Design, Control, and Energetics of an Electrically Actuated Legged Robot

To study the design, control and energetics of autonomous dynamically stable legged machines we have built a planar one-legged robot, the ARL Monopod. Its top running speed of 4:3km=hr (1:2m=s) makes it the fastest electrically actuated legged robot to date. We adapted Raibert's control laws for the low power electric actuation necessary for autonomous locomotion and performed a detailed energetic analysis of our experiments. A comparison shows that the ARL Monopod with its 125W average power consumption is more energy efficient than previously built robots. I Introduction Legged robots capable of dynamic operation and active balance have the potential for similar mobility, efficiency and dexterity as their biological counterparts. Such robots would be able to operate in a much larger range of environments and surface conditions than current wheeled and tracked vehicles. Moreover, similar system design and control advances would benefit applications beyond those requiring traditional ..