Industrial Automation

Biography

Biography: Eric H.K. Fung

Abstract

This paper presents a 3D simulation method in Sim Mechanics for a floating type robot, known as bipedal robot. According to the physical experimental bipedal robot built in our laboratory, a 3D model using the same physical parameters is developed in Solid Works, which serves as a platform to be simulated and analyzed in Matlab. By performing the simulation, we can verify the methodology to be applied, and test the robot kinematic and dynamic characteristics before the physical robot experiments are carried out, aiming at revealing the possible problems before hand. Secondly, a ground contact model between soles and the ground and a model of distributed sole force sensors will be introduced for the purpose of joint dynamic analysis. By modeling the distributed force sensor system attached to the bipedal robot feet, precise pressure profiles in different walking phases can be obtained during the simulation. The CoP (center of pressure), the point at which the resultant force of the distributed force vectors acts on the feet, will also be calculated for further analysis. Finally, by applying the models and methods described above, a human-like straight line walking pattern with two hip DoFs unactuated will be chosen for stability analysis by applying ZMP criteria. The overall simulation results demonstrate that this 3D simulation method with distributed sole force sensor model is effective. For the given walking pattern and two unactuated hip DoFs, the bipedal robot in the simulation environment can walk stably with satisfying all the required performance indices of the physical robot.