Design of hopping Mechanism for a kangaroo-bionic robot

Abstract

This paper presents a design of a bionic robot inspired by the hopping locomotion of kangaroo including the hopping and transmission mechanisms. The jumping movement can be realized by the hopping mechanism while the transmission mechanism is used to transmit energy from the power source to the spring and release energy when necessary. The kinematic equations of the robot at take-off phase are established. Characteristics of the displacement and the velocity of the center of mass and supporting force during take-off are analyzed as well as the energy conversion efficiency of the robot. The simulation results show that the mechanical structure of the kangaroo-bionic hopping robot is well designed to meet the bionic hopping characteristics and has a high energy conversion efficiency.