Methodology for the mechanical impedance tuning of quadruped robots

• Grant number: 22/05048-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: December 01, 2022
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Thiago Boaventura Cunha
• Grantee: Victor Takao Bernardino Shime
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/15472-9 - Hydraulic actuation impedance control for robots with legs and arms, AP.JP

Abstract

Humans and many other animals adapt the mechanical impedance of their body and limbs depending on the task and the environment or object with which they interact. One of the great advantages of a robot with impedance control is precisely that it has the ability to adjust this impedance in real-time, going for example from a more rigid profile to a more compliant one during the course of a task. However, in robotics we still do not have well-defined metrics or a methodology to choose the ideal impedance of a robot for a given task. Thus, this direct doctoral work proposes to establish criteria and methods for choosing the impedance of the quadruped robot HyQ. These criteria will then be used to develop an adaptive controller capable of adjusting the robot's impedance in real time. (AU)