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Review
. 2024 Sep 12;10(18):e37237.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37237. eCollection 2024 Sep 30.

Next generation legged robot locomotion: A review on control techniques

Swapnil Saha Kotha  1 , Nipa Akter  1 , Sarafat Hussain Abhi  1 , Sajal Kumar Das  1 , Md Robiul Islam  1 , Md Firoj Ali  1 , Md Hafiz Ahamed  1 , Md Manirul Islam  1 , Subrata Kumar Sarker  1 , Md Faisal Rahman Badal  1 , Prangon Das  1 , Zinat Tasneem  1 , Md Mehedi Hasan  1
Affiliations
Review

Next generation legged robot locomotion: A review on control techniques

Swapnil Saha Kotha et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

The next generation of autonomous-legged robots will herald a new era in the fields of manufacturing, healthcare, terrain exploration, and surveillance. We can expect significant progress in a number of industries, including inspection, search and rescue, elderly care, workplace safety, and nuclear decommissioning. Advanced legged robots are built with a state-of-the-art architecture that makes use of stereo vision and inertial measurement data to navigate unfamiliar and challenging terrains. However, designing controllers for these robots is a difficult task due to a number of factors, including dynamic terrains, tracking delays, inaccurate 3D maps, unforeseen events, and sensor calibration issues. To address these challenges, this paper discusses the current methods for controlling autonomous-legged robots. Our primary contribution is comparative research on robot control strategies such as virtual model control (VMC), model predictive control (MPC), and model-free reinforcement learning (RL). This paper provides information on different strategies for controlling autonomous legged robots and discusses the potential advancements and applications of this technology in the future. The aim of this study is to assist future researchers in making informed decisions on the selection of optimal control strategies and innovative concepts when developing and working with legged robots.

Keywords: AI; CoM; Control; Legged robots; Locomotion; Next generation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Research methodology in detail.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A block schematic of the legged robot's vision-based guiding system.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bipedal vision-guided legged robot with suitable reference frames and a path impediment.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The Reactive Controller Framework (RCF) and the knowledge of the vision process are coupled. The motion production and motion control schematic get spatial information from the vision block, which is depicted in the head portion and golden colour.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Control movements are produced using the locomotion measure as a control input and sensory data.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Robotic leg with push recovery and complete body mechanism of force control.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Motion mechanisms of various types of legged robots.
Figure 8
Figure 8
New legged robot controller architecture.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Action pattern representation for one step jumping.
Figure 10
Figure 10
The configuration of the hexapod's walking step in a complete cycle.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Gait control for rough terrain robot.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Control method using frequency for existing robots.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Add-on components of next-generation of legged robots.
Figure 14
Figure 14
An Overview of the Main Applications and Challenges of Legged Robots.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Primary challenges of next-generation legged robots.
Figure 16
Figure 16
Roadblocks in the adoption of next-generation legged robots.
Figure 17
Figure 17
Potential applications of next-generation legged robots.
Figure 18
Figure 18
Road map to next-generation of legged robots.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Raw L., Fisher C., Patel A. 2019 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) IEEE; 2019. Effects of limb morphology on transient locomotion in quadruped robots; pp. 3349–3356.

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