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The physics of a walking robot
Authors: J. Güémez, M. Fiolhais
Ref.: Physics Education 48, 455-458 (2013)
Abstract: The physics of walking is explored, using a toy as a concrete example and a toy model applied to it. Besides using Newtons second law, the problem is also discussed from the thermodynamical perspective. Once the steady state (constant velocity) is achieved, we show that the internal energy of the toy is dissipated as heat in the surroundings.