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This work introduces a hierarchical strategy for terrain-aware bipedal locomotion that integrates reduced-dimensional perceptual representations to enhance reinforcement learning (RL)-based high-level (HL) policies for real-time gait…

Robotics · Computer Science 2025-12-16 Guillermo A. Castillo , Himanshu Lodha , Ayonga Hereid

Accurate and precise terrain estimation is a difficult problem for robot locomotion in real-world environments. Thus, it is useful to have systems that do not depend on accurate estimation to the point of fragility. In this paper, we…

Robotics · Computer Science 2021-05-19 Jonah Siekmann , Kevin Green , John Warila , Alan Fern , Jonathan Hurst

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…

Robotics · Computer Science 2023-09-11 Yanhao Yang , Joseph Norby , Justin K. Yim , Aaron M. Johnson

We propose a learning-based method to reconstruct the local terrain for locomotion with a mobile robot traversing urban environments. Using a stream of depth measurements from the onboard cameras and the robot's trajectory, the algorithm…

Robotics · Computer Science 2022-06-17 David Hoeller , Nikita Rudin , Christopher Choy , Animashree Anandkumar , Marco Hutter

Legged robots that can operate autonomously in remote and hazardous environments will greatly increase opportunities for exploration into under-explored areas. Exteroceptive perception is crucial for fast and energy-efficient locomotion:…

Robotics · Computer Science 2022-01-21 Takahiro Miki , Joonho Lee , Jemin Hwangbo , Lorenz Wellhausen , Vladlen Koltun , Marco Hutter

Legged robots have the potential to traverse complex terrain and access confined spaces beyond the reach of traditional platforms thanks to their ability to carefully select footholds and flexibly adapt their body posture while walking.…

Robotics · Computer Science 2024-03-04 Takahiro Miki , Joonho Lee , Lorenz Wellhausen , Marco Hutter

This paper addresses the problem of legged locomotion in non-flat terrain. As legged robots such as quadrupeds are to be deployed in terrains with geometries which are difficult to model and predict, the need arises to equip them with the…

Robotics · Computer Science 2020-02-03 Vassilios Tsounis , Mitja Alge , Joonho Lee , Farbod Farshidian , Marco Hutter

Quadrupedal robots hold promising potential for applications in navigating cluttered environments with resilience akin to their animal counterparts. However, their floating base configuration makes them vulnerable to real-world…

We consider the case in which a robot has to navigate in an unknown environment but does not have enough on-board power or payload to carry a traditional depth sensor (e.g., a 3D lidar) and thus can only acquire a few (point-wise) depth…

Robotics · Computer Science 2017-10-17 Fangchang Ma , Luca Carlone , Ulas Ayaz , Sertac Karaman

Traversing narrow paths is challenging for humanoid robots due to the sparse and safety-critical footholds required. Purely template-based or end-to-end reinforcement learning-based methods suffer from such harsh terrains. This paper…

Robotics · Computer Science 2025-09-23 TianChen Huang , Runchen Xu , Yu Wang , Wei Gao , Shiwu Zhang

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…

Robotics · Computer Science 2024-09-04 Shixin Luo , Songbo Li , Ruiqi Yu , Zhicheng Wang , Jun Wu , Qiuguo Zhu

Most locomotion methods for humanoid robots focus on leg-based gaits, yet natural bipeds frequently rely on hands, knees, and elbows to establish additional contacts for stability and support in complex environments. This paper introduces…

Parkour is a grand challenge for legged locomotion that requires robots to overcome various obstacles rapidly in complex environments. Existing methods can generate either diverse but blind locomotion skills or vision-based but specialized…

Recent progress in legged locomotion has allowed highly dynamic and parkour-like behaviors for robots, similar to their biological counterparts. Yet, these methods mostly rely on egocentric (first-person) perception, limiting their…

Robotics · Computer Science 2025-12-01 Rémy Rahem , Wael Suleiman

Quadruped robots must exhibit robust walking capabilities in practical applications. In this work, we propose a novel approach that enables quadruped robots to pass various small obstacles, or "tiny traps". Existing methods often rely on…

Robotics · Computer Science 2024-09-13 Shaoting Zhu , Runhan Huang , Linzhan Mou , Hang Zhao

This work reports on developing a deep inverse reinforcement learning method for legged robots terrain traversability modeling that incorporates both exteroceptive and proprioceptive sensory data. Existing works use robot-agnostic…

Robotics · Computer Science 2022-07-08 Lu Gan , Jessy W. Grizzle , Ryan M. Eustice , Maani Ghaffari

Parkour poses a significant challenge for legged robots, requiring navigation through complex environments with agility and precision based on limited sensory inputs. In this work, we introduce a novel method for training end-to-end visual…

Robotics · Computer Science 2024-09-23 Elliot Chane-Sane , Joseph Amigo , Thomas Flayols , Ludovic Righetti , Nicolas Mansard

Humanoid robots are engineered to navigate terrains akin to those encountered by humans, which necessitates human-like locomotion and perceptual abilities. Currently, the most reliable controllers for humanoid motion rely exclusively on…

Robotics · Computer Science 2025-04-03 Wandong Sun , Baoshi Cao , Long Chen , Yongbo Su , Yang Liu , Zongwu Xie , Hong Liu

Terrain-aware locomotion has become an emerging topic in legged robotics. However, it is hard to generate diverse, challenging, and realistic unstructured terrains in simulation, which limits the way researchers evaluate their locomotion…

Robotics · Computer Science 2023-03-07 Chong Zhang , Lizhi Yang

Attaining animal-like legged locomotion on rough outdoor terrain with sparse foothold affordances -a primary use-case for legs vs other forms of locomotion- is a largely open problem. New advancements in control and perception have enabled…

Robotics · Computer Science 2016-12-20 Dimitrios Kanoulas