Realization of jumping behavior by the link mechanism which imitated an animal leg

On a two-dimensional jumping behavior by a multi-link mechanism, a mechanism that imitated a animal's leg and a mechanism of conventional robot were compared analytically. Each joint of a conventional robot is independently controlled. On the other hand, because animal's leg has bi-articular muscle, the adjoining joints are not independent. The animal's leg mechanism was imitated by using the closed link mechanism with the rod which connects two joints. For the mechanism which imitated animal's leg and the mechanism of conventional robot, under the ideal condition, each joint torque for stabilized jump ware deduced. On the conventional robot, it is necessary to detect the center of gravity, and to be feedback. By contrast, in the mechanism which imitated the animal's leg, it does not need to feedback the position of center of gravity. Furthermore, four-legged jump robot with the mechanism which imitated animal's leg was produced, and the effectiveness of that mechanism was confirmed by an experiment.