Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 August 2013
Zero moment point (ZMP) is the most popular concept that is applied to stabilize the gait motion of a biped robot. This paper utilizes ZMP with the augmented-reality (AR) method to improve the stability of gait motion of a biped robot. The 3ds Max computer software package is used to build a virtual robot. Under an achieved joint angle data of solid robot to produce an animation of the robot's trajectory, the joint angle data are transmitted to the virtual robot to analyze the offset of the trunk. Furthermore, this investigation adopts AR to allow the user to make direct comparisons between the solid and virtual robot before and after the gait motion is corrected. The animated trajectories of the virtual robot are compared and the relevant data provide feedback to the solid robot to adjust the joint angle and further correct its posture. The experimental results reveal that the proposed scheme can improve gait motion, even when the biped robot is affected by an unexpected loading disturbance. As well as improving the stability of gait motion of a biped robot, the results of this study can also be used to teach the application of the proposed method in a robotics class.