this paper studies the effect of flexible linear torso on the dynamics of passive quadruped bounding. a reduced-order passive and conservative model with linear flexible torso and springy legs is introduced. the model features extensive spine deformation during high-speed bounding, resembling those observed in a cheetah. fixed points corresponding to cyclic bounding motions are found and calcul...

This paper studies the effect of flexible linear torso on the dynamics of passive quadruped bounding. A reduced-order passive and conservative model with linear flexible torso and springy legs is introduced. The model features extensive spine deformation during high-speed bounding, resembling those observed in a cheetah. Fixed points corresponding to cyclic bounding motions are found and calcul...

Received: March 20, 2015. Received in revised form: July 31, 2015. Accepted: August 28, 2015. This paper studies the effect of flexible linear torso on the dynamics of passive quadruped bounding. A reduced-order passive and conservative model with linear flexible torso and springy legs is introduced. The model features extensive spine deformation during high-speed bounding, resembling those obs...

Various robotic quadrupeds have been introduced to investigate the realization of dynamically-stable running behaviors. The majority of these platforms involve rigid, nondeformable torsos, a feature that distinguishes them from their counterparts in the animal world, which owe much of their remarkable locomotion abilities to their flexible bodies. Only a few quadrupedal robots employ torso flex...

Recently, parallel imaging using multiple RF coils has excited great interest in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To help the design of some novel flexible array coils for the human torso, we theoretically investigate the RF field of an 8-element array coil loaded with an anatomically accurate model of the human torso. The RF behaviour is predicted based on a hybrid FDTD/MoM approach. The prim...

The development of new protective systems must be performed on reliable tools and representative of alive human. In an earlier study a simplified and realistic model of the head-neck system under moderate rear impact was performed. It is clear and often addressed in the literature that under such an impact configuration, the deformation of the torso and the car seat, is of extreme importance an...

In this paper, the effect of torso flexibility on the energetics of quadrupedal bounding is examined in a template setting. Two reductive sagittal-plane models, one with a rigid, non-deformable torso and one with a flexible, unactuated torso are proposed. Both models feature non-trivial leg mass and inertia to capture the energy associated with repositioning the legs after liftoff as well as th...

In this paper, the implications of torso flexibility on the dynamics of quadrupedal running are examined in a template setting. In the same vein with the spring loaded inverted pendulum, a reductive sagittal-plane model with a segmented flexible torso and compliant legs is introduced to capture the dynamics of bounding in the presence of torso flexibility via a minimum number of variables and p...

Recently, there has been a lot of interest in building anthropomorphic robots. Research on humanoid robotics has focused on the control of manipulators and walking machines. The contributions of the torso towards ordinary movements (such as walking, dancing, attracting mates, and maintaining balance) have been neglected by almost all humanoid robotic researchers. We believe that the next genera...

Block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly is a fundamental process in which incompatible blocks spontaneously form organized microstructures with broad practical applications. Classical understanding that the domain spacing limited by contour length of polymer backbone. Here, using combination molecular design, chemical synthesis, small-/wide-angle X-ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy, ...