Legged robots

MICRO-507 / 4 credits

Teacher: Ijspeert Auke

Language: English

Summary

The course presents the design, control, and applications of legged robots. It gives a review of different types of legged robots (including two-, four- and multi-legged robots), and an analysis of different control methods for legged locomotion.

Content

The course presents the design, control, and applications of legged robots. It gives a review of different types of legged robots (including two-, four- and multi-legged robots), and analysis of different control methods for legged locomotion. It also trains students in making critical analysis of key articles in the field, and in designing their own models and locomotion controllers for legged robots in simulation.

CONTENT

  • History of legged robotics, including two-, four-, and multi-legged robots
  • Review of mechanical structures of legged robots, passive and dynamic walkers
  • Background concepts: dynamic versus static stability, different stability criteria (e.g. Zero-Moment Point ZMP, capturability, ...), energy consumption, cost of transport (COT), state estimation.
  • Simple models of locomotion: rimless wheel, inverted pendulums, linear inverted pendulum (LIP), spring-loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP), template versus anchor models
  • Analysis of different control approaches: trajectory-based methods, virtual leg control, virtual model control, hybrid-zero dynamics, optimal control, planning approaches, approaches based on reinforcement learning, and bioinspired approaches.
  • Critical literature review and presentation: Students will read several important articles in the field, and present them to the class.
  • Numerical exercises: The course will also involve numerical exercises in which students will develop their own controllers for simulated legged robots (with weekly sessions with assistants and the professor).

Keywords

Legged robots, control of locomotion

Learning Prerequisites

Required courses

Recommended courses

  • Mobile robots
  • Model predictive control

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

  • Identify a suitable type of legged robot for a given application
  • Argue about the validity of existing controllers from the literature
  • Design their own controllers
  • Test the controllers in simulation
  • Assess / Evaluate the controllers performance and limits

Transversal skills

  • Plan and carry out activities in a way which makes optimal use of available time and other resources.
  • Access and evaluate appropriate sources of information.

Teaching methods

Lectures, reading articles, presentations, and numerical exercises

Expected student activities

  • Attending weekly lectures
  • Read and present scientific articles
  • Develop locomotion controllers for simulated legged robots
  • Present and analyse results in a report or a presentation

Assessment methods

Presentation of scientific articles (20%), report for the numerical exercises (50%), written exam (30%). Work for the presentations and the numerical exercises will be done by groups of 3 students. The written exam is taken individually.

Supervision

Office hours No
Assistants Yes
Forum Yes

Resources

Bibliography

  • Articles selected from the recent literature and presented / analysed in the class

Moodle Link

In the programs

  • Semester: Fall
  • Exam form: During the semester (winter session)
  • Subject examined: Legged robots
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • TP: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Fall
  • Exam form: During the semester (winter session)
  • Subject examined: Legged robots
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • TP: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Fall
  • Exam form: During the semester (winter session)
  • Subject examined: Legged robots
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • TP: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Fall
  • Exam form: During the semester (winter session)
  • Subject examined: Legged robots
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • TP: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Fall
  • Exam form: During the semester (winter session)
  • Subject examined: Legged robots
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • TP: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Fall
  • Exam form: During the semester (winter session)
  • Subject examined: Legged robots
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • TP: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional

Reference week

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