NANBA Walking Robot (JIZAI Movement of Physical Body Using State Transition with Instability)

The effectiveness of transmitting force by using undulation is well known, but it takes time for the whip to flex and then sequentially transmit force. An example of using undulation is a whip whose tip movement exceeds the speed of sound. The whip-like motion principle requires that the user firmly plant the feet on the ground – a position that may lead to physical damage. Experts note that the load on different parts of the body is lowered by using the entire body appropriately. Using the term “nanba” symbolically to indicate body movement that does not use twisting, undulation, or the firm planting of the feet and that exerts minimal load on the joints, we investigatemovement of a bipedal robot based on state transitions that utilize instability. Speed and robustness result when a state (posture) is created instantaneously so that no blockage by the body occurs and transitions from state to state are made in a single step.