CAREER: Rotational Dynamics for Improved Legged Locomotion (033999)
Project Status: Archived
Investigator
Description
The research plan will lead to the development of tools and principles to help
explain how body oscillations contribute to the stability, speed, and efficiency of high-speed
locomotion. The development of new dynamical models will help us understand how to design
and control these motions in robots and how these motions should change as running changes
from horizontal to vertical domains and will enable more dextrous and agile locomotion.
Specific research objectives in support of these broader goals are:
Identify how translational oscillations and roll, pitch, and yaw are coupled in running
and what specific dynamic advantages these confer
Characterize the changes in sagittal plane motions as the incline changes from horizontal
to vertical
Identify how rotations are coupled in high-speed climbing and how these affect attachment
and performance
Evaluate the effectiveness of the resulting dynamical models in improving the performance
of running robots.