Single-Legged Hopper Robot

For this project, a single-legged hopping robot has been developed to investigate SLIP-like running with minimal sensing and novel control schemes. The platform is designed to run across flat surfaces and across obstacles of varying heights.

The robot is a dual actuated platform with leg length actuation by a crank-coupler mechanism to change the effective rest length of the leg and hip actuation to rotate the leg to a desired orientation. Sensing is limited to motor encoders to track the force-free length leg and angle of the hip as well as a contact switch to observe when the robot is in contact with the ground. The robot is attached to a boom and runs in a circular path around a central pivot.

Ongoing research has included the examination of novel control schemes which combine the use of feed-forward actuation schemes with biologically inspired active breaking during stance to increase robustness to perturbations.

Videos

Random Terrain Running

Running with a Step

Publications

Miller, B., Schmitt, J., and Clark, J., “Quantifying disturbance rejection of SLIP-like running systems,” The International Journal of Robotics Research, April, 2012.

Andrews, B., Miller, B., Schmitt, J. and Clark, J.E., “Running over unknown rough terrain with a one-legged planar robot”, Bioinspiration & Biomimetics 6 (2011), pages 1-15, June, 2011.

Miller, B., Andrews, B., and Clark, J., "Improved Stability of Running Over Unknown Rough Terrain via Prescribed Energy Removal,"12th International Symposium on Experimental Robotics, New Delhi, India, December 18-21, 2010.