A passive walking device was patented by Nintendo. First reported by a user on Resetera.com, the patent was originally filed on May 19th, 2017. Its official publication date was yesterday 12/14/17. No word yet on if this patent is going to find its way into any new video games or Nintendo products, but from the abstract (see below) Nintendo has spent some time working on the verbiage of the patent and providing some complicated drawings (see below).
The passive walking device (100) according to an embodiment is provided with a hip section (1), a first leg (21), a second leg (22), and a crank mechanism (3) comprising a first leg crank part (31), a second leg crank part (34), a crank shaft (33), a first leg connecting section (32), and a second leg connecting section (35). When the first leg (21) contacts a walking surface (GR) and moves from front to back relative to the hip section (1): the first leg connecting section (32) rotates the first leg crank part (31); the first leg crank part (31) rotates the second leg crank part (34) via the crank shaft (33); and the second leg crank part (34) moves the second leg (22) from the back to the front relative to the hip section (1) via the second leg connecting section (35).
Drawings of the Passive Walking Device by Nintendo
