Bio-inspired control design for high-speed trot-running quadruped robots

The mobility of animals' locomotion still outperforms that of quadruped robots despite robots' faster sensing and actuation. Previously, we developed a hierarchically structured controller for high-speed quadruped locomotion, mainly considering three coupled issues that arise from the complexity of locomotor dynamics: 1) locomotor stability, 2) multi-limb coordination, and 3) forceful interaction with the ground. We have sought scientific clues in biomechanical studies of quadruped animals, and reflecting those biological observations significantly reduced the number of controller parameters to be tuned. In dynamic simulation studies, an 11 degree-of-freedom robot model with the designed controller, facilitated by self-stabilizing mechanisms, achieved stable trot-running at various speeds.