Related papers: Terrain Recognition and Contact Force Estimation t…
(Simplified Abstract) To accomplish breakthroughs in dynamic whole-body locomotion, legged robots have to be terrain aware. Terrain-Aware Locomotion (TAL) implies that the robot can perceive the terrain with its sensors, and can take…
Understanding the traversability of terrain is essential for autonomous robot navigation, particularly in unstructured environments such as natural landscapes. Although traditional methods, such as occupancy mapping, provide a basic…
Legged robots carry an IMU, but the inertial solution drifts because consumer-grade IMUs are noisy. However, the feet create intermittent contacts with the environment that can be used to mitigate that drift. This report develops a sequence…
As more robots are implemented for contact-rich tasks, tactile sensors are in increasing demand. For many circumstances, the contact is required to be compliant, and soft sensors are in need. This paper introduces a novelly designed soft…
This work developed a learning framework for perceptive legged locomotion that combines visual feedback, proprioceptive information, and active gait regulation of foot-ground contacts. The perception requires only one forward-facing camera…
We propose a novel state estimator for legged robots, STEP, achieved through a novel preintegrated foot velocity factor. In the preintegrated foot velocity factor, the usual non-slip assumption is not adopted. Instead, the end effector…
Most legged robots are built with leg structures from serially mounted links and actuators and are controlled through complex controllers and sensor feedback. In comparison, animals developed multi-segment legs, mechanical coupling between…
Haptic sensation is an important modality for interacting with the real world. This paper proposes a general framework of inferring haptic forces on the surface of a 3D structure from internal deformations using a small number of physical…
Our goal is to send legged robots into challenging, unstructured terrains that wheeled systems cannot traverse. Moreover, precise estimation of the robot's position and orientation in rough terrain is especially difficult. To address this…
We propose a novel method, ProNav, which uses proprioceptive signals for traversability estimation in challenging outdoor terrains for autonomous legged robot navigation. Our approach uses sensor data from a legged robot's joint encoders,…
This paper introduces a novel proprioceptive state estimator for legged robots based on a learned displacement measurement from IMU data. Recent research in pedestrian tracking has shown that motion can be inferred from inertial data using…
Parkour presents a highly challenging task for legged robots, requiring them to traverse various terrains with agile and smooth locomotion. This necessitates comprehensive understanding of both the robot's own state and the surrounding…
Locomotion over soft terrain remains a challenging problem for legged robots. Most of the work done on state estimation for legged robots is designed for rigid contacts, and does not take into account the physical parameters of the terrain.…
Legged robots face significant challenges in moving and navigating on deformable and highly yielding terrain such as mud. We present a resistive force model for legged foot-mud interactions. The model captures rheological behaviors such as…
This paper presents a method for detecting and localizing contact along robot legs using distributed joint torque sensors and a single hip-mounted force-torque (FT) sensor using a generalized momentum-based observer framework. We designed a…
Legged robot navigation in unstructured and slippery terrains depends heavily on the ability to accurately identify the quality of contact between the robot's feet and the ground. Contact state estimation is regarded as a challenging…
Terrain-aware perception holds the potential to improve the robustness and accuracy of autonomous robot navigation in the wilds, thereby facilitating effective off-road traversals. However, the lack of multi-modal perception across various…
Robust and accurate proprioceptive state estimation of the main body is crucial for legged robots to execute tasks in extreme environments where exteroceptive sensors, such as LiDARs and cameras, may become unreliable. In this paper, we…
Robot feet are crucial for maintaining dynamic stability and propelling the body during walking, especially on uneven terrains. Traditionally, robot feet were mostly designed as flat and stiff pieces of metal, which meets its limitations…
Legged robots leverage ground contacts and the reaction forces they provide to achieve agile locomotion. However, uncertainty coupled with contact discontinuities can lead to failure, especially in real-world environments with unexpected…