Stabilization and Walking Control for a Simple Passive Walker Using ComputedTorque Method

The simple passive dynamic walker can walk down a shallow downhill slope with no external controlor energy input. Nevertheless, the period-one gait stability is only possible over a very narrow range ofslopes. Since the passive gaits are extremely sensitive to slope angles, it is important to use a controlstrategy in order to achieve a wide range of stable walking. The computed torque method is proposedhere to produce stable period-one gait cycles for different slopes. In present method, the unstablewalking gait is stabilized by a stable period-one gait pattern on a small specific slope. The proposedapproach is illustrated by the simplest passive walkers with point and curved feet. Simulation resultsreveal the usefulness of this control method for improvement in stability properties of the models.