Locomotion Control of a Biped Robot Using Nonlinear Oscillators

Recently, many experiments and analyses with biped robots have been carried out. Steady walking of a biped robot implies a stable limit cycle in the state space of the robot. In the design of a locomotion control system, there are primarily three problems associated with achieving such a stable limit cycle: the design of the motion of each limb, interlimb coordination, and posture control. In addition to these problems, when environmental conditions change or disturbances are added to the robot, there is the added problem of obtaining robust walking against them. In this paper we attempt to solve these problems and propose a locomotion control system for a biped robot to achieve robust walking by the robot using nonlinear oscillators, each of which has a stable limit cycle. The nominal trajectories of each limb's joints are designed by the phases of the oscillators, and the interlimb coordination is designed by the phase relation between the oscillators. The phases of the oscillators are reset and the nominal trajectories are modified using sensory feedbacks that depend on the posture and motion of the robot to achieve stable and robust walking. We verify the effectiveness of the proposed locomotion control system, analyzing the dynamic properties of the walking motion by numerical simulations and hardware experiments.

[1]  Harry Dankowicz,et al.  3D Passive Walkers: Finding Periodic Gaits in the Presence of Discontinuities , 2001 .

[2]  Nobutoshi Yamazaki,et al.  Generation of human bipedal locomotion by a bio-mimetic neuro-musculo-skeletal model , 2001, Biological Cybernetics.

[3]  Yasuhiro Fukuoka,et al.  Adaptive Dynamic Walking of a Quadruped Robot on Irregular Terrain Based on Biological Concepts , 2003, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[4]  Hiroshi Shimizu,et al.  Self-organized control of bipedal locomotion by neural oscillators in unpredictable environment , 1991, Biological Cybernetics.

[5]  Gentaro Taga,et al.  A model of the neuro-musculo-skeletal system for human locomotion , 1995, Biological Cybernetics.

[6]  Rongqiang Liu,et al.  Optimal Biped Walking Locomotion Solved by Trajectory Planning Method , 2002 .

[7]  Guy Bessonnet,et al.  Optimal Gait Synthesis of a Seven-Link Planar Biped , 2004, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[8]  Yannick Aoustin,et al.  Optimal reference trajectories for walking and running of a biped robot , 2001, Robotica.

[9]  Atsuo Takanishi,et al.  Development of a bipedal humanoid robot-control method of whole body cooperative dynamic biped walking , 1999, Proceedings 1999 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.99CH36288C).

[10]  George A. Bekey,et al.  Gait Adaptation in a Quadruped Robot , 2002, Auton. Robots.

[11]  Yoshiki Kuramoto,et al.  Chemical Oscillations, Waves, and Turbulence , 1984, Springer Series in Synergetics.

[12]  S. Grillner,et al.  Neuronal Control of Locomotion 'From Mollusc to Man ' , 1999 .

[13]  Kazuo Tsuchiya,et al.  Adaptive gait pattern control of a quadruped locomotion robot , 2001, Proceedings 2001 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Expanding the Societal Role of Robotics in the the Next Millennium (Cat. No.01CH37180).

[14]  S. Grillner,et al.  Neuronal Control of LocomotionFrom Mollusc to Man , 1999 .

[15]  Daniel E. Koditschek,et al.  Hybrid zero dynamics of planar biped walkers , 2003, IEEE Trans. Autom. Control..

[16]  Taiga Yamasaki,et al.  Possible functional roles of phase resetting during walking , 2003, Biological Cybernetics.

[17]  Jessy W. Grizzle,et al.  Experimental Validation of a Framework for the Design of Controllers that Induce Stable Walking in Planar Bipeds , 2004, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[18]  Friedrich Pfeiffer,et al.  Sensors and Control Concept of Walking “Johnnie” , 2003, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[19]  M. Yano,et al.  An insect robot controlled by the emergence of gait patterns , 2006, Artificial Life and Robotics.

[20]  Masayuki Inaba,et al.  A Fast Dynamically Equilibrated Walking Trajectory Generation Method of Humanoid Robot , 2002, Auton. Robots.

[21]  Tsu-Tian Lee,et al.  Inverse kinematics and inverse dynamics for control of a biped walking machine , 1993, J. Field Robotics.

[22]  S. Grillner.  Control of Locomotion in Bipeds, Tetrapods, and Fish , 1981 .

[23]  Ambarish Goswami,et al.  Postural Stability of Biped Robots and the Foot-Rotation Indicator (FRI) Point , 1999, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[24]  Tamio Arai,et al.  CPG model for autonomous decentralized multi-legged robot system - generation and transition of oscillation patterns and dynamics of oscillators , 2003, Robotics Auton. Syst..

[25]  Carlos Canudas-de-Wit,et al.  Generation of energy optimal complete gait cycles for biped robots , 1998, Proceedings. 1998 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.98CH36146).

[26]  Miomir Vukobratović,et al.  Biped Locomotion: Dynamics, Stability, Control and Application , 1990 .

[27]  Kazuhito Yokoi,et al.  A realtime pattern generator for biped walking , 2002, Proceedings 2002 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.02CH37292).

[28]  Ralph Etienne-Cummings,et al.  An in silico central pattern generator: silicon oscillator, coupling, entrainment, and physical computation , 2003, Biological Cybernetics.

[29]  Kazuhito Yokoi,et al.  A running experiment of humanoid biped , 2004, 2004 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) (IEEE Cat. No.04CH37566).

[30]  Gentaro Taga,et al.  A model of the neuro-musculo-skeletal system for human locomotion , 1995, Biological Cybernetics.

[31]  Jun Morimoto,et al.  Learning from demonstration and adaptation of biped locomotion , 2004, Robotics Auton. Syst..

[32]  Auke Jan Ijspeert,et al.  A connectionist central pattern generator for the aquatic and terrestrial gaits of a simulated salamander , 2001, Biological Cybernetics.

[33]  M. Vukobratovic,et al.  Biped Locomotion , 1990 .