HyQ - a dynamic locomotion research platform (original) (raw)
Articulated robots such as legged robots hold the promise to lead to versatile, multi purpose machines that eventually become useful in many application scenarios such as construction sites, disaster recovery, service robotics and remote inspection. For these tasks a great deal of kinematic flexibility and dexterity is required. As the inspiring examples in biology show, arms and legs are useful both for manipulation and locomotion. Legs become very advantageous for highly dynamic locomotion in severely challenging terrain, i.e. terrain where wheeled and legged system of comparable size cannot go. This fact is easily appreciated by observing cats going about their daily lives, or mountain goats effortlessly bounding up steep rock faces. While this superior all-terrain agility is typically the motivation behind research in legged robots, actual results on robust and versatile all-terrain locomotion are not abundant.