title: Intelligence by mechanics.
abstract: Research on the biomechanics of animal and human locomotion provides insight into basic principles of locomotion and respective implications for construction and control. Nearly elastic operation of the leg is necessary to reproduce the basic dynamics in walking and running. Elastic leg operation can be modelled with a spring-mass model. This model can be used as a template with respect to both gaits in the construction and control of legged machines. With respect to the segmented leg, the humanoid arrangement saves energy and ensures structural stability. With the quasi-elastic operation the leg inherits the property of self-stability, i.e. the ability to stabilize a system in the presence of disturbances without sensing the disturbance or its direct effects. Self-stability can be conserved in the presence of musculature with its crucial damping property. To ensure secure foothold visco-elastic suspended muscles serve as shock absorbers. Experiments with technically implemented leg models, which explore some of these principles, are promising.
authors.affiliation: Motion Science, Seidelstrasse 20, Institute of Sport Science, Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, 07749 Jena, Germany. reinhard.blickhan@uni-jena.de
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blickhan
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seyfarth
authors.forename: Hartmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Geyer
authors.forename: Sten
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grimmer
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Günther
mesh_terms: D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D032701:Biomimetics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000639:trends*; D003491:Cybernetics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D019563:Mechanics; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical; D016138:Walking