EAGER: SupraPed: Biped Robot Support Expansions for Rough Terrains

仿生类人机器人具有在各种情况下执行类似人类的运动和操纵任务的潜力，这些情况要么是熟练的人类不可用，要么是环境条件阻止人类干预。然而，虽然双足运动最大限度地提高了机动性，在紧张的环境中，它同时降低了运动的稳定性。为了开创腿式机器人运动控制研究的新方向，这项工作将使人形机器人转变为三足动物或四足动物，或者更一般地说，“超足动物”。为了控制Suprapeds上潜在的众多接触点，我们还将开发一个软件系统，为任意人形机器人实现通用多接触控制，这将在满足接触力约束的同时实现自主平衡。这个概念对人类来说是直观的，因为每个人都经历过需要额外的一两只手来保持平衡或导航困难的地形。PI将利用这一方面，通过现场和在线课程和研讨会，与高中生、本科生和研究生以及全国范围内的教育工作者进行交流。为了扩大代表性不足的群体的参与，我们将参加本科生研究经验（REU）计划，特别是社区学院和少数民族服务机构。研究结果将尽可能在开放获取的会议和期刊上发表，传感和控制软件将作为开源代码记录并发布在公共网站上。这项工作的应用将影响搜索和救援以及科学探索等领域。

Biped humanoid robots hold the potential to perform human-like locomotion and manipulation tasks in a variety of situations where either skilled humans are unavailable or where environmental conditions prevent human intervention. However, while bipedal motion maximizes maneuverability in tight workspaces, it simultaneously reduces locomotion stability. To initiate a new direction of ongoing research in legged robot motion control, this work will enable humanoid robots to transform into tripeds or quadrupeds or, more generally, "SupraPeds". To control the potentially numerous contact points on SupraPeds, we will also develop a software system that implements generic multi-contact control for arbitrary humanoids, which will enable autonomous balancing while satisfying contact force constraints. This concept is intuitive to humans as everyone has experienced the need for an extra hand or two to maintain balance or navigate difficult terrain. The PIs will capitalize on this aspect to communicate to high school students, undergraduates, and graduate students, as well as educators nationwide, through live and online courses and seminars. To broaden the participation of under-represented groups, we will participate in a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program especially for community colleges and minority-serving institutions. The results of the research will be published in open-access conferences and journals whenever possible, and the sensing and control software will be documented and published on public websites as open-source code. The applications of the work will impact fields such as search and rescue and scientific exploration.