular
coupler curve. On the basis of dynamics for stabilization, they can be classified as
active and passive. Active biped robots use actuators for movements while passive
biped robots have no actuators and it can walk with some initial momentum. Main
issues with different models of biped robots are the balance and designing their
gaits. When the number of legs becomes more it is easier to balance and walk for a
legged robot. A biped walking gait is consisting of two steps a single support phase
or swing phase which evolves as an open kinematic chain; and a double support
phase which evolves as a closed kinematic loop.

INTRODUCTION

In recent years there has been much interest stimulated in dynamic walking in
bipedal robotics and legged locomotion in general. Bipedal robots will operate in
human environment with much greater efficiency than any other type of robot yet
devised. It is hoped that biped robots can be used to complete tasks which are too
difficult or dangerous for humans. This includes the applications such as working
in extreme environmental conditions (such as in fire rescue operations), with toxic
gases or chemicals, with explosives such as land mines. The state of research into
bipedal robotics has progressed to the stage where dynamic walking gaits are being
studied. Human beings usually employ a dynamic gait when walking as it is faster
and more efficient than static walking. Dynamic walking is characterized by a
small period in the walking cycle where the center of gravity of the robot is not
projected vertically onto the area of either foot. Many robots that used dynamic
walking are continuously falling and thus much more energy efficient. It requires
much more complex control systems in order to not fall. Robots that used static
movement are always balanced; that their center of gravity is always within their
ground contact base. Robots that used static walking are very inefficient as power
is put into every movement but they are more easily to control. A subset of
dynamic walking is called passive dynamic movement. Most dynamic walking
systems use active control to move the legs to the correct orientations for walking.
Passive dynamic walking is characterized by a system where gravity and inertia
alone generate the locomotion pattern. Passive dynamic movement can be achieved

with maximum efficiency, as the vehicle uses its own forward momentum to
propagate its next movement. So, a very little energy is lost from the system. There
are many different type of biped robots that are made. Biped robots with more than
four legs can be controlled with static walking techniques rather than dynamic
walking. The zero moment point concept is related with dynamics and control of
legged locomotion. It specifies a point with respect to which dynamic reaction
force at the contact of the foot with the ground does not produce any moment in
the horizontal direction, i.e. the point where the total of horizontal inertia and the
gravity forces equals to zero. It assumes that the contact area is planar and has
sufficiently high friction to keep the feet from sliding.

PROJECT STATEMENT

The purpose of this project is to build a robot to achieve the bipedal dynamic
walking. Also to produce a walking mechanism in a biped robot by choosing a
particular coupler curve. Since the time limit is not enough to make a programmed
biped robot so, it is just restricted to a simple biped robot using only servo motors.
To clarify the goals, we hope to develop the robot and control system to the stage
where it can walk unsupported on a flat surface. It is hope that the control system
will be able to accept user variation of gait parameters such as step length, foot lift
height etc. Under the ideal conditions, a model of a biped robot that includes the
gait adjustments for slight disturbances in the environment will be achieved. It will
helped in a way that a robot can functioned under non-ideal conditions because it
will always be the case that the environment will vary in different locations where
they are used. The focus would be on the things that contributes on the making of a
biped robot and as well as the physical aspects such as balance mass distribution
and forces.

METHODOLOGY

Since every project involves some method to follow to complete that project which
may be different to the others who followed different method to complete the same
project. The method that I would followed to complete my project is that first of
all I studied about the robotics and its background. Then after going through this
process I go through the design process that is related to the calculations.
Meanwhile, I would also look through some videos that are related to my project
and read some research papers on it. Basically I am making a seven legged biped
robot, so I would choose a coupler curve of Hoeckens mechanism. After that I
would calculate the links lengths and the respective angles of the knee, ankle and
hip of the biped robot. Now the most important part is the stability of the biped
robot. To do this it is necessary to distribute the mass throughout the robot so that
any movements required to balance the robot are small. Forces are an integral part
of any mechanical system and must be taken into account. In the case of biped
robot, there not only exist forces due to acceleration field of the earth gravity, but
forces produced by the robot itself. So all the forces should be calculated to ensure
the correct response of the control system. After that I would choose a particular
servo motors that would be fixed between the ankles, hip and the knees of the
biped robot.

RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS

The components that are required to built the biped robots are acceleration sensors,
Nickel Cadmium rechargeable batteries. The acceleration sensors will provide the
feedback regarding the balance of the robot. Foot switches are used in the foot of
the biped robot to detect whether the foot is in current contact with the ground or
not. Small printed circuit boards were fabricated and an area on the underside of
the feet at the front and the back was milled out of the aluminium and the circuit
boards are attached with small screws. Having sensors at the four corners of each
foot allows some useful signals to be generated by combining the values of the
individual switches. Combining the values of pairs of switches on either side of the
foot is an indication of the status of the balance in lateral plane. Also servo motors
are needed to create motion of the biped robot. The duty cycle would be sent to the
servo that dictates the absolute angle it should turn to. The labs that are needed in
making this project are the mechanical workshop and the electronics lab.

SCHEDULE

Since this is a semester project and is given in March 2016. So the timeline for the
completion of this project is given below:

March
Selection of
Topic
Literature
Review
Abstract
Submission of
Project
Proposal
Making of
Body
Installing of
Servo Motors
Testing
Submission of
Final Report

April

May

June

BUDGET
Since the money is important when considering the project because it will helpful
to decide that the certain project can be done in a certain limit of money. So, for
my project the starting budget is approximately 1200-1500 rupees but it might vary
when the project is started.

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