Minimalistic Control for Reaching Absolute State of a One-Legged Dynamic Robot on Uncertain Terrain

Footstep and path planning for dynamic legged robots is complex, and even if such a plan exists, execution is even harder. We propose a new method for a planar model of a dynamic legged robot that brings the trajectory to an absolute desired destination even on unknown rough terrain with minimal sensing. This can later aid a global planner to reach “way-points” with low destination errors. The basic block of the technique incorporates two consecutive jumps, each triggers a minimalistic control method to govern a sole controller—the leg angle during flight. Only two detection sensors and initial state information are required during implementation. Prior to execution, an optimization process is initiated to obtain the temporal control laws for both jumps. This work presents the process of obtaining the control parameters and studies the performance and limitations of the scheme.