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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
11

Legged locomotion : Balance, control and tools - from equation to action

Ridderström, Christian January 2003 (has links)
<p>This thesis is about control and balance stability of leggedlocomotion. It also presents a combination of tools that makesit easier to design controllers for large and complicated robotsystems. The thesis is divided into four parts.</p><p>The first part studies and analyzes how walking machines arecontrolled, examining the literature of over twenty machinesbriefly, and six machines in detail. The goal is to understandhow the controllers work on a level below task and pathplanning, but above actuator control. Analysis and comparisonis done in terms of: i) generation of trunk motion; ii)maintaining balance; iii) generation of leg sequence andsupport patterns; and iv) reflexes.</p><p>The next part describes WARP1, a four-legged walking robotplatform that has been builtwith the long term goal of walkingin rough terrain. First its modular structure (mechanics,electronics and control) is described, followed by someexperiments demonstrating basic performance. Finally themathematical modeling of the robot’s rigid body model isdescribed. This model is derived symbolically and is general,i.e. not restricted to WARP1. It is easily modified in case ofa different number of legs or joints.</p><p>During the work with WARP1, tools for model derivation,control design and control implementation have been combined,interfaced and augmented in order to better support design andanalysis. These tools and methods are described in the thirdpart. The tools used to be difficult to combine, especially fora large and complicated system with many signals and parameterssuch as WARP1. Now, models derived symbolically in one tool areeasy to use in another tool for control design, simulation andfinally implementation, as well as for visualization andevaluation—thus going from equation to action.</p><p>In the last part we go back to“equation”wherethese tools aid the study of balance stability when complianceis considered. It is shown that a legged robot in a“statically balanced”stance may actually beunstable. Furthermore, a criterion is derived that shows when aradially symmetric“statically balanced”stance on acompliant surface is stable. Similar analyses are performed fortwo controllers of legged robots, where it is the controllerthat cause the compliance.</p><p><b>Keywords</b>legged locomotion, control, balance, leggedmachines, legged robots, walking robots, walking machines,compliance, platform stability, symbolic modeling</p>
12

Adaptive neuromechanical control for energy-efficient and adaptive compliant hexapedal walking on rough surfaces

Xiong, Xiaofeng 08 June 2015 (has links)
No description available.
13

Force and impulse control for spring-mass running

Koepl, Devin N. 02 December 2011 (has links)
We present a novel control strategy for running which is robust to disturbances, and makes excellent use of passive dynamics for energy economy. The motivation for our control strategy is based on observations of animals, which are able to economically walk and run over varying terrain and ground dynamics. It is well-known that steady-state animal running can be approximated by spring-mass models, but these passive dynamic models describe only steady-state running and are sensitive to disturbances that animals can accommodate. While animals rely on their passive dynamics for energy economy, they also incorporate active control for disturbance rejection. The same approach can be used for spring-mass walking and running, but an active controller is needed that interferes minimally with the passive dynamics of the system. We demonstrate, in simulation, how force control combined with a leg spring stiffness tuned for the desired hopping frequency provides robustness to disturbances on a model for robot hopping, while maintaining the energy economy of a completely passive system during steady-state operation. Our strategy is promising for robotics applications, because there is a clear distinction between the passive dynamic behavior of the model and the active controller, it does not require sensing of the environment, and it is based on a sound theoretical background that is compatible with existing high-level controllers for ideal spring-mass models. / Graduation date: 2012
14

Foot Force Sensor Implementation and Analysis of ZMP Walking on 2D Bipedal Robot with Linear Actuators

Kusumah, Ferdi Perdana January 2011 (has links)
The objectives of this study were to implement force sensors on the feet of a bipedal robot and analyze their response at different conditions. The data will be used to design a control strategy for the robot. The powered joints of the robot are driven by linear motors. A force sensor circuit was made and calibrated with different kinds of weight. A trajectory generator and inverse kinematics calculator for the robot were made to control the robot walking movement in an open-loop manner. The force data were taken at a certain period of time when the robot was in a standing position. Experiments with external disturbances were also performed on the robot. The ZMP position and mass of the robot were calculated by using the data of force sensors. The force sensor circuit was reliable in taking and handling the data from the sensor although the noise from the motors of the robot was present. / <p>Validerat; 20111115 (anonymous)</p>
15

Hierarchical Control of Constrained Multi-Agent Legged Locomotion: A Data-Driven Approach

Fawcett, Randall Tyler 17 July 2023 (has links)
The aim of this dissertation is to systematically construct a hierarchical framework that allows for robust multi-agent collaborative legged locomotion. More specifically, this work provides a detailed derivation of a torque controller that is theoretically justifiable in the context of Hybrid Zero Dynamics at the lowest level of control to produce highly robust locomotion, even when subject to uncertainty. The torque controller is based on virtual constraints and partial feedback linearization and is cast into the form of a strictly convex quadratic program. This partial feedback linearization is then relaxed through the use of a defect variable, where said defect variable is allowed only to change in a manner that is consistent with rapidly exponentially stable output dynamics through the use of a Control Lyapunov Function. The torque controller is validated in both simulation and on hardware to demonstrate the efficacy of the approach. In particular, the robot is subject to payload and push disturbances and is still able to remain stable. Furthermore, the continuity of the torque controller, in addition to robustness analysis of the periodic orbit, is also provided. At the next level of control, we consider emulating the Single Rigid Body model through the use of Behavioral Systems Theory, resulting in a data-driven model that adequately describes a quadruped at the reduced-order level. Still, due to the complexity and a considerable number of variables in the problem, the model further undergoes a $2$-norm approximation, resulting in a model that is computationally efficient enough to be used in a real-time manner for trajectory planning. In order to test the method rigorously, we consider a series of experiments to examine how the planner works when using different gait parameters than that which was used during data collection. Furthermore, the planner is compared to the traditional Single Rigid Body model to test its efficacy for reference tracking. This data-driven model is then extended to the multi-agent case, where each agent is rigidly holonomically constrained to one another. In this case, the model is used in a distributed manner using a one-step communication delay such that the coupling between agents can be adequately considered while spreading the computational demand. The trajectory planner is evaluated through various hardware experiments with three agents, and simulations are also used to display the scalability of the approach by considering five robots. Finally, this dissertation examines how traditional reduced-order models can be used in tandem with data-based models to reap the benefits of both methods. More specifically, an interconnected Single Rigid Body model is considered, where the interaction forces are described via a data-driven model. Simulations are provided to display the efficacy of this approach at the reduced order level and show that the interaction forces can be reduced by considering them in the trajectory planner. As in the previous cases, this is followed by experimental evaluation subject to external forces and different terrains. / Doctor of Philosophy / The goal of this dissertation is to create a layered control scheme for teams of quadrupeds that results in stable and robust locomotion, including a high-level trajectory planner and a low-level controller. More specifically, this work outlines an optimal torque-based whole-body controller that operates at the joint level to track desired trajectories. These trajectories are obtained by a high-level trajectory planner, which utilizes a data-driven predictive controller to create an optimal trajectory without explicitly requiring knowledge of a model. The hierarchical control scheme is then extended to consider collaborative locomotion. Namely, this work considers teams of quadrupeds that are rigidly connected to one another such that there is no relative motion between them. There are potentially large interaction forces that are applied between the robots that cannot be measured, which can result in instability. Furthermore, the models used to describe the interconnected system are prohibitively complex when being used for trajectory planning. For this reason, the data-driven model considered for a single robot is extended to create a centralized model that encapsulates not only the motion of a single robot but also its connection constraints. The resulting model is very large, making it difficult to use in a real-time manner. Therefore, this work outlines how to distribute the model such that each robot can locally plan for its own motion while also considering the coupling between them. Finally, this work provides one additional extension that combines a traditional physics-based model with a data-driven model to capitalize on the strengths of each. In particular, a physics-based model is considered as a baseline, while a data-driven model is used to describe the interaction forces between robots. In using this final extension, both improved solve times and smoother locomotion are achieved. Each of the aforementioned methods is tested thoroughly through both simulations and experiments.
16

Design of a Biped Robot Capable of Dynamic Maneuvers

Knox, Brian T. 08 December 2008 (has links)
No description available.
17

Robust Predictive Control for Legged Locomotion

Pandala, Abhishek-Goud 11 January 2024 (has links)
This dissertation aims to realize the goal of developing robust control solutions that can enable legged robots to navigate complex unknown environments. The idea of creating articulated-legged machines that can mimic animal locomotion has fueled the imagination of many researchers. These legged robots are designed to assist humans in their day-to-day tasks and challenging scenarios such as monitoring remote, inhospitable environments, disaster response, and other dangerous environments. Despite several decades of research, legged robots have yet to reach the dexterity or dynamic stability needed for real-world deployments. A fundamental gap exists in the understanding and development of reliable and scalable algorithms required for the real-time planning and control of legged robots. The overarching goal of this thesis is to formally develop computationally tractable, robust controllers based on nonlinear hybrid systems theory, model predictive control, and optimization for the real-time planning and control of agile locomotion in quadrupedal robots. Toward this objective, this thesis first investigates layered control architectures. In particular, we propose a two-level hierarchical control architecture in which the higher level is based on a reduced-order model predictive control (MPC), and the lower level is based on a full-order quadratic programming (QP) based virtual constraints controller. Specifically, two MPC architectures are explored: 1) An event-based MPC scheme that generates the optimal center of mass (COM) trajectories using a reduced-order linear inverted pendulum (LIP) model, and 2) A time-based MPC scheme that computes the optimal COM and ground reaction forces (GRF) using the reduced-order single rigid body (SRB) dynamics model. The optimal COM trajectories in the event-based MPC and the optimal COM trajectories, along with the ground reaction forces in the time-based MPC, are then tracked by the low-level virtual constraints controller. The event-based MPC scheme is numerically validated on the Vision 60 platform in a physics-based simulation environment. It has significantly reduced the computational burden associated with real-time planning-based MPC schemes. However, owing to the quasi-static nature of the optimal trajectories generated by the LIP model, we explored a time-based MPC scheme using Single Rigid Body Dynamics. This time-based MPC scheme is also numerically validated using the mathematical model of the A1 quadrupedal robot. Most MPC schemes use a reduced-order model to generate optimal trajectories. However, the abstraction and unmodeled dynamics in template models significantly increase the gap between reduced- and full-order models, limiting the robot's full scope and potential. In the second part of the thesis, we aim to develop a computationally tractable robust model predictive control (RMPC) scheme based on convex QPs to bridge this gap. The RMPC framework considers the single rigid body model subject to a set of unmodeled dynamics and plans for the optimal reduced-order trajectory and GRFs. The generated optimal GRFs of the high-level RMPC are then mapped to the full-order model using a low-level nonlinear controller based on virtual constraints and QP. The key innovation of the proposed RMPC framework is that it allows the integration of the hierarchical controller with Reinforcement Learning (RL) techniques to train a neural network to compute the vertices of the uncertainty set numerically. The proposed hierarchical control algorithm is validated numerically and experimentally for robust and blind locomotion of the A1 quadrupedal robot on different indoor and outdoor terrains and at different speeds. The numerical analysis of the RMPC suggests significant improvement in the performance of the rough terrain locomotion compared to the nominal MPC. In particular, the proposed RMPC algorithm outperforms the nominal MPC by over 60% during rough terrain locomotion over 550 uneven terrains. Our experimental studies also indicate a significant reduction in the gap between the reduced full-order models by comparing the desired and actual GRFs. Finally, the last part of the thesis presents a formal approach for synthesizing robust $mathcal{H}_2$- and $mathcal{H}_infty$-optimal MPCs to stabilize the periodic locomotion of legged robots. The proposed algorithm builds on the existing optimization-based control stack. We outline the set of conditions under which the closed-loop nonlinear dynamics around a periodic orbit can be transformed into a linear time-invariant (LTI) system using Floquet theory. We then outline an approach to systematically generate parameterized $mathcal{H}_2$- and $mathcal{H}_infty$- robust controllers using linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). We subsequently established a set of conditions guaranteeing the existence of such robust optimal controllers. The proposed $mathcal{H}_2$- and $mathcal{H}_infty$-optimal MPCs are extensively validated both numerically and experimentally for the robust locomotion of the A1 quadrupedal robot subject to various external disturbances and uneven terrains. Our numerical analysis suggests a significant improvement in the performance of robust locomotion compared to the nominal MPC. / Doctor of Philosophy / Legged robots have always been envisioned to work alongside humans, assisting them in mundane day-to-day tasks to challenging scenarios such as monitoring remote locations, planetary exploration, and supporting relief programs in disaster situations. Furthermore, research into legged locomotion can aid in designing and developing powered prosthetic limbs and exoskeletons. With these advantages in mind, several researchers have created sophisticated-legged robots and even more complicated algorithms to control them. Despite this, a significant gap exists between the agility, mobility, and dynamic stability shown by the existing legged robots and their biological counterparts. To work alongside humans, legged robots have to interact with complex environments and deal with uncertainties in the form of unplanned contacts and unknown terrains. Developing robust control solutions to accommodate disturbances explicitly marks the first step towards safe and reliable real-world deployment of legged robots. Toward this objective, this thesis aims to establish a formal foundation to develop computationally tractable robust controllers for the real-time planning and control of legged robots. Initial investigations in this thesis report on the use of layered control architectures, specifically event-based and time-based Model Predictive Control(MPC) schemes. These layered control architectures consist of an MPC scheme built around a reduced-order model at the high level and a virtual constraints-based nonlinear controller at the low level. Using these layered control architectures, this thesis proposed two robust control solutions to improve the rough terrain locomotion of legged robots. The first proposed robust control solution aims to mitigate one of the issues of layered control architecture. In particular, layered control architectures rely on a reduced order model at the high level to remain computationally tractable. However, the approximation of fullorder models with reduced-order models limits the full scope and potential of the robot. The proposed algorithm aims to bridge the gap between reduced- and full-order models with the integration of model-free Reinforcement Learning (RL) techniques. The second algorithm proposes a formal approach to generate robust optimal control solutions that can explicitly accommodate the disturbances and stabilize periodic legged locomotion. Under some mild conditions, the MPC control solution is analyzed, and an auxiliary feedback control solution that can handle disturbances explicitly is proposed. The thesis also theoretically establishes the sufficient conditions for the existence of such controllers. Both the proposed control solutions are extensively validated using numerical simulations and experiments using an A1 quadrupedal robot as a representative example.
18

Crowd formal modelling and simulation: The Sa'yee ritual

Sakellariou, I., Kurdi, O., Gheorghe, Marian, Romano, D.M., Kefalas, P., Ipate, F., Niculescu, I.M. January 2014 (has links)
No / There is an increasing interest in modelling of agents interacting as crowd and a simulation of such scenarios that map to real-life situations. This paper presents a generic state-based abstract model for crowd behaviour that can be mapped onto different agent-based systems. In particular, the abstract model is mapped into the simulation framework NetLogo. We have used the model to simulate a real-life case study of high density diverse crowd such as the Hajj ritual at the mosque in Mecca (Makkah). The computational model is based on real data extracted from videos of the ritual. We also present a methodology for extracting significant data, parameters, and patterns of behaviour from real-world videos that has been used as an early stage validation to demonstrate that the obtained simulations are realistic.
19

Distributed Feedback Control Algorithms for Cooperative Locomotion: From Bipedal to Quadrupedal Robots

Kamidi, Vinaykarthik Reddy 25 March 2022 (has links)
This thesis synthesizes general and scalable distributed nonlinear control algorithms with application to legged robots. It explores both naturally decentralized problems in legged locomotion, such as the collaborative control of human-lower extremity prosthesis and the decomposition of high-dimensional controllers of a naturally centralized problem into a net- work of low-dimensional controllers while preserving equivalent performance. In doing so, strong nonlinear interaction forces arise, which this thesis considers and sufficiently addresses. It generalizes to both symmetric and asymmetric combinations of subsystems. Specifically, this thesis results in two distinct distributed control algorithms based on the decomposition approach. Towards synthesizing the first algorithm, this thesis presents a formal foundation based on de- composition, Hybrid Zero Dynamics (HZD), and scalable optimization to develop distributed controllers for hybrid models of collaborative human-robot locomotion. This approach con- siders a centralized controller and then decomposes the dynamics and parameterizes the feedback laws to synthesize local controllers. The Jacobian matrix of the Poincaré map with local controllers is studied and compared with the centralized ones. An optimization problem is then set up to tune the parameters of the local controllers for asymptotic stability. It is shown that the proposed approach can significantly reduce the number of controller parameters to be optimized for the synthesis of distributed controllers, deeming the method computationally tractable. To evaluate the analytical results, we consider a human amputee with the point of separation just above the knee and assume the average physical parameters of a human male. For the lower-extremity prosthesis, we consider the PRleg, a powered knee-ankle prosthetic leg, and together, they form a 19 Degrees of Freedom (DoF) model. A multi-domain hybrid locomotion model is then employed to rigorously assess the performance of the afore-stated control algorithm via numerical simulations. Various simulations involving the application of unknown external forces and altering the physical parameters of the human model unbeknownst to the local controllers still result in stable amputee loco- motion, demonstrating the inherent robustness of the proposed control algorithm. In the later part of this thesis, we are interested in developing distributed algorithms for the real-time control of legged robots. Inspired by the increasing popularity of Quadratic programming (QP)-based nonlinear controllers in the legged locomotion community due to their ability to encode control objectives subject to physical constraints, this thesis exploits the idea of distributed QPs. In particular, this thesis presents a formal foundation to systematically decompose QP-based centralized nonlinear controllers into a network of lower-dimensional local QPs. The proposed approach formulates a feedback structure be- tween the local QPs and leverages a one-step communication delay protocol. The properties of local QPs are analyzed, wherein it is established that their steady-state solutions on periodic orbits (representing gaits) coincide with that of the centralized QP. The asymptotic convergence of local QPs' solutions to the steady-state solution is studied via Floquet theory. Subsequently, to evaluate the effectiveness of the analytical results, we consider an 18 DoF quadrupedal robot, A1, as a representative example. The network of distributed QPs mentioned earlier is condensed to two local QPs by considering a front-hind decomposition scheme. The robustness of the distributed QP-based controller is then established through rigorous numerical simulations that involve exerting unmodelled external forces and intro- ducing unknown ground height variations. It is further shown that the proposed distributed QPs have reduced sensitivity to noise propagation when compared with the centralized QP. Finally, to demonstrate that the resultant distributed QP-based nonlinear control algorithm translates equivalently well to hardware, an extensive set of blind locomotion experiments on the A1 robot are undertaken. Similar to numerical simulations, unknown external forces in the form of aggressive pulls and pushes were applied, and terrain uncertainties were introduced with the help of arbitrarily displaced wooden blocks and compliant surfaces. Additionally, outdoor experiments involving a wide range of terrains such as gravel, mulch, and grass at various speeds up to 1.0 (m/s) reiterate the robust locomotion observed in numerical simulations. These experiments also show that the computation time is significantly dropped when the distributed QPs are considered over the centralized QP. / Doctor of Philosophy / Inspiration from animals and human beings has long driven the research of legged loco- motion and the subsequent design of the robotic counterparts: bipedal and quadrupedal robots. Legged robots have also been extended to assist human amputees with the help of powered prostheses and aiding people with paraplegia through the development of exoskeleton suits. However, in an effort to capture the same robustness and agility demonstrated by nature, our design abstractions have become increasingly complicated. As a result, the en- suing control algorithms that drive and stabilize the robot are equivalently complicated and subjected to the curse of dimensionality. This complication is undesirable as failing to compute and prescribe a control action quickly destabilizes and renders the robot uncontrollable. This thesis addresses this issue by seeking nature for inspiration through a different perspective. Specifically, through some earlier biological studies on cats, it was observed that some form of locality is implemented in the control of animals. This thesis extends this observation to the control of legged robots by advocating an unconventional solution. It proposes that a high-dimensional, single-legged agent be viewed as a virtual composition of multiple, low-dimensional subsystems. While this outlook is not new and forms precedent to the vast literature of distributed control, the focus has always been on large-scale systems such as power networks or urban traffic networks that preserve sparsity, mathematically speaking. On the contrary, legged robots are underactuated systems with strong interaction forces acting amongst each subsystem and dense mathematical structures. This thesis considers this problem in great detail and proposes developments that provide theoretical stability guarantees for the distributed control of interconnected legged robots. As a result, two distinctly different distributed control algorithms are formulated. We consider a naturally decentralized structure appearing in the form of a human-lower extremity prosthesis to synthesize distributed controllers using the first control algorithm. Subsequently, the resultant local controllers are rigorously validated through extensive full- order simulations. In order to validate the second algorithm, this thesis considers the problem of quadrupedal locomotion as a representative example. It assumes for the purposes of control synthesis that the quadruped is comprised of two subsystems separated at the geometric center, resulting in a front and hind subsystem. In addition to rigorous validation via numerical simulations, in the latter part of this thesis, to demonstrate that distributed controllers preserve practicality, rigorous and extensive experiments are undertaken in indoor and outdoor settings on a readily available quadrupedal robot A1.
20

Collaborative Locomotion of Quadrupedal Robots: From Centralized Predictive Control to Distributed Control

Kim, Jeeseop 26 August 2022 (has links)
This dissertation aims to realize the goal of deploying legged robots that cooperatively walk to transport objects in complex environments. More than half of the Earth's continent is unreachable to wheeled vehicles---this motivates the deployment of collaborative legged robots to enable the accessibility of these environments and thus bring robots into the real world. Although significant theoretical and technological advances have allowed the development of distributed controllers for complex robot systems, existing approaches are tailored to the modeling and control of multi-agent systems composed of collaborative robotic arms, multi-fingered robot hands, aerial vehicles, and ground vehicles, but not collaborative legged agents. Legged robots are inherently unstable, unlike most of the systems where these algorithms have been deployed. Models of cooperative legged robots are further described by high-dimensional, underactuated, and complex hybrid dynamical systems, which complicate the design of control algorithms for coordination and motion control. There is a fundamental gap in knowledge of control algorithms for safe motion control of these inherently unstable hybrid dynamical systems, especially in the context of collaborative work. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to create a formal foundation based on scalable optimization and robust and nonlinear control to develop distributed and hierarchical feedback control algorithms for cooperative legged robots to transport objects in complex environments. We first develop a hierarchical nonlinear control algorithm, based on model predictive control (MPC), quadratic programming (QP), and virtual constraints, to generate and stabilize locomotion patterns in a real-time manner for dynamical models of single-agent quadrupedal robots. The higher level of the proposed control scheme is developed based on an event-based MPC that computes the optimal center of mass (COM) trajectories for a reduced-order linear inverted pendulum (LIP) model subject to the feasibility of the net ground reaction force (GRF). QP-based virtual constraint controllers are developed at the lower level of the proposed control scheme to impose the full-order dynamics to track the optimal trajectories while having all individual GRFs in the friction cone. The analytical results are numerically verified to demonstrate stable and robust locomotion of a 22 degree of freedom (DOF) quadrupedal robot, in the presence of payloads, external disturbances, and ground height variations. We then present a hierarchical nonlinear control algorithm for the real-time planning and control of cooperative locomotion of legged robots that collaboratively carry objects. An innovative network of reduced-order models subject to holonomic constraints, referred to as interconnected LIP dynamics, is presented to study quasi-statically stable cooperative locomotion. The higher level of the proposed algorithm employs a supervisory controller, based on event-based MPC, to effectively compute the optimal reduced-order trajectories for the interconnected LIP dynamics. The lower level of the proposed algorithm employs distributed nonlinear controllers to reduce the gap between reduced- and full-order complex models of cooperative locomotion. We numerically investigate the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm via full-order simulations of a team of collaborative quadrupedal robots, each with a total of 22 DOFs. The dissertation also investigates the robustness of the proposed control algorithm against uncertainties in the payload mass and changes in the ground height profile. Finally, we present a layered control approach for real-time trajectory planning and control of dynamically stable cooperative locomotion by two holonomically constrained quadrupedal robots. An innovative and interconnected network of reduced-order models, based on the single rigid body (SRB) dynamics, is developed for trajectory planning purposes. At the higher level of the control scheme, two different MPC algorithms are proposed to address the optimal control problem of the interconnected SRB dynamics: centralized and distributed MPCs. The MPCs compute the reduced-order states, GRFs, and interaction wrenches between the agents. The distributed MPC assumes two local QPs that share their optimal solutions according to a one-step communication delay and an agreement protocol. At the lower level of the control scheme, distributed nonlinear controllers are employed to impose the full-order dynamics to track the prescribed and optimal reduced-order trajectories and GRFs. The effectiveness of the proposed layered control approach is verified with extensive numerical simulations and experiments for the blind, robust, and cooperative locomotion of two holonomically constrained A1 robots with different payloads on different terrains and in the presence of external disturbances. It is shown that the distributed MPC has a performance similar to that of the centralized MPC, while the computation time is reduced significantly. / Doctor of Philosophy / Future cities will include a complex and interconnected network of collaborative robots that cooperatively work with each other and people to support human societies. Human-centered communities, including factories, offices, and homes, are developed for humans who are bipedal walkers capable of stepping over gaps, walking up/down stairs, and climbing ladders. One of the most challenging problems in deploying the next generation of collaborative robots is maneuvering in those complex environments. Although significant theoretical and technological advances have allowed the development of distributed controllers for motion control of multi-agent robotic systems, existing approaches do not address the collaborative locomotion problem of legged robots. Legged robots are inherently unstable with nonlinear and hybrid natures, unlike most systems where these algorithms have been deployed. Furthermore, the evolution of legged collaborative robot teams that cooperatively manipulate objects can be represented by high-dimensional and complex dynamical systems, complicating the design of control algorithms for coordination and motion control. This dissertation aims to establish a formal foundation based on nonlinear control and optimization theory to develop hierarchical feedback control algorithms for effective motion control of legged robots. The proposed layered control algorithms are developed based on interconnected reduced-order models. At the high level, we formulate cooperative locomotion as an optimal control problem of the reduced-order models to generate optimal trajectories. To realize the generated optimal trajectories, nonlinear controllers at the low level of the hierarchy impose the full-order models to track the trajectories while sustaining stability. The effectiveness of the proposed layered control approach is verified with extensive numerical simulations and experiments for the blind and stable cooperative locomotion of legged robots with different payloads on different terrains and subject to external disturbances. The proposed architecture's robustness is shown under various indoor and outdoor conditions, including landscapes with randomly placed wood blocks, slippery surfaces, gravel, grass, and mulch.

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