Using physical analogies when solving computational problems is not uncommon. The Electric Field Approach is such an analogy using potential fields for describing the situation in a robotic soccer match and for proposing the next step in optimizing the situation. The approach was developed and implemented during the summer of 2000 and was later used and tested during the fourth Robot Soccer World Cup in Melbourne, Australia. The results of the games prove that the approach is applicable in this narrow but interesting domain, combining artificial intelligence and robotics. The theory of the approach is general and can also be applied on various other domains. This is not the first potential field approach, but the ability of both handling navigation and manipulation of the environment is unique.

The main subject of this thesis is use of inertial sensors for better motion and stability control of mobile robots. In background research are described the basic methods of mobile robots localization. Second part of background research is about mobile robot stability, in this part are described the methods of mobile robots stability control. In next part is description of MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes and description of basic method of filtering and integration which are useful for input processing of these sensors. Thesis continues with inertial sensors analysis for application on control of wheeled and legged mobile robots. In end of thesis are specified the experiment results, which confirm the applicability of sensors for mobile robot control.

The work presented in this thesis aims to make contribution to the understanding and application of six-legged statically stable walking machines in both theoretical and practical levels. In this thesis five pieces of work, performed with and for the three-joint six-legged Robot-EA308, are presented: 1) Standard gaits, which include the well-known wave gaits, are defined and a stability analysis, in the sense of static stable walking, is performed on an analytical level. Various definitions are given / theorems are stated and proved. 2) A free gait generation algorithm with reinforcement learning is developed. Its facilities of stability improvement, smooth speed changes, and adaptation in case of a rear-leg deficiency with learning of five-legged walking are experimented in real-time on the Robot-EA308. 3) Trajectory optimization and controller design is performed for the protraction movement of a three-joint leg. The trajectory generated by the controller is demonstrated with the Robot-EA308. 4) The full kinematic-dynamic formulation of a three-joint six-legged robot is performed with the joint-torques being the primary variables. It is demonstrated that the proposed torque distribution scheme, rather than the conventional force distribution, results in an efficient distribution of required forces and moments to the supporting legs. 5) An analysis of energy efficiency is performed for wave gaits. The established strategies for determination of gait parameters for an efficient walk are justified using the Robot-EA308.

Legged robots have the potential to cover terrain not accessible to wheel-based robots and vehicles. This makes them better suited to perform tasks, such as search and rescue, in real-world unstructured environments. Pneumatically-actuated, compliant robots are also more suited than their rigid counterparts to work in real-world unstructured environments with humans where unintentional contact may occur. This thesis seeks to combine the benefits of these two type of robots by implementing design methods to aid in the design choice of a 16 degree of freedom (DoF) compliant, continuum-joint quadruped. This work focuses on the design optimization, especially the definition of design metrics, for this type of robot. The work also includes the construction and closed-loop control of a four-DoF continuum-joint leg used to validate design methods.We define design metrics for legged robot metrics that evaluate their ability to traverse unstructured terrain, carry payloads, find stable footholds, and move in desired directions. These design metrics require a sampling of a legged-robot's complete configuration space. For high-DoF robots, such as the 16-DoF in evaluated in this work, the evaluation of these metrics become intractable with contemporary computing power. Therefore, we present methods that can be used to simplify and approximate these metrics. These approximations have been validated on a simulated four-DoF legged robot where they can tractably be compared against their full counterparts.Using the approximations of the defined metrics, we have performed a multi-objective design optimization to investigate the ten-dimensional design space of a 16-DoF compliant, continuum-joint quadruped. The design variables used include leg link geometry, robot base dimensions, and the leg mount angles. We have used an evolutionary algorithm as our optimization method which converged on a Pareto front of optimal designs. From these set of designs, we are able to identify the trade-offs and design differences between robots that perform well in each of the different design metrics. Because of our approximation of the metrics, we were able to perform this optimization on a supercomputer with 28 cores in less than 40 hours.We have constructed a 1.3 m long continuum-joint leg from one of the resulting quadruped designs of the optimization. We have implemented configuration estimation and control and force control on this leg to evaluate the leg payload capability. Using these controllers, we have conducted an experiment to compare the leg's ability to provide downward force in comparison with its theoretical payload capabilities. We then demonstrated how the torque model used in the calculation of payload capabilities can accurately calculate trends in force output from the leg.

The Compact Rescue Crawler is a pneumatic legged robot. Two legs of a hexapod were designed and built. The legs are controlled directly from operator inputs. The operator gives foot position inputs through two PHANToM haptic controllers. A PD controller with a supplementary force gain-scheduler control stroke lengths of each cylinder. The force-based position control technique allows the robot feet to track operator inputs to within 10% position error. A guided gait algorithm was developed to allow the operator to control all 6 legs simply by haptically guiding the front two. The operator records successful and collision-free trajectories and the gait coordinator plays the trajectories through the rear legs as they approach the detected obstacles. This hybrid gait algorithm allows the robot to proceed through a hazardous environment, guided by an operator, but without taxing the input capabilities of the human operator.

The diploma thesis deals with the construction of a walking mobile robot, which is intended for passing through a rugged or forest terrain, whose task is to collect the sample. The first part is devoted to the review of walking robots. Follow-up an analysis of two-legged and four-leg walking robot technologies and a brief overview of drives. The second part is devoted to problem analysis and design variant. The work contains 4 design variants in the form of schemes. Using the multi-criteria analysis, the variants were evaluated and the optimal variant was chosen taking into account the representative parameters. The third part is devoted to the construction of the chosen variant, it is divided into body and leg construction. The overall design is processed in the form of a virtual 3D model. In the leg construction, the design itself, but also the calculations of drives, shafts, gears and belt transmissions are solved. The end of the thesis is devoted to drawing documentation based on 3D model and economic evaluation. Follow-up and discussion with possible continuation and use in practice.