Adaptive dynamic locomotion of quadrupedal robots with semicircular feet on uneven terrain

This paper proposes an adaptive trajectory generation method for quadruped robots with semicircular feet to control body speed and heading, and to minimize power consumption on uneven terrain. The semicircular foot with single line of contact is easier to solve the kinematic problems than flat feet with active ankle joints. And its wheel-like rolling motion leads to improvement in power autonomy and reduction of impact forces. The adaptive gait patterns are changed by the sequential modulation of the locomotion period and the stride per step which are determined by the desired body speed and heading commands, and external environments. The efficiency and performance of the developed method are verified through computer simulations and experiments using a hydraulic actuated quadrupedal robot.