Dynamic Balance and Gait for Bipedal Robots

The goal of this work is to develop methods and tools which will enable reliable dynamic balance and gait for bipedal robots. Currently, the focus of this project is on the development and application of methods for quantifying and measuring various kinematic and dynamic properties of the robot which are critical to dynamic bipedal gait and balance.

Recently, this project has led to the definition of momentum gains for general 2D and 3D systems. These gains, along with the velocity gains they extend, act as a measure of a system's ability to move its center of mass relative to a passive contact point.

A novel balance point has also been developed, which determines if and where a biped needs to step to recover its balance, called the Spherical Foot Placement Estimator. This is an extension and combination of both the 3D Foot Placement Estimator (3D FPE) and the Generalized Foot Placement Estimator (GFPE).

For more details on this work, see the most recent publications on Brandon's UW Scholar profile.