A comparative study of stability margins for walking machines

Abstract

Several static and dynamic stability criteria have been defined in the course of walking robot history. Nevertheless, different applications may require different stability criteria and, to the authors' best knowledge, there is no qualitative classification of such stability measurements. Using the wrong stability criterion to control a robot gait may prevent the task from succeeding. Furthermore, if the optimum criterion is found, the robot gait can also be optimized. In this paper, the stability criteria that have been applied to walking robots with at least four legs are examined in terms of their stability margins in different static and dynamic situations. As a result, a qualitative classification of stability criteria for walking machines is proposed so that the proper criterion can be chosen for every desired application.