Locomotion Control of quadruped robots Based on Workspace trajectory modulations

Designing an effective motion control for legged robots is a challenging task. Inspired by biological concept of central pattern generator, this paper proposes a locomotion control system consisting of a workspace trajectory modulator and a motion engine. The modulator adjusts swinging phase and supporting phase of a leg by adjusting toe positions on a predesigned workspace trajectory, while motion engine generates accurate joint control signals. With body attitude feedback, the modulator adjusts the durations of swinging phase and supporting phase in real time through mutual entrainment. This proposed control system ensures that the robot locomotion is adaptive to various terrains and environments. Extensive experiments using an AIBO robot validate the proposed control scheme and the AIBO adapts its walking patterns according to environmental properties.