Passive dynamics is an approach to robotics which uses the momentum of swinging limbs for greater efficiency. A purely passive dynamic robot requires no power at all. It will able down a plank all by itself if it’s configured just right. Of course, in the real world robots can’t be expected to always walk downhill. Ideally, one could combine the efficiency of passive dynamics with some kind of power so it can walk efficiently on a flat surface.
In 2003 at the University of Sussex, Eric Vaughan used artificial evolution to create powered bipedal walkers in simulation. Evolving both the passive dynamic body and the neural control system all at once didn’t work, so the evolution was given some assistance. First, the robot was evolved to walk down an incline passively. As the evolution progressed, the plank was gradually lowered until it was completely horizontal, gradually bringing the neural control system into play. The final result was a robot design that could walk on a flat surface using very little energy, much like a human.
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