Abstract: A legged moving robot has an action plan function to operate according to a predetermined action plan. The legged moving robot has a fuel cell for supplying operating electric energy for the legged moving robot, an operation control unit for controlling operation of the legged moving robot according to the action plan, and an electric generation managing unit for monitoring a state of the fuel cell and contents of the action plan and for regulating an amount of electric energy generated by the fuel cell depending on the action plan.

Abstract: A wire-and-pulley drive link mechanism such as a robot hand, comprising a base, a linkage connected to said base by a first joint and having a first link and a second link connected by a second joint like fingers. The base carries motors for individual links. A wire-and-pulley drive system is provided such that said linkage moves relative to said base and said first link moves relative to said second link moves when driven by said motors. The wire is made of amorphous material and a coil is wound on each of the wires to detect stress or tensile force by sensing a change of magnetic permeability generated when the wire is subject to external force. A control system having a joint servo is provided and determines a manipulated variable to be supplied to the motor based on at least the detected stress and a servo gain.

Abstract: A system for controlling locomotion of a legged mobile robot walking in a working space. The system is provided with optical detects which are disposed in a line array at the both sides of a foot member of the robot. On the other hand, a landmark is provided in the working space. The landmark comprises of a line or an arc which divides the space into two regions with different attributes, i.e. different in brightness. The optical detectors generate different signals depending on the brightness. With the generated signals, a relative position of the robot to the landmark is detected. Moreover, when the landmark is an arc, its center is located in line with a work for the robot. a relative direction of the robot to the landmark or the work is detected. Based on the detection, locomotion of the robot is controlled in such a manner that the robot can stably ascend/descent stairs or spiral staircases.

Abstract: A system for controlling locomotion of a legged mobile robot, more particularly stair descending of a biped mobile robot having a body and two articulated legs each connected to the body through hip joints and each including a foot connected to the leg through ankle joints. Gait parameters are generated such that the foot should be landed on a stair step from its heel and is kept in surface-contact or in point-contact by at least three points. The stair descending is then controlled using the generated gait parameters. With the arrangement, the system makes it possible to control the robot locomotion such that the robot descends stairs with a stable posture even when the foot length is greater than the stair step depth. This also makes it possible to design the size of the foot independent of the size of the stairs. Moreover, the tolerance of positional errors is increased, increasing the number of stair steps that the robot descends continuously keeping a stable posture.

Abstract: A system for controlling locomotion of a legged mobile robot walking in a working space. The system is provided with optical detects which are disposed in a line array at the both sides of a foot member of the robot. On the other hand, a landmark is provided in the working space. The landmark comprises of a line or an arc which divides the space into two regions with different attributes, i.e. different in brightness. The optical detectors generate different signals depending on the brightness. With the generated signals, a relative position of the robot to the landmark is detected. Moreover, when the landmark is an arc, its center is located in line with a work for the robot. a relative direction of the robot to the landmark or the work is detected. Based on the detection, locomotion of the robot is controlled in such a manner that the robot can stably ascend/descent stairs or spiral staircases.

Abstract: A system for controlling the locomotion of a biped walking robot by absorbing the footfall impact such that the robot walks stably. In advance, constraint conditions for the robot such as a coordinates position of the robot's center of gravity for the robot to assume a predetermined attitude are preestablished and in walking, robot's joint angles are determined inverse kinematically from the preestablished attitude constraint conditions. The ground reaction force generated at the footfall is detected and a correction amount required for shifting the center of gravity in the impact force absorbing direction is calculated. The attitude constraint conditions are recalculated in response to the correction amount and then the robot's joint angles are recalculated from the corrected attitude constraint conditions in three-dimensional, or at least in one of two-dimensional planes. Instead of the center of gravity, the robot's hip section can be used.

Abstract: A system for controlling locomotion of a biped robot discretely bringing its foot in contact with a floor in an environment such as that including stairs in which the robot's foot contact position is restricted. The robot's locomotion is controlled on the basis of predesigned gait parameters including its foot position/direction which determines foot landing position in a stair. A positional error is detected between the desired and actual foot landing positions in the stair. And, the gait parameters for the next stair is modified such that the foot landing position at the next stair is corrected in response to the detected error. With this arrangement, the error is not accumulated and does not exceed a premissible range which ensures the robot's stable walking. Thus, the robot's locomotion can be controlled in such a manner that the robot goes up and down the stairs consecutively.

Abstract: A legged mobile robot control system for enabling the mobile robot, more particularly a biped walking robot to walk stably even over terrain with unexpected irregularities. The robot's motion is approximated by a mathematical model and a mathematical control is conducted, while controlling the robot's attitude on the basis of a walking pattern established in advance, without need to use a high-speed on board computer for non-linearlity compensation. In another embodiment made up of a more simple arrangement, when the foot angle deviates from that on flat terrain owing to the foot stepping on a bump, the foot angle is estimated and joints are driven such that the robot's center of gravity is restored in a predetermined target trajectory. In still another embodiment, the robot body's inclination angle and/or angular velocity is determined and the hip joints connecting the body with two legs are driven to restore a predetermined stable attitude.

Abstract: A locomotion control system of a biped walking robot having a body and two articulated legs including ankle joints and connected to the body. A mathematical model is predesigned to approximate the robot. The mathematical model is assumed to have ideal rigidity and based on the model target angles of the joints including the ankle joints are preestablished in advance. Robot joints are provided with servo motors and control values are determined on the basis of the target joint angles to drive the servo motors to follow the target joint angles. A sensor is provided to detect moment acting on the ankle joints or the legs. The detected moment is multiplied by a gain made up of the reciprocal number of the amount of rigidity of the ankle joints. And based on the product, the control value is corrected so as to compensate the deformation.

Abstract: A servo system for controlling locomotion of a biped walking robot to follow up a target angle for each drive predetermined in series with respect to time. The control is stabilized by reducing the load on the on-board computer through the provision of an analog circuit for velocity control which has to be carried out in short control cycle and a digital circuit for positional control which can be carried out in relatively long control cycle. For reducing the control deviation to substantially zero, open-loop control is adopted for the motor angular velocity so as to prevent delay from arising in the joint angle control and position feedback control is conducted only in case where a deviation arises between the target joint angle and the actual joint angle owing to external disturbance or the like.

Abstract: A servo system for controlling locomotion of a biped walking robot, made up of a body link and two leg linkages each connected to the body link by a first drive joint and each including knee and ankle joints, to follow up a target angle for each drive joint predetermined in series with respect to time such that the robot walks. In order to stabilize robot posture when it could turn over, the drive speed of the joints are feedback controlled in responsive with the robot turnover probability. Moreover, the predetermined robot gait is modified at such instance, for example, in such a manner that robot leg lands one of additionally preestablished candidate positions for robot leg landing.

Abstract: A servo system for controlling the locomotion of a biped walking robot, having a body link and two leg linkages each connected to the body link and each including knee joint and ankle joint connecting an upper link and a lower link, to follow up a target angle for each drive joint predetermined in series with respect to time such that the robot walks. In order to cushion shock received at robot foot landing, moment generated at foot landing is detected and drive speed of the joints is feedback controlled in proportion to the detected moment so as to carry out a virtual compliance control on the robot foot.