Stabilization of Energy Optimal Series Elastic Gait

Series elastic actuation has often been proposed as a mechanism for energy recovery in legged robots [1]. By storing and releasing energy in springs similarly to how tendons function in mammals, it is expected that the energetic efficiency of a robot can be significantly improved. This thesis has been demonstrated in simulation for a variety of systems, ranging from more conceptual spring loaded inverted pendulums to full quadrupeds. In hardware, however, demonstrations of efficiency have been limited to simple, open-loop systems, and have yet to be shown on more versatile robots [2].