Foot Placement Selection Using Non-geometric Visual Properties

Abstract

Geometric information alone is not sufficient to guide foot placement in arobotic device. A travel path may be firm or soft, slippery or sticky, and will thus affect locomotion. In humans, associations are made between various travel surfaces and gait modification. If a preferred foot position is unavailable, an alternate is selected. This selection is biased, and not random. Here we present a model of alternate foot placement. We demonstrate some novel properties of the model, thus showing its predictive value. We give results in a small bipedal walking mechanism. The power of our approach is that it captures key features of human performance and can be easily implemented in most walking machines.

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