Cornell passive biped (Collins/Wisse)                                                                   Muybridge man

Legged locomotion of robots and animals
(Mechanics of terrestrial locomotion)

Andy Ruina
TAM 7960  (formerly MAE 662, really a 5000 level course),  3 credits
Spring 2010,   Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:25 - 2:40,        Bard 140

What's this course about? Mechanical models and empirical studies that shed light on the  coordination, speed, energetics, and stability of locomotion in  legged animals (especially people) and robots.

More detail please? See

FAQ 
Course Announcement flyer (pdf)   
Syllabus   
Homework (pdf, updated March 5, 2010)
References and locomotion in the news

Send email with questions or suggestions.

Site updates:
3/5/10: Animation samples posted on ref page
3/1/10: Rimless-wheel reference added.
2/21/10: Matlab motor code corrected.