An official website of the United States government
Legged movement is ubiquitous in nature and of increasing interest for robotics. Most legged animals routinely encounter foot slipping, yet detailed modeling of multiple contacts with slipping exceeds current simulation capacity. Here we present a principle that unifies multilegged walking (including that involving slipping) with slithering and Stokesian (low Reynolds number) swimming. We generated data-driven principally kinematic models of locomotion for walking in low-slip animals (Argentine ant, 4.7% slip ratio of slipping to total motion) and for high-slip robotic systems (BigANT hexapod, slip ratio 12 to 22%; Multipod robots ranging from 6 to 12 legs, slip ratio 40 to 100%). We found that principally kinematic models could explain much of the variability in body velocity and turning rate using body shape and could predict walking behaviors outside the training data. Most remarkably, walking was principally kinematic irrespective of leg number, foot slipping, and turning rate. We find that grounded walking, with or without slipping, is governed by principally kinematic equations of motion, functionally similar to frictional swimming and slithering. Geometric mechanics thus leads to a unified model for swimming, slithering, and walking. Such commonality may shed light on the evolutionary origins of animal locomotion control and offer new approaches for robotic locomotion and motion planning.
more »
« less
Robust Multilegged Walking Robots for Interactions With Different Terrains
Abstract This paper explores the kinematic synthesis, design, and pilot experimental testing of a six-legged walking robotic platform able to traverse through different terrains. We aim to develop a structured approach to designing the limb morphology using a relaxed kinematic task with incorporated conditions on foot-environments interaction, specifically contact force direction and curvature constraints, related to maintaining contact. The design approach builds up incrementally starting with studying the basic human leg walking trajectory and then defining a “relaxed” kinematic task. The “relaxed” kinematic task consists only of two contact locations (toe-off and heel-strike) with higher-order motion task specifications compatible with foot-terrain(s) contact and curvature constraints in the vicinity of the two contacts. As the next step, an eight-bar leg image is created based on the “relaxed” kinematic task and incorporated within a six-legged walking robot. Pilot experimental tests explore if the proposed approach results in an adaptable behavior which allows the platform to incorporate different walking foot trajectories and gait styles coupled to each environment. The results suggest that the proposed “relaxed” higher-order motion task combined with the leg morphological properties and feet material allowed the platform to walk stably on the different terrains. Here we would like to note that one of the main advantages of the proposed method in comparison with other existing walking platforms is that the proposed robotic platform has carefully designed limb morphology with incorporated conditions on foot-environment interaction. Additionally, while most of the existing multilegged platforms incorporate one actuator per leg, or per joint, our goal is to explore the possibility of using a single actuator to drive all six legs of the platform. This is a critical step which opens the door for the development of future transformative technology that is largely independent of human control and able to learn about the environment through their own sensory systems.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1751770
- PAR ID:
- 10434024
- Publisher / Repository:
- JMR
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics
- Volume:
- 16
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1942-4302
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Abstract Small cursorial birds display remarkable walking skills and can negotiate complex and unstructured terrains with ease. The neuromechanical control strategies necessary to adapt to these challenging terrains are still not well understood. Here, we analyzed the 2D- and 3D pelvic and leg kinematic strategies employed by the common quail to negotiate visible steps (upwards and downwards) of about 10%, and 50% of their leg length. We used biplanar fluoroscopy to accurately describe joint positions in three dimensions and performed semi-automatic landmark localization using deep learning. Quails negotiated the vertical obstacles without major problems and rapidly regained steady-state locomotion. When coping with step upwards, the quail mostly adapted the trailing limb to permit the leading leg to step on the elevated substrate similarly as it did during level locomotion. When negotiated steps downwards, both legs showed significant adaptations. For those small and moderate step heights that did not induce aerial running, the quail kept the kinematic pattern of the distal joints largely unchanged during uneven locomotion, and most changes occurred in proximal joints. The hip regulated leg length, while the distal joints maintained the spring-damped limb patterns. However, to negotiate the largest visible steps, more dramatic kinematic alterations were observed. There all joints contributed to leg lengthening/shortening in the trailing leg, and both the trailing and leading legs stepped more vertically and less abducted. In addition, locomotion speed was decreased. We hypothesize a shift from a dynamic walking program to more goal-directed motions that might be focused on maximizing safety.more » « less
-
Complex robotic systems require whole-body controllers to handle contact interactions, handle closed kinematic chains, and track task-space control objectives. However, for many applications, safety-critical controllers are essential to steer away from undesired robot configurations and prevent unsafe behaviors. A prime example is legged robotics, where we can have tasks such as balance control, regulation of torso orientation, and, most importantly, walking. As the coordination of multi-body systems is non-trivial, following a combination of those tasks might lead to configurations that are deemed dangerous, such as stepping on its support foot during walking, leaning the torso excessively, or producing excessive centroidal momentum, resulting in non-human-like walking. To address these challenges, we propose a formulation of an inverse dynamics control enhanced with control barrier functions that allow general higher-order relative degree safe sets for robotic systems with numerous degrees of freedom. Our approach utilizes a quadratic program that respects closed kinematic chains, minimizes the control objectives, and imposes desired constraints on the Zero Moment Point, friction cone, and torque. More importantly, it also ensures the forward invariance of a general user-defined high Relative-Degree safety set. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by applying it to the 3D biped robot Digit, both in simulation and with hardware experiments.more » « less
-
Abstract This paper presents the design, dynamic modeling, and integration of a single degree of freedom (DOF) robotic leg mechanism intended for tailed quadruped locomotion. The design employs a lightweight six-bar linkage that couples the hip and knee flexion/extension joints mechanically, requiring only a single degree of actuation. By utilizing a parametric optimization, a unique topological arrangement is achieved that results in a foot trajectory that is well suited for dynamic gaits including trot-running, bounding, and galloping. Furthermore, a singular perturbation is introduced to the hybrid dynamic framework to address the lack of robust methods that provide a solution for the differential algebraic equations (DAEs) that characterize closed kinematic chain (CKC) structures as well as the hybrid nature of legged locomotion. By approximating the system dynamics as ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and asymptotically driving the constraint error to zero, CKCs can adopt existing real-time model-based/model-predictive/hybrid-control frameworks. The dynamic model is verified through simulations and the foot trajectory was experimentally validated. Preliminary open-loop planar running demonstrated speeds up to 3.2 m/s. These advantages, accompanied by low-integration costs, warrant this leg as a robust, effective platform for future tailed quadruped research.more » « less
-
Dynamic legged locomotion is being explored as a means to maneuver on rugged and unstructured terrains. However, limited foot contact sensing capabilities often prohibit bipedal robots from being deployed on complex terrains. Locomotion over cluttered outdoor environments requires the contacting foot to be aware of terrain geometries, stiffness, and granular media properties. To achieve this, we designed a new soft contact pad integrated with a variety of embedded sensors, including tactile, acoustic, capacitive, and temperature sensors, as well as an accelerometer. In addition, we devised a terrain classification algorithm based on features extracted from those sensors and various real-world terrains. The classifier uses these features as inputs and classifies various terrains via Random Forests and a memory function. Our cross-validation tests demonstrate that the proposed classification algorithm achieves an accuracy of about 96.5%, manifesting the applicability of this foot sensing device to bipedal locomotion over diverse terrains.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4062303
