Gait development on Minitaur, a direct drive quadrupedal robot

Daniel J. Blackman; John V. Nicholson; Camilo Ordonez; Bruce D. Miller; Jonathan E. Clark

doi:10.1117/12.2231105

13 May 2016 Gait development on Minitaur, a direct drive quadrupedal robot

Daniel J. Blackman, John V. Nicholson, Camilo Ordonez, Bruce D. Miller, Jonathan E. Clark

Proceedings Volume 9837, Unmanned Systems Technology XVIII; 98370I (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2231105
Event: SPIE Defense + Security, 2016, Baltimore, MD, United States

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a dynamic, quadrupedal robot designed for rapid traversal and interaction in human environments. We explore improvements to both physical and control methods to a legged robot (Minitaur) in order to improve the speed and stability of its gaits and increase the range of obstacles that it can overcome, with an eye toward negotiating man-made terrains such as stairs. These modifications include an analysis of physical compliance, an investigation of foot and leg design, and the implementation of ground and obstacle contact sensing for inclusion in the control schemes. Structural and mechanical improvements were made to reduce undesired compliance for more consistent agreement with dynamic models, which necessitated refinement of foot design for greater durability. Contact sensing was implemented into the control scheme for identifying obstacles and deviations in surface level for negotiation of varying terrain. Overall the incorporation of these features greatly enhances the mobility of the dynamic quadrupedal robot and helps to establish a basis for overcoming obstacles.

Citation Download Citation

Daniel J. Blackman, John V. Nicholson, Camilo Ordonez, Bruce D. Miller, and Jonathan E. Clark "Gait development on Minitaur, a direct drive quadrupedal robot", Proc. SPIE 9837, Unmanned Systems Technology XVIII, 98370I (13 May 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2231105

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available