A new versatile hydraulically powered quadruped robot (HyQ) has been developed to serve as a platform to study not only highly dynamic motions, such as running and jumping, but also careful navigat...

Design of HyQ – a hydraulically and electrically actuated quadruped robot:

NASA and General Motors have developed the second generation Robonaut, Robonaut 2 or R2, and it is scheduled to arrive on the International Space Station in early 2011 and undergo initial testing by mid-year. This state of the art, dexterous, anthropomorphic robotic torso has significant technical improvements over its predecessor making it a far more valuable tool for astronauts. Upgrades include: increased force sensing, greater range of motion, higher bandwidth, and improved dexterity. R2's integrated mechatronic design results in a more compact and robust distributed control system with a fraction of the wiring of the original Robonaut. Modularity is prevalent throughout the hardware and software along with innovative and layered approaches for sensing and control. The most important aspects of the Robonaut philosophy are clearly present in this latest model's ability to allow comfortable human interaction and in its design to perform significant work using the same hardware and interfaces used by people. The following describes the mechanisms, integrated electronics, control strategies, and user interface that make R2 a promising addition to the Space Station and other environments where humanoid robots can assist people.

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20100040493/downloads/20100040493.pdf

Robonaut 2 - The first humanoid robot in space

A novel framework of biped walking stabilization control is introduced. The target robot is a 42 DOF humanoid robot HRP-4C which has a body dimensions close to the average Japanese female. We develop a body posture controller and foot force controllers on the joint position servo of the robot. By applying this posture/force control, we can regard the robot system as a simple linear inverted pendulum with ZMP delay. After a preliminary experiment to confirm the linear dynamics, we design a tracking controller for walking stabilization. It is evaluated in the experiments of HRP-4C walking and turning on a lab floor. The robot can also perform an outdoor walk on an uneven pavement.

/pdf/biped-walking-stabilization-based-on-linear-inverted-5faxgmzjxa.pdf

Biped walking stabilization based on linear inverted pendulum tracking

Bipedal running can easily result in a fall due to poor availability of the ground reaction force at the boundary of the flight and support phases. We propose methods to decompose and synthesize a running gait pattern into vertical, horizontal and rotational components so that time-dependent ground friction limits are satisfied. We also extend previously proposed boundary condition, the divergent component of motion, for switching walking gait patterns into running which involves vertical acceleration of the center of gravity. Using these techniques, running at 10 km/h is achieved on a real robot whose dimension are same as ASIMO.

Real time motion generation and control for biped robot -1 st report: Walking gait pattern generation-

This paper gives an overview on the torque-controlled humanoid robot TORO, which has evolved from the former DLR Biped. In particular, we describe its mechanical design and dimensioning, its sensors, electronics and computer hardware. Additionally, we give a short introduction to the walking and multi-contact balancing strategies used for TORO.

/pdf/overview-of-the-torque-controlled-humanoid-robot-toro-22qgecw0kj.pdf

Overview of the torque-controlled humanoid robot TORO

The present paper describes an implementation of fast running motions involving a humanoid robot. Two important technologies are described: a motion generation and a balance control. The motion generation is a unified way to design both walking and running and can generate the trajectory with the vertical conditions of the Center Of Mass (COM) in short calculation time. The balance control enables a robot to maintain balance by changing the positions of the contact foot dynamically when the robot is disturbed. This control consists of 1) compliance control without force sensors, in which the joints are made compliant by feed-forward torques and adjustment of gains of position control, and 2) feedback control, which uses the measured orientation of the robot's torso used in the motion generation as an initial condition to decide the foot positions. Finally, a human-sized humanoid robot that can run forward at 7.0 [km/h] is presented.

Fast running experiments involving a humanoid robot

We present an approach to navigating a biped robot safely and efficiently through a complicated environment of previously unknown obstacles and terrain using only on-board sensing and odometry. Sensing of the environment is performed by a pivoting laser scanner, which continues to update the terrain representation as the robot walks. Safe stepping motions are planned from this data to follow the user's command, given in the form of an end goal, a rough path, or a joystick input. Results are demonstrated on a prototype robot in several environments.

http://vigir.missouri.edu/~gdesouza/Research/Conference_CDs/IEEE_IROS_2009/papers/0247.pdf

Biped navigation in rough environments using on-board sensing

We have developed a new biped foot mechanism capable of detecting ground surface to realize stable walking on uneven terrain. The size of the foot mechanism is 160 mm × 277 mm and its weight is 1.5 kg. The foot system consists of four spikes each of which has an optical sensor to detect ground height. The foot makes a support polygon on uneven terrain by using three or four spikes. We have conducted several experiments on the outdoor ground surface that has a slope of 7.0 degrees and a maximum height of 15 mm bumps, and the effectiveness of the foot mechanism is confirmed.

http://vigir.missouri.edu/~gdesouza/Research/Conference_CDs/IEEE_ICRA_2010/data/papers/1368.pdf

Realization of biped walking on uneven terrain by new foot mechanism capable of detecting ground surface

In the present paper, we introduce a new method by which to generate motions having flight phases such as jumping or running. Such motions are expected to expand the speed and stability of legged robots. Motions with flight phases are examined with respect to jumping, stability and implementation. A novel method of determining the Center of Mass (COM) and foot locations is proposed that is independent of the target robot actuators or assignments of joints. Moreover, the proposed method allows an on-line system to be built easily and is useful for actual robots. A one-legged jumping robot having a toe joint is built in order to demonstrate the feasibility of this method. Using the toe joint of the robot, the proposed method can reduce the angular velocities of the joints remarkably. Experiments are conducted to investigate the control of the direction, velocity and turning of the robot.

Motion having a Flight Phase: Experiments Involving a One-legged Robot

A balancing apparatus for suppressing engine vibrations is disclosed. The balancer apparatus includes a helical drive gear that is rotatable together with the crank shaft. A first driven helical gear for is driven by the drive gear and a second driven helical gear is driven by the first driven gear. Support shafts are provided to carry each of the driven gears and a weight associated therewith. A case is provided about the driven gears and carries the support shafts.

Keisuke Suga

Papers

Fast running experiments involving a humanoid robot

Biped navigation in rough environments using on-board sensing

Realization of biped walking on uneven terrain by new foot mechanism capable of detecting ground surface

Motion having a Flight Phase: Experiments Involving a One-legged Robot

Balancer apparatus for engine