Abstract
Understanding and implementing the control mechanisms that animals use to robustly negotiate a variety of terrains at high speed remains an unsolved problem. Previous research has resulted in control of quadruped running over a range of low speeds or narrowly around a single high speed. Control over a range of both low and high speeds is difficult because a quadruped system is significantly more responsive at high speeds than at low speeds, and because the proportional-derivative style controllers used by many of the previous researchers are only effective locally around the single speed and turning rate at which the controller was tuned. This work presents a fuzzy control strategy that manages the complex coupling between the multiple system inputs and outputs to successfully execute high-speed turns over a range of speeds and turning rates. The resulting control system stabilizes a 3D quadruped trot up to 4 m/s and turning up to 30 deg/s, on a quadruped system with articulated legs and practical leg mass properties in a simulation environment with realistic friction coefficients and system losses.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Hoyt, D.F., Taylor, C.R.: Gait and the energetics of locomotion in horses. Nature 292, 239–240 (1981)
Waldron, K.J., Nanua, P.: Energy comparison between trot, bound, and gallop using a simple model. J. Biomech. Eng. 117(4), 466–473 (1995)
Raibert, M.H.: Legged Robots that Balance. MIT, Cambridge (1986)
Raibert, M.H.: Trotting, pacing, and bounding by a quadruped robot. J. Biomech. 23(suppl. 1), 79–98 (1990)
Heglund, N.C., Taylor, C.R.: Speed, stride frequency and energy cost per stride: How do they change with body size and gait? J. Exp. Biol. 138, 301–318 (1988)
Buehler, M., Playter, R., Raibert, M.: Robots step outside. In: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Adaptive Motion in Animals and Machines (AMAM), Ilmenau (2005)
Poulakakis, I., Smith, J.A., Buehler, M.: On the dynamics of bounding and extensions towards the half-bound and the gallop gaits. In: Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines, Kyoto (2003)
Krasny, D.P., Orin, D.E.: A 3D galloping quadruped robot. In: 8th International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots (CLAWAR 2005), pp. 467–474. London (2005)
Koditschek, D.E., Buehler, M.: Analysis of a simplified hopping robot. Int. J. Rob. Res. 10, 587–605 (1991)
Fedak, M.A., Heglund, N.C., Taylor, C.R.: Energetics and mechanics of terrestrial locomotion II: kinetic energy changes of the limbs and body as a function of speed and body size in birds and mammals. J. Exp. Biol. 79, 23–40 (1982)
Grand, T.I.: Body weight: its relation to tissue composition, segment distribution, and motor function. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 47, 211–440 (1977)
Schmiedeler, J.P., Siston, R., Waldron, K.: The significance of leg mass in modeling quadrupedal running gaits. In: Bianchi, E.G., Guinot, J.C., Rzymkowski, C. (eds.) ROMANSY 14: Theory and Practice of Robots and Manipulators, pp. 481–488. Springer, New York (2002)
Palmer III, L.R., Orin, D.E.: Control of a 3D quadruped trot. In: 8th International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots, pp. 165–172, London (2005)
Tsujita, K., Toui, H., Tsuchiya, K.: Dynamic turning control of a quadruped locomotion robot using oscillators. Adv. Robot. 19, 1115–1133 (2005)
Fukuoka, Y., Kimura, H., Cohen, A.: Adaptive dynamic walking of a quadruped robot on irregular terrain based on biological concepts. Int. J. Rob. Res. 22(3), 187–202 (2003)
Villard, C., Gorce, P., Fontaine, J.-G.: Study of a distributed control architecture for a quadruped robot. J. Intell. Robot. Syst. 11, 269–291 (1995)
Marhefka, D.W., Orin, D.E., Schmiedeler, J.P., Waldron, K.J.: Intelligent control of quadruped gallops. IEEE/ASME Trans. Mechatron. 8, 446–456 (2003)
Herr, H.M., McMahon, T.A.: A trotting horse model. Int. J. Rob. Res. 19, 566–581 (2000)
Palmer, L.R., Orin, D.E., Marhefka, D.W., Schmiedeler, J.P., Waldron, K.J.: Intelligent control of an experimental articulated leg for a galloping machine. In: Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, pp. 3821–3827, Taipei (2003)
Hornby, G., Fujita, M., Takamura, S., Yamamoto, T., Hanagata, O.: Autonomous evolution of gaits with the Sony quadruped robot. In: Banzhaf, W., Daida, J., Eiben, A.E., Garzon, M.H., Honavar, V., Jakiela, M., Smith, R.E. (eds.) Proceedings of the 1999 Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference, pp. 1297–1304. Morgan Kauffmann, San Francisco (1999)
Rodenbaugh, S.J.: RobotBuilder: a graphical software tool for the rapid development of robotic dynamic simulations. Master’s thesis, The Ohio State University, Columbus (2003)
McMillan, S., Orin, D.E., McGhee, R.B.: DynaMechs: an object oriented software package for efficient dynamic simulation of underwater robotic vehicles. In: Yuh, J. (ed.) Underwater Robotic Vehicles: Design and Control, pp. 73–98. TSI, Albuquerque (1995)
Lee, D.V., Bertram, J.E.A., Todhunter, R.J.: Acceleration and balance in trotting dogs. J. Exp. Biol. 202, 3565–3573 (1999)
Palmer III, L.R., Orin, D.E.: 3D control of a high-speed quadruped trot. Ind. Rob. 33(4), 298–302 (2006)
Palmer III, L.R.: Intelligent Control and Force Redistribution for a High-Speed Quadruped Trot. Ph.D. thesis, The Ohio State University (2007)
Cavagna, G.A., Heglund, N.C., Taylor, C.R.: Mechanical work in terrestrial locomotion: two basic mechanisms for minimizing energy expenditure. Am. J. Physiol. 233(5), R243–R261 (1977)
Biewener, A.A.: Animal Locomotion. Oxford University Press, New York (2003)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Palmer, L.R., Orin, D.E. Intelligent Control of High-Speed Turning in a Quadruped. J Intell Robot Syst 58, 47–68 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-009-9345-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-009-9345-7