Heuristic control of bipedal running: Steady-state and accelerated

Copyright © 2011 Cambridge University Press. The design, control, and actuation of legged robots that walk is well established, but there remain unsolved problems for legged robots that run. In this work, dynamic principles are used to develop a set of heuristics for controlling bipedal running and acceleration. These heuristics are then converted into control laws for two very different bipedal systems: one with a high-inertia torso and prismatic knees and one with a low-inertia torso, articulated knees, and mechanical coupling between the knee and ankle joints. These control laws are implemented in simulation to achieve stable steady-state running, accelerating, and decelerating. Stable steady-state running is also achieved in a planar experimental system with a semiconstrained torso