Self-stable Bounding with a Flexible Torso

Various robotic quadrupeds have been introduced to investigate the realization of dynamically-stable running b ehaviors. The majority of these platforms involve rigid, non deformable torsos, a feature that distinguishes them from their counterparts in the animal world, which owe much of their remarkable locomotion abilities to their flexible bod ies. Only a few quadrupedal robots employ torso flexibility. An early example is the planar quadruped with articulated tors o introduced in the MIT’s Leg Lab, [1]. Contemporary robots with flexible torso include Canid [2] and the MIT Cheetah quadruped [3]. However, only limited information on how torso bending movements affect locomotion is available in the context of these platforms.

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[3]  Karl Frederick Leeser Locomotion experiments on a planar quadruped robot with articulated spine , 1996 .

[4]  Qu Cao,et al.  Passive quadrupedal bounding with a segmented flexible torso , 2012, 2012 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[5]  Qinghua Liang,et al.  Quasi passive bounding of a quadruped model with articulated spine , 2012 .