Time and Motion Studies: The Dynamics of Cognition, Computation and Humanoid Walking

Abstract. Why is walking easy for us and difficult for robots? The conceptual framework of traditional Artificial Intelligence, and constraints from the background of industrial robot designers, means that commercial humanoid design has often ignored the role of natural dynamics of a mechanical system, as illustrated in a Passive Dynamic Walker. We show, using a Dynamical Systems approach and Evolutionary Robotics, how power and control can be added to such systems, demonstrating bipeds in simulation with many degrees of freedom that can walk, balance on a moving platform, and run.