A force-resisting balance control strategy for a walking biped robot under an unknown, continuous force

Abstract

In this paper, we propose and examine a force-resisting balance control strategy for a walking biped robot under the application of a sudden unknown, continuous force. We assume that the external force is acting on the pelvis of a walking biped robot and that the external force in the z-direction is negligible compared to the external forces in the x-and y-directions. The main control strategy involves moving the zero moment point (ZMP) of the walking robot to the center of the robot's sole resisting the externally applied force. This strategy is divided into three steps. The first step is to detect an abnormal situation in which an unknown continuous force is applied by examining the position of the ZMP. The second step is to move the ZMP of the robot to the center of the sole resisting the external force. The third step is to have the biped robot convert from single support phase (SSP) to double support phase (DSP) for an increased force-resisting capability. Computer simulations and experiments of the proposed methods are performed to benchmark the suggested control strategy.