The Mechanism of Yaw Torque Compensation in the Human and Motion Design for Humanoid Robots

TLDR

Yaw torque during fast humanoid walking or running can cause foot slip and instability, yet motion designs that mimic human‑like movements while ensuring stability have not been thoroughly investigated. The study first investigates the human yaw‑torque compensation mechanism. The authors propose a yaw‑torque compensation method for humanoid robots that uses arm and waist joint motions guided by the human mechanism and ZMP stability principles. Simulation and walking experiments on the BHR humanoid robot confirm the effectiveness of the proposed compensation method.

Abstract

When a humanoid robot walks fast or runs, the yaw torque is so large that the supporting foot slips easily and the robot may become unstable. The compensation for the yaw torque is important for fast humanoid walking and many studies have been focusing on yaw torque compensation. However, the issue of humanoid robot motion design that can make the movements of the robot more human-like, as well as guarantee the stability of the robot, has not been studied in-depth. In this paper, the mechanism of yaw torque compensating for human walking is firstly studied. Then we propose a method to compensate yaw torque for a humanoid robot through the motion of the arms and waist joint based on the human yaw torque compensation mechanism and ZMP stability citation. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by the results from the simulation and walking experiments on the newly developed BHR humanoid robot.