Design and Control of a Robot with One Articulated Leg for Locomotion on Irregular Terrain

The design of an electrically actuated robot with one articulated leg is presented, as well as simulation results of its control algorithm. The algorithm enables the robot, whose name is OLIE (One Leg Is Enough), to control simultaneously its forward velocity during flight, its hopping height, the placement of its foot on desired footholds, the orientation of its body and its angular momentum, making locomotion on irregular terrain possible. The model of the hopping robot under study is given in section 2. The design of the experimental prototype is presented in section 3, whereas the control algorithm is described in section 4. Simulation results are presented in section 5 and conclusions are drawn in section 6.