Stable and Robust Running in Quadruped Robots with an Energy Conservation-Based Feedback Cancellation Controller

Muhammad Saud Ul Hassan; Derek Vasque; Hamza Asif; Christian Hubicki

An energy conservation-based control algorithm to produce stable dynamic running in quadruped robots. Through simulation studies, we show that our controller generates stable running even with up to 10% error in landing state observations.

Here's a rough MATLAB depiction of the controller in action. The quadruped's center of mass (COM) dynamics is modeled using an actuated spring-loaded inverted pendulum. The video shows the COM tracing a stable running gait despite errors in state estimation.