The research on the principles of legged locomotion is an interdisciplinary endeavor. Such principles are coming together from research in biomechanics, neuroscience, control theory, mechanical design, and artificial intelligence. Such research can help us understand human and animal locomotion in implementing useful legged vehicles. There are three main reasons for exploring the legged locomot...

I. MOTIVATION Models of terrestrial legged locomotion are almost invariably hybrid, containing a discontinuity in the equations of motion when feet land on the ground. While some animals are bipedal, the great majority of legged locomotion on land is done with 4, 6 or more legs. Poly-pedal gaits for moderate or high-speed locomotion usually include multiple legs striking the ground that once (o...

The most relevant differences existing between wheeled and legged robots, from the point of view of the expected navigation tasks to be performed using each kind of locomotion, are reviewed. We propose a new framework for legged robot navigation that replaces many implicit assumptions usually made for wheeled robots by new ones that are better suited to legged robots. Based on this, specific te...

In this dissertation, simple models of legged locomotion are developed mainly following the hypothesis that rather than reflecting two distinct phenomena, the fundamental gait patterns of walking and running can be described within a single conceptual framework that is based on compliant limb behavior. In Chapter 1, the most prominent mechanical paradigms of walking and running, namely the stif...

In recent years, legged robots locomotion has been transitioning from mostly flat ground in controlled settings to generic indoor and outdoor environments, approaching now real industrial scenarios. This paper aims at documenting some of the key progress made control that enabled this transition. Legged makes extensive use numerical trajectory optimization its online implementation, model predi...

Abstract Legged locomotion poses significant challenges due to its nonlinear, underactuated and hybrid dynamic properties. These are exacerbated by the high-speed motion presence of aerial phases in legged locomotion, which highlights requirement for online planning based on current states cope with uncertainty disturbances. This article proposes a real-time control framework integrating whole-...

Legged robots have excellent terrestrial mobility for traversing diverse environments and, thus, the potential to be deployed in a wide variety of scenarios. However, they are susceptible falling and leg malfunction during locomotion. Although use large number legs can overcome these problems, it makes body long leads many being constrained contact with ground support body, which impedes maneuv...

Legged robots have superior terrain adaptability comparing to traditional wheeled vehicles. They also offer attractive capabilities in terms of agility and obstacle avoidance. On the other hand, traditional wheeled platforms provide sufficient robustness, mechanical simplicity and energetic performance. They are fast, powerful in terms of load to weight ratio, stable, and easy to control. Hybri...