Control of Dynamically Coupled Agile Legged Robots and Bioinspired Robotic Tails

该项目的目标是了解动力学和控制原理，内在耦合腿机器人与仿生机器人尾巴，以实现敏捷的动物运动。本研究假设空间机器人尾巴可以通过提高机器人的稳定性和机动性来增强机器人的性能。该研究将建立一个坚实的分析基础，使：(a)系统地调查和分析机器人尾巴对腿式机器人高度敏捷机动稳定性的影响，以及(b)开发具有仿生机器人尾巴的敏捷腿式运动控制算法。通过将空间机器人尾巴整合到有腿机器人实验台上，理论创新将被简化为实践。这项研究将使我们能够制造出具有敏捷性和稳定性的有腿机器人，就像动物一样，能够在非结构化、危险和复杂的环境中有效、快速地导航，从而更快地搜索、救援或探索危险环境。该项目的其他成果包括传播研究成果、面向学生和科学教师的工程教育和研究经验、新的工程课程，以及面向学生、教师和代表性不足的少数群体的推广和多样性倡议。该项目的总体目标是为传统控制算法的范式转变奠定坚实的基础，传统控制算法仅解决没有仿生机器人尾巴的腿部运动，而弹性控制算法本质上将仿生机器人与仿生机器人尾巴结合起来，以实现敏捷和灵巧的动物运动。该研究借鉴了机器人、控制和混合系统理论，在最先进的控制敏捷腿运动方法的转化中融合了来自大自然的观察。该研究将通过研究尾巴对腿部运动稳定性的影响，在分析方面创造创新，并通过创建一个系统框架来设计鲁棒控制算法，通过提高机器人的灵巧性、敏捷性和机动性来协调机器人尾巴与四足动物的运动，从而在控制方面创造创新。这项研究将使下一代敏捷自主腿机器人能够有效地克服自然环境中的障碍，并在灾害地区等危险情况下有效地协助或代替人类，从而产生广泛的社会影响。综合教育计划包括为K-12学生、教师和代表性不足的少数民族开设新课程，以及基于stem的外展倡议。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The objective of this project is to understand the principles of dynamics and control that intrinsically couple legged robots with bioinspired robotic tails to achieve agile animal-like locomotion. This research hypothesizes that spatial robotic tails can augment the performance of legged robots by enhancing their stability and maneuverability. The research will establish a firm analytical foundation that enables: (a) systematic investigation and analysis of the effects of robotic tails on the stability of highly-agile maneuvers of legged robots, and (b) development of control algorithms for agile legged locomotion with bioinspired robotic tails. The theoretical innovations will be reduced to practice by incorporating spatial robotic tails on legged robot testbeds. This research will enable to build legged robots with agility and stability that are seen in animals to effectively and rapidly navigate in unstructured, hazardous and complex environments which will lead to faster search and rescue or exploration of dangerous environments. Additional deliverables of this project include dissemination of research results, engineering education and research experiences for students and science teachers, new engineering curriculums, and outreach and diversity initiatives for students, teachers, and under-represented minorities.The overarching goal of this project is to establish a strong foundation for a paradigm shift from traditional control algorithms that only address legged locomotion without bioinspired robotic tails to resilient control algorithms that intrinsically couple legged robots with bioinspired robotic tails to achieve agile and dexterous animal-like locomotion. The research draws upon robotics, controls, and hybrid systems theory to fuse observations from nature in the transformation of state-of-the-art methods for the control of agile legged locomotion. The research will create innovations in analysis by studying the effect of tails on the stability of legged locomotion and innovations in control by creating a systematic framework to design robust control algorithms that coordinate the robotic tail motion with that of the quadruped by enhancing its dexterity, agility, and maneuverability. The research has broad societal impacts by enabling the next generation of agile autonomous legged robots to efficiently overcome obstacles in natural environments and to effectively assist, or stand in for, humans in dangerous situations such as in disaster areas. The integrated education plan involves creation of new courses as well as STEM-based outreach initiative for K-12 students, teachers, and under-represented minorities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.