Stabilizing Series-Elastic Point-Foot Bipeds Using Whole-Body Operational Space Control

Whole-body operational space controllers (WBOSCs) are versatile and well suited for simultaneously controlling motion and force behaviors, which can enable sophisticated modes of locomotion and balance. In this paper, we formulate a WBOSC for point-foot bipeds with series-elastic actuators (SEA) and experiment with it using a teen-size SEA biped robot. Our main contributions are on devising a WBOSC strategy for point-foot bipedal robots, 2) formulating planning algorithms for achieving unsupported dynamic balancing on our point-foot biped robot and testing them using a WBOSC, and 3) formulating force feedback control of the internal forces—corresponding to the subset of contact forces that do not generate robot motions—to regulate contact interactions with the complex environment. We experimentally validate the efficacy of our new whole-body control and planning strategies via balancing over a disjointed terrain and attaining dynamic balance through continuous stepping without a mechanical support.