How Fast Can a Legged Robot Run

Several parameters can limit the running speed of a legged system. Among them are the strength, length, and stiffness of the legs, the range of joint motion, and the actuator force-velocity characteristics. We have explored how varying these parameters affects top running speed. We developed a dependency tree that suggests that a robot should have long, strong, stiff legs, and actuators with high peak velocity in order to run fast. We have also proposed three ways to improve the control of body attitude in high speed running: keeping hip motions symmetric, compensating for actuator characteristics, and accelerating the hip joint in anticipation of touchdown. In laboratory experiments a planar two-legged robot has reached a top speed of 5.9 m/s (13 mph).

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