Multilegged Underwater Running With Articulated Legs

Astolfi, Anna; Picardi, Giacomo

doi:10.1109/tro.2021.3118204

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Future directions of this investigation require the translation to a robotic system to verify the demonstrated trends in energy saving. Despite the increased complexity of a robotic implementation with respect to the mathematical description addressed in this work, we are confident that simple controllers employing the same control law of the model and acting within the stability regions of the modeled dynamics will prove the results, at least qualitatively, as already demonstrated in previous works [21], [30], [19].…”

Section: B Energy Saving Promoted By Suspended Loads Can Be Modulated...supporting

confidence: 67%

“…However, in articulated legs (i.e. legs with a knee joint) stiffness and damping could be modulated by selecting a specific kneeangle at touchdown [20], with advantages in terms of stability and controllability [21], [22]. By building upon the idea of elastically suspended load on springy legs, we hypothesize that articulated legs could be exploited to optimize energy efficiency.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Articulated legs allow energy optimization across different speeds for legged robots with elastically suspended loads

Astolfi

2023

2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)

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Legged robots are a promising technology whose use is limited by their high energy consumption. Biological and biomechanical studies have shown that the vibration generated by elastically suspended masses provides an energy advantage over rigidly carrying the same load. The robotic validation of these findings has only scarcely been explored in the dynamic walking case. In this context, a relationship has emerged between the design parameters and the actuation that generates the optimal gait. Although very relevant, these studies lack a generalizable analysis of different locomotion modes and a possible strategy to obtain optimal locomotion at different speeds. To this end, we propose the use of articulated legs in an extended Spring-Loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP) model with an elastically suspended mass. Thanks to this model, we show how stiffness and damping can be modulated through articulated legs by selecting the knee angle at touch-down. Therefore, by choosing different body postures, it is possible to vary the control parameters and reach different energetically optimal speeds. At the same time, this modeling allows the study of the stability of the defined system. The results show how suitable control choices reduce energy expenditure by 16% at the limit cycle at a chosen speed. The demonstrated strategy could be used in the design and control of legged robots where energy consumption would be dynamically optimal and usage time would be significantly increased.

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Section: B Energy Saving Promoted By Suspended Loads Can Be Modulated...supporting

confidence: 67%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Articulated legs allow energy optimization across different speeds for legged robots with elastically suspended loads

Astolfi

2023

2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)

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“…These components must be protected from water and pressure and are typically lodged either in motor canisters or within the control electronics. They allowed to implement different gaits and locomotion controllers, including admittance control [95], static gaits to negotiate irregular terrains [96], dynamic punting [24,97], gaits based on central pattern generators (CPGs) [85], and simple behaviours such as motion and manipulation primitives to simplify the task of the operators. In terms of exteroception, optical cameras were the most used sensors, because of their low price and large amount of literature available.…”

Section: Sensingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is particularly useful in field applications because it helps to maintain upright position and heading even on irregular terrains, without explicitly considering the ground to define the feet position. The authors presented a hierarchical control architecture for punting locomotion, which allows simplifying the control of the 18 actuators by modelling the hexapod robot as an equivalent single legged agent [97]. Such control architecture was also extended to three dimensions to implement path following and autonomous area inspection in simulation [98].…”

Section: Ulrs Tested In the Fieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

Underwater legged robotics: review and perspectives

et al. 2023

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Nowadays, there is a growing awareness on the social and economic importance of the ocean. In this context, being able to carry out a diverse range of operations underwater is of paramount importance for many industrial sectors as well as for marine science and to enforce restoration and mitigation actions. Underwater robots allowed us to venture deeper and for longer time into the remote and hostile marine environment. However, traditional design concepts such as propeller driven Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), or tracked benthic crawlers, present intrinsic limitations, especially when a close interaction with the environment is required. An increasing number of researchers are proposing legged robots as a bioinspired alternative to traditional designs, capable of yielding versatile multi-terrain locomotion, high stability, and low environmental disturbance. In this work, we aim at presenting the new field of underwater legged robotics in an organic way, discussing the prototypes in the state-of-the-art and highlighting technological and scientific challenges for the future. First, we will briefly recap the latest developments in traditional underwater robotics from which several technological solutions can be adapted, and on which the benchmarking of this new field should be set. Second, we will the retrace the evolution of terrestrial legged robotics, pinpointing the main achievements of the field. Third, we will report a complete state of the art on Underwater Legged Robots (ULRs) focusing on the innovations with respect to the interaction with the environment, sensing and actuation, modelling and control, and autonomy and navigation. Finally, we will thoroughly discuss the reviewed literature by comparing traditional and legged underwater robots, highlighting interesting research opportunities, and presenting use case scenarios derived from marine science applications.

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