A Speed Regulating Controller for Virtual Passive Walking

In this paper, a speed regulating control law for virtual passive walking based on the kinetic energy tracking control algorithm was proposed. Based on an empirical evidence that the speed of passive walking is proportional to the quadratic root of the acceleration of gravity, the acceleration of the gravitational field where the imitated passive walking happens is regarded as a changeable parameter in the control law and is used to regulate the speed of the virtual passive walking. The control law enables the robot to accelerate or decelerate to a specified speed, and even to start movement from an initial resting configuration. Simulations were carried out and the results verified the effectiveness of the control law.