Goal-directed, dynamic animation of bipedal locomotion

TL;DR: A hybrid approach between goal-directed and dynamic control to animate bipedal locomotion is presented, and results from KLAW could be helpful in the design and control of walking robots, or in the analysis of human movements in biomechanics and sports.

Abstract: Since the advent of three dimensional computer animation, motion control for articulated bodies such as humans has been a central problem. Two recent trends are most promising. One goes toward high-level, goal-directed control, reducing the amount of detail necessary to define a motion; the second trend is to apply dynamic analysis to the motion control process, leading to more realism in movements. In this thesis, a hybrid approach between goal-directed and dynamic control to animate bipedal locomotion is presented. Internal knowledge about the locomotion cycle determines the forces and torques that drive the dynamic model of the legs to produce a natural animation. The KLAW Keyframe-Less Animation of Walking) system can generate a variety of human walks with very little effort, depending on a few specifications, such as desired velocity or step length. JSLAW should be a useful tool for computer animators. Also, since the motion of the legs is based on dynamic simulation, results from KLAW could be helpful in the design and control of walking robots, or in the analysis of human movements in biomechanics and sports.