RHex is one of very few legged robots being used for realworld rough-terrain locomotion applications. From its early days, RHex has been shown to locomote successfully over obstacles higher than its own hip height [1], and more recently, on sand [2] and sand dunes [3], [4] (see Figure 1). The commercial version of RHex made by Boston Dynamics1 has been demonstrated in a variety of difficult, na...

This paper presents some results of an ongoing research project in the GRASP Lab in the area of active exploration and perception for the legged locomotion of robots. We propose an active perceptual scheme that is based on the ability of the robot to extract material properties from a surface during locomotion. This ability is provided to the robotic system through a compliant sensing device wh...

This paper presents the energy analysis of periodic gaits for multi-legged locomotion systems. The main purpose is to determine the system performance during walking and the best set of locomotion variables that minimizes a cost function related to energy. For that objective, the prescribed motion of the robot is completely characterized in terms of several locomotion variables such as gait, du...

Humans and animals show a remarkable level of proficiency in their ways of locomotion. They exploit the dynamics of the whole body to perform a variety of motions such as jumping and running. Hereby, the elasticity in the muscles and tendons carries a key role in enabling robust, dynamic and energy efficient locomotion [1]. At the Autonomous Systems Lab, we have developed the robotic leg ScarlE...

Mobile robot designers are increasingly searching for inspirations and design cues from biological models. Although animals are great model for mobile robots, the process of implementation is often ambiguous. The direct implementation of biological features and morphology often becomes ineffective and misleads engineers due to various reasons. Firstly, engineers investigate animals to achieve a...

Legged robot gait generation is a challenging task that involves the control of a large number of degrees of freedom (DOF’s) within a mechanical structure that varies during locomotion. A large number of motion parameters have to be considered in order to obtain a stable, natural and efficient locomotion. Legged robot locomotion applies nonlinear dynamical equations of high order with a multidi...

Virtual reality (VR) systems require realistic simulation of arti cial worlds inhabited by virtual creatures. The complex behavior of these creatures has to be guided by intelligent control systems. The paper discusses experiments on combining an explicit planning method with evolutionary computation techniques for the creation of a control system for a six-legged virtual creature modeled in a ...

Locomotion of legged robots on arbitrary terrain using multiple contacts is yet an open problem. To tackle it, a common approach is to rely on reduced template models (e.g. the linear inverted pendulum). However, most of existing template models are based on some restrictive hypotheses that limit their range of applications. Moreover, reduced models are generally not able to cope with the const...

Running efficiently and successfully over unstructured terrain is an important and necessary characteristic for modern legged robots. Research suggests that a necessary step toward achieving this goal is to design legged robots with variable leg stiffness capabilities which can be controlled by the robot autonomously. The specific problem addressed in this research is to develop a wireless (inf...