Related papers: Bipedal locomotion using variable stiffness actuat…
Wheeled-legged robots combine the efficiency of wheeled robots when driving on suitably flat surfaces and versatility of legged robots when stepping over or around obstacles. This paper introduces a planning and control framework to realise…
Drawing inspiration from human multi-domain walking, this work presents a novel reduced-order model based framework for realizing multi-domain robotic walking. At the core of our approach is the viewpoint that human walking can be…
In this paper, we present a new model of biped locomotion which is composed of three linear pendulums (one per leg and one for the whole upper body) to describe stance, swing and torso dynamics. In addition to double support, this model has…
In this paper, we present an energy-conservation based control architecture for stable dynamic motion in quadruped robots. We model the robot as a Spring-loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP), a model well-suited to represent the bouncing motion…
In this paper, we propose an efficient approach to generate dynamic and versatile humanoid walking with non-constant center of mass (COM) height. We exploit the benefits of using reduced order models (ROMs) and stepping control to generate…
Although commonly associated with limbless animals like snakes and fish, multi-legged organisms like centipedes also utilize undulatory locomotion. Whether these undulations are actively reinforced or resisted by the axial musculature…
In this work, we introduce a control framework that combines model-based footstep planning with Reinforcement Learning (RL), leveraging desired footstep patterns derived from the Linear Inverted Pendulum (LIP) dynamics. Utilizing the LIP…
In the fields of robotics and biomechanics, the integration of elastic elements such as springs and tendons in legged systems has long been recognized for enabling energy-efficient locomotion. Yet, a significant challenge persists:…
This work presents an extended framework for learning-based bipedal locomotion that incorporates a heuristic step-planning strategy guided by desired torso velocity tracking. The framework enables precise interaction between a humanoid…
Reinforcement-learned locomotion enables legged robots to perform highly dynamic motions but often accompanies time-consuming manual tuning of joint stiffness. This paper introduces a novel control paradigm that integrates variable…
This paper presents an algorithm that finds a centroidal motion and footstep plan for a Spring-Loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP)-like bipedal robot model substantially faster than real-time. This is achieved with a novel representation of the…
This work explores an innovative algorithm designed to enhance the mobility of underactuated bipedal robots across challenging terrains, especially when navigating through spaces with constrained opportunities for foot support, like steps…
Legged robot locomotion on a dynamic rigid surface (i.e., a rigid surface moving in the inertial frame) involves complex full-order dynamics that is high-dimensional, nonlinear, and time-varying. Towards deriving an analytically tractable…
Locomotion on dynamic rigid surface (i.e., rigid surface accelerating in an inertial frame) presents complex challenges for controller design, which are essential for deploying humanoid robots in dynamic real-world environments such as…
This paper studies bipedal locomotion as a nonlinear optimization problem based on continuous and discrete dynamics, by simultaneously optimizing the remaining step duration, the next step duration and the foot location to achieve…
Legged locomotion shows promise for running in complex, unstructured environments. Designing such legged robots requires considering heterogeneous, multi-domain constraints and variables, from mechanical hardware and geometry choices to…
Controller design for bipedal walking on dynamic rigid surfaces (DRSes), which are rigid surfaces moving in the inertial frame (e.g., ships and airplanes), remains largely uninvestigated. This paper introduces a hierarchical control…
The Angular-Momentum Linear Inverted Pendulum (ALIP) model is a promising motion planner for bipedal robots. However, it relies on two assumptions: (1) the robot has point-contact feet or passive ankles, and (2) the angular momentum around…
We propose a mechanically simple and cheap design for a series elastic actuator with controllable stiffness. Such characteristics are necessary for animals for running, jumping, throwing, and manipulation, yet in robots, variable stiffness…
A Hybrid passive Linear Inverted Pendulum (HLIP) model is proposed for characterizing, stabilizing and composing periodic orbits for 3D underactuated bipedal walking. Specifically, Period-1 (P1) and Period-2 (P2) orbits are geometrically…