We document initial experiments with Canid, a freestanding, power-autonomous quadrupedal robot equipped with a parallel actuated elastic spine. Research into robotic bounding and galloping platforms holds scientific and engineering interest because it can both probe biological hypotheses regarding bounding and galloping mammals and also provide the engineering community with a new class of agile, efficient and rapidly-locomoting legged robots. We detail the design features of Canid that promote our goals of agile operation in a relatively cheap, conventionally prototyped, commercial off-the-shelf actuated platform. We introduce new measurement methodology aimed at capturing our robot's "body energy" during real time operation as a means of quantifying its potential for agile behavior. Finally, we present joint motor, inertial and motion capture data taken from Canid's initial leaps into highly energetic regimes exhibiting large accelerations that illustrate the use of this measure and suggest its future potential as a platform for developing efficient, stable, hence useful bounding gaits. This paper was (will be) published in Proceedings of the SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing Conference, Unmanned Systems Technology XV (8741), and is made available as an electronic reprint with permission of SPIE. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic or multiple reproduction, distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited. ABSTRACTWe document initial experiments with Canid, a freestanding, power-autonomous quadrupedal robot equipped with a parallel actuated elastic spine. Research into robotic bounding and galloping platforms holds scientific and engineering interest because it can both probe biological hypotheses regarding bounding and galloping mammals and also provide the engineering community with a new class of agile, efficient and rapidly-locomoting legged robots. We detail the design features of Canid that promote our goals of agile operation in a relatively cheap, conventionally prototyped, commercial off-the-shelf actuated platform. We introduce new measurement methodology aimed at capturing our robot's "body energy" during real time operation as a means of quantifying its potential for agile behavior. Finally, we present joint motor, inertial and motion capture data taken from Canid's initial leaps into highly energetic regimes exhibiting large accelerations that illustrate the use of this measure and suggest its future potential as a platform for developing efficient, stable, hence useful bounding gaits.
Empirical validation of a spined sagittal-plane quadrupedal model AbstractWe document empirically stable bounding using an actively powered spine on the Inu quadrupedal robot, and propose a reduced-order model to capture the dynamics associated with this additional, actuated spine degree of freedom. This model is sufficiently accurate as to roughly describe the robots mass center trajectory during a bounding limit cycle, thus making it a potential option for low dimensional representations of spine actuation in steady-state legged locomotion. Disciplines Controls and Control Theory | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Engineering | RoboticsThis conference paper is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/ese_papers/786Empirical validation of a spined sagittal-plane quadrupedal model Jeffrey Duperret and Daniel E. Koditschek Abstract-We document empirically stable bounding using an actively powered spine on the Inu quadrupedal robot, and propose a reduced-order model to capture the dynamics associated with this additional, actuated spine degree of freedom. This model is sufficiently accurate as to roughly describe the robots mass center trajectory during a bounding limit cycle, thus making it a potential option for low dimensional representations of spine actuation in steady-state legged locomotion.
We introduce an agility measure enabling the comparison of two very different leaping-from-rest transitions by two comparably powered but morphologically different legged robots. We use the measure to show that a flexible spine outperforms a rigid back in the leaping-from-rest task. The agility measure also sheds light on the source of this benefit: core actuation through a sufficiently powerful parallel elastic actuated spine outperforms a similar power budget applied either only to preload the spine or only to actuate the spine during the leap, as well as a rigid backed configuration of the identical machine. Abstract. We introduce an agility measure enabling the comparison of two very di↵erent leaping-from-rest transitions by two comparably powered but morphologically di↵erent legged robots. We use the measure to show that a flexible spine outperforms a rigid back in the leapingfrom-rest task. The agility measure also sheds light on the source of this benefit: core actuation through a su ciently powerful parallel elastic actuated spine outperforms a similar power budget applied either only to preload the spine or only to actuate the spine during the leap, as well as a rigid backed configuration of the identical machine. Disciplines Electrical and Computer Engineering | Engineering | Systems Engineering
In this paper, we show how to design a provably safe robotic roundabout system comprised of three vehicles. This is accomplished by combining two-vehicle collision avoidance primitives, which are each computationally light given the natural partial order structure on which the system evolves. We show how to design the system parameters in order to prevent conflicts among the control primitives, and to thus ensure the safety and liveness of the system as a whole. We implement our design on a multi-vehicle test-bed involving three vehicles continuously running on three intersecting roundabouts, and provide experimental results demonstrating the system is collision free and live.
For direct-drive legged robots operating in unstructured environments, workspace volume and force generation are competing, scarce resources. In this paper we demonstrate that introducing geared core actuation (i.e., proximal to rather than distal from the mass center) increases workspace volume and can provide a disproportionate amount of work-producing force to the mass center without affecting leg linkage transparency. These effects are analytically quantifiable up to modest assumptions, and are demonstrated empirically on a spined quadruped performing a leap both on level ground and from an isolated foothold (an archetypal feature of unstructured terrain). Abstract. For direct-drive legged robots operating in unstructured environments, workspace volume and force generation are competing, scarce resources. Disciplines Electrical and Computer Engineering | Engineering | Systems EngineeringIn this paper we demonstrate that introducing geared core actuation (i.e., proximal to rather than distal from the mass center) increases workspace volume and can provide a disproportionate amount of work-producing-force to the mass center without affecting leg linkage transparency. These effects are analytically quantifiable up to modest assumptions, and are demonstrated empirically on a spined quadruped performing a leap both on level ground and from an isolated foothold (an archetypal feature of unstructured terrain).
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