skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: MELP: Model Embedded Linear Policies for Robust Bipedal Hopping
Linear policies are the simplest class of policies that can achieve stable bipedal walking behaviors in both simulation and hardware. However, a significant challenge in deploying them widely is the difficulty in extending them to more dynamic behaviors like hopping and running. Therefore, in this work, we propose a new class of linear policies in which template models can be embedded. In particular, we show how to embed Spring Loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP) model in the policy class and realize perpetual hopping in arbitrary directions. The spring constant of the template model is learned in addition to the remaining parameters of the policy. Given this spring constant, the goal is to realize hopping trajectories using the SLIP model, which are then tracked by the bipedal robot using the linear policy. Continuous hopping with adjustable heading direction was achieved across different terrains in simulation with heading and lateral velocities of up to O.5m/ sec and 0.05m/ sec, respectively. The policy was then transferred to the hardware, and preliminary results (> 10 steps) of hopping were achieved.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2144156
PAR ID:
10496140
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
IEEE
Date Published:
ISBN:
978-1-6654-9190-7
Page Range / eLocation ID:
10418 to 10424
Format(s):
Medium: X
Location:
Detroit, MI, USA
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. null (Ed.)
    In this paper, we present a sequential motion planning and control method for generating somersaults on bipedal robots. The somersault (backflip or frontflip) is considered as a coupling between an axile hopping motion and a rotational motion about the center of mass of the robot; these are encoded by a hopping Spring-loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP) model and the rotation of a Flywheel, respectively. We thus present the Flywheel SLIP model for generating the desired motion on the ground phase. In the flight phase, we present a momentum transmission method to adjust the orientation of the lower body based on the conservation of the centroidal momentum. The generated motion plans are realized on the full-dimensional robot via momentum-included task space control. Finally, the proposed method is implemented on a modified version of the bipedal robot Cassie in simulation wherein multiple somersault motions are generated. 
    more » « less
  2. We present a framework to generate periodic trajectory references for a 3D under-actuated bipedal robot, using a linear inverted pendulum (LIP) based controller with adaptive neural regulation. We use the LIP template model to estimate the robot's center of mass (CoM) position and velocity at the end of the current step, and formulate a discrete controller that determines the next footstep location to achieve a desired walking profile. This controller is equipped on the frontal plane with a Neural-Network-based adaptive term that reduces the model mismatch between the template and physical robot that particularly affects the lateral motion. Then, the foot placement location computed for the LIP model is used to generate task space trajectories (CoM and swing foot trajectories) for the actual robot to realize stable walking. We use a fast, real-time QP-based inverse kinematics algorithm that produces joint references from the task space trajectories, which makes the formulation independent of the knowledge of the robot dynamics. Finally, we implemented and evaluated the proposed approach in simulation and hardware experiments with a Digit robot obtaining stable periodic locomotion for both cases. 
    more » « less
  3. This paper presents a novel framework for learning robust bipedal walking by combining a data-driven state representation with a Reinforcement Learning (RL) based locomotion policy. The framework utilizes an autoencoder to learn a low-dimensional latent space that captures the complex dynamics of bipedal locomotion from existing locomotion data. This reduced dimensional state representation is then used as states for training a robust RL-based gait policy, eliminating the need for heuristic state selections or the use of template models for gait planning. The results demonstrate that the learned latent variables are disentangled and directly correspond to different gaits or speeds, such as moving forward, backward, or walking in place. Compared to traditional template model-based approaches, our framework exhibits superior performance and robustness in simulation. The trained policy effectively tracks a wide range of walking speeds and demonstrates good generalization capabilities to unseen scenarios. 
    more » « less
  4. This paper presents a novel framework for learning robust bipedal walking by combining a data-driven state representation with a Reinforcement Learning (RL) based locomotion policy. The framework utilizes an autoencoder to learn a low-dimensional latent space that captures the complex dynamics of bipedal locomotion from existing locomotion data. This reduced dimensional state representation is then used as states for training a robust RL-based gait policy, eliminating the need for heuristic state selections or the use of template models for gait planning. The results demonstrate that the learned latent variables are disentangled and directly correspond to different gaits or speeds, such as moving forward, backward, or walking in place. Compared to traditional template model-based approaches, our framework exhibits superior performance and robustness in simulation. The trained policy effectively tracks a wide range of walking speeds and demonstrates good generalization capabilities to unseen scenarios. 
    more » « less
  5. null (Ed.)
    Dynamic walking on bipedal robots has evolved from an idea in science fiction to a practical reality. This is due to continued progress in three key areas: a mathematical understanding of locomotion, the computational ability to encode this mathematics through optimization, and the hardware capable of realizing this understanding in practice. In this context, this review outlines the end-to-end process of methods that have proven effective in the literature for achieving dynamic walking on bipedal robots. We begin by introducing mathematical models of locomotion, from reduced-order models that capture essential walking behaviors to hybrid dynamical systems that encode the full-order continuous dynamics along with discrete foot-strike dynamics. These models form the basis for gait generation via (nonlinear) optimization problems. Finally, models and their generated gaits merge in the context of real-time control, wherein walking behaviors are translated to hardware. The concepts presented are illustrated throughout in simulation, and experimental instantiations on multiple walking platforms are highlighted to demonstrate the ability to realize dynamic walking on bipedal robots that is both agile and efficient. 
    more » « less