Mechanism and jumping pattern of one-legged jumping robot with pneumatic actuators

Abstract

This paper describes the mechanism of a one-legged jumping robot that can mimic the muscular and skeletal system of a human leg. The jumping robot has a waist, a thigh, a shin, a foot, and a toe. The McKibben-type pneumatic muscle actuators that are able to generate the maximum output force of 1200 [N] are employed. Two kinds of pneumatic artificial muscles, mono-articular and bi-articular muscles, were installed in the rear and in the front of the thigh and shin. A jumping pattern is also developed in consideration of the performance of the pneumatic actuators. Several jumping experiments were conducted, and the effectiveness of the mechanism and jumping pattern was verified.