Stable and Robust SLIP Model Control via Energy Conservation-Based Feedback Cancellation for Quadrupedal Applications

2025-11-07

AI Summary

To address insufficient stability and robustness of dynamic bouncing gaits in quadrupedal robots, this paper proposes an energy-conservation-based feedback cancellation control architecture. Methodologically, it integrates a dimensionality-reduced Spring-Loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP) dynamical model, parabolic spline trajectory tracking, and the principle of energy conservation—adjusting leg posture during flight phase and dynamically modulating leg length during stance phase to achieve periodic energy matching and gait stabilization. The key contribution lies in explicitly embedding energy conservation into the feedback control law, thereby establishing a physically consistent cancellation mechanism. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed architecture successfully reproduces stable bouncing gaits in simulation and maintains convergence under sensor noise up to 10%, significantly enhancing system robustness and disturbance rejection capability. Validation is conducted on a high-fidelity Ghost Robotics Minitaur robot model.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Behavior Learning & Control
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Replanning and Plan Repair
• Natural Language Processing: Safety and Robustness

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Efficient manipulation of static and dynamic Web-related graphs
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments

Abstract

In this paper, we present an energy-conservation based control architecture for stable dynamic motion in quadruped robots. We model the robot as a Spring-loaded Inverted Pendulum (SLIP), a model well-suited to represent the bouncing motion characteristic of running gaits observed in various biological quadrupeds and bio-inspired robotic systems. The model permits leg-orientation control during flight and leg-length control during stance, a design choice inspired by natural quadruped behaviors and prevalent in robotic quadruped systems. Our control algorithm uses the reduced-order SLIP dynamics of the quadruped to track a stable parabolic spline during stance, which is calculated using the principle of energy conservation. Through simulations based on the design specifications of an actual quadruped robot, Ghost Robotics Minitaur, we demonstrate that our control algorithm generates stable bouncing gaits. Additionally, we illustrate the robustness of our controller by showcasing its ability to maintain stable bouncing even when faced with up to a 10% error in sensor measurements.

Problem

• Develop energy-conservation based control for stable quadruped robot motion
• Track stable parabolic splines using reduced-order SLIP dynamics
• Maintain stable bouncing under sensor measurement errors

Innovation

• Energy conservation feedback for SLIP model control
• Parabolic spline tracking using reduced-order dynamics
• Robust performance under sensor measurement errors