Gait control of bipeds has been a key challenge in robot locomotion for decades. A key component toward controller design is a good model of the robot and its interactions with the environment. For systems with highly compliant and complex actuation, however, deriving the models for the essential system components is quite tedious. In this paper, we propose to learn non-parametric models for a ...

A desktop class humanoid robot, morph3, developed for humanoid robotics is described. Consideration to body form is given in order to appeal to a general audience. 138 sensors such as accelerometers, rate gyros, pressure sensors, and force sensors are mounted on morph3. We describe the electrical network which is utilized onboard the humanoid body, and describe some advantages of the system. Ac...

The problem of biped locomotion at steady speeds is discussed through a Lagrangian formulation developed for velocity-dependent, body driving forces. Human walking on a level surface is analyzed in terms of the data on the resultant ground-reaction force and the external work. It is shown that the trajectory of the center of mass is due to a superposition of its rectilinear motion with a given ...

Predication of a pedestrian’s 3D pose using movie sequences is not straightforward because of the human body’s articulation and the complexity of biped locomotion. In this paper we show how temporal coherence can be employed to help the reconstruction of gait pose using corresponding silhouette moments of a video sequence from a monocular view. Virtual avatars were used to train the model for i...

This work of thesis deals both with design and intelligent control of a humanoid robot, and its main aim is to develop an energy-efficient and dynamically stable locomotion. In the first part, we present a systematic method to evaluate the energy efficiency of a biped robot. This method is then used to obtain some information about the performance of materials and actuators that could be used f...

Compared to human locomotion capabilities, today’s bipedal robots are still lacking in efficiency, velocity, and robustness. Thus, a control concept for dynamic walking based on insights into human motion control is suggested. Key features include the exploitation of passive dynamics, no usage of a full dynamic model, and hierarchical, distributed control. Walking robustness in presence of unkn...

Irrespective of achieving certain success in comprehending Passive DynamicWalking (PDW) phenomena from a viewpoint of the chaotic dynamics and bifurcation scenarios, a lot of questions still need to be answered. This paper provides an overview of the previous literature on the chaotic behavior of passive dynamic biped robots. A review of a broad spectrum of chaotic phenomena found in PDW in the...

Most locomotion control strategies are developed for flat terrain. We explore the use of reinforcement learning to develop motor skills for the highly dynamic traversal of terrains having sequences of gaps, walls, and steps. Results are demonstrated using simulations of a 21-link planar dog and a 7-link planar biped. Our approach is characterized by: non-parametric representation of the value f...

Conventional models of bipedal walking generally assume rigid body structures, while elastic material properties seem to play an essential role in nature. On the basis of a novel theoretical model of bipedal walking, this paper investigate a simple model for biped robots which makes use of minimum control and elastic passive joints inspired from the structures of biological systems. The model i...

The problem of biped locomotion at steady speeds is discussed through the Lagrangian formulation developed for velocity-dependent, body driving forces. Human walking on a level surface is analyzed in terms of the data on the resultant ground-reaction force and the external work. It is shown that the trajectory of the human center of mass is due to a superposition of its rectilinear motion with ...