LOLA v1.1 – An Upgrade in Hardware and Software Design for Dynamic Multi-Contact Locomotion

Abstract

This paper presents recent and ongoing hardware and software upgrades to our humanoid robot LOLA. The purpose of these modifications is to achieve dynamic multicontact locomotion, i. e., fast bipedal walking with additional hand-environment support for increased stability and robustness against unforeseen disturbances. The upper body of LOLA has been completely redesigned with an enhanced lightweight torso frame and more robust arms with additional degrees of freedom, which extend the reachable workspace. The mechanical structure of the torso is optimized for stiffness with the help of an experimental modal analysis performed on the real hardware, while the new arm topology is the result of kinematic optimization for typical use-cases in a multi-contact setting. We also propose extensive changes to our software framework, which include a complete redesign of the onboard, real-time perception and navigation module. Although the hardware upgrade is finished and the overall software design is complete, the implementation of various modules is still work in progress.

Design of a Felid-like Humanoid Foot for Stability Enhancement

“…These controllers are based on feedback and usually have the disadvantages of lagging response and limited compensation. Meanwhile, some researchers choose to design functional mechanisms to enhance robot stability [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. In Ref.…”

“…In Ref. [ 11 ] as shown in Figure 1 d, a foot with a heel and toe is proposed for anthropomorphic landing and take off. In Ref.…”

“…In addition, it does not require additional trajectory planning of the foot and is highly versatile. Prominent examples of legged robots are Asimo from Honda [ 4 ], H7 from Tokyo University, HRP-2 from AIST and Kawada Industries, the first running biped QRIO from Sony, Wabian-2R from Waseda University [ 5 ], LOLA from Ludwig Maximilians University [ 11 , 14 ], and the Korean robot HUBO from KAIST [ 3 , 15 , 16 ].…”