We designed a neuro fuzzy control strategy for control of cyclical leg movements of paraplegic subjects. The cyclical leg movements were specified by three ‘swing phase objectives’, characteristic of natural human gait. The neuro fuzzy controller is a combination of a fuzzy logic controller and a neural network, which makes the controller self tuning and adaptive. Two experiments have been perf...

In this study, the influence of leg rotation during the swing phase on the stability of running is addressed. Therefore, conservative spring-mass running was investigated using a return map of the apex height. A fixed angle of attack can already result in selfstabilised running as found previously. By examining the return maps of all possible angles of attack, a rotational leg control is derive...

Natural dynamics can be exploited in the control of bipedal walking robots: the swing leg can swing freely once started; a kneecap can be used to prevent the leg from inverting; and a compliant ankle can be used to naturally transfer the center of pressure along the foot and help in toe off. Each of these mechanisms helps make control easier to achieve and results in motion that is smooth and n...

Gravity reduction affects the energetics and natural speed of walking and running. But, it is less clear how segmental coordination is altered. Various devices have been developed in the past to study locomotion in simulated reduced gravity. However, most of these devices unload only the body center of mass. The authors reduced the effective gravity acting on the stance or swing leg to 0.16g us...

A study was designed to evaluate if shock absorbing material (ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA)) on the shoes of long leg braces could decrease the accelerations and consequent shock forces transmitted through the leg and brace during paraplegic walking. Six male paraplegics (26-55 years old) took part, four using a "swing-to" and two a "swing-through" technique when walking. Recordings comprised accel...

This thesis proposes a general control architecture for 3D dynamic walking. It is based on a divide-and-conquer approach that is assisted by learning. No dynamic models are required for the implementation. In the approach, the walking task is divided into three subtasks: 1) to maintain body height; 2) to maintain body posture; and 3) to maintain gait stability. The first two subtasks can be ach...