Control of a Step Walking Combined to Arms Swinging for a Three Dimensional Humanoid Prototype

Problem statement: Present researches focus to make humanoid robots more and more autonomous so they can assist human in daily works like taking care of children, aged or disabled persons. In such social activities, the contemporary humanoid robots are expected to have human like morphology and gait. Studies on bipedal locomotion for humanoid robots are then part of the hottest topics in the field of robotic researches. Knowing the benefits of arm swinging for human gait, we propose in this study a new prototype of female humanoid robot morphology having the capabilities to swing arms during step walking. Approach: A new humanoid robot prototype had been introduced based on a human morphology corresponding to a woman whose weight is 70 kg and height is 1,73 m and using realistic gait parameters of a women. The female humanoid robot prototype was composed of fifteen links associated to twenty-six degrees of freedom. Winter statistical model had been applied to determine all physical parameters corresponding to each link. Modeling the proposed humanoid robot implies first to establish the kinematic model basically founded on Euler’s transformation matrix and then to set the dynamic model computed using the Newton-Euler method. To show how the arms played an important role in bipedal gait, we had chosen to consider the whole body as two independent robotic systems: the upper body and the lower body. Results: Both three dimensional kinematic and dynamic models of the humanoid robot had been developed. The three dimensional humanoid robot was controlled via a feedback linearization control during the single support, impact and double support phases. The simulation results showed the arm swing during the step of walking. Conclusion: The humanoid robot proposed has a human like morphology and ensures the function of a step walking with arm swinging. The applied control laws have ensured to the robot desired performances during a step walking.