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Towards Dynamic Legged Multimodal Field Robotics: Running and Climbing

Legged animals have long been shown to excel at maneuvering and navigating the complex and changing environments found in the natural
world through a combination of highly actuated musculoskeletal structures, robust and flexible control schemes, and advanced sensory organs.
Dynamic legged robots have been shown to generate some of this wide array of unique, high-energy locomotive behaviors (specifically the
abilities to run, jump, and climb over and around obstacles) which makes them attractive candidates for robotic applications navigating the real
world. However, although these robots have been designed to capture many of the behaviors of animals, current implementations can not match
biological systems in terms of robustness, efficiency, and flexibility of motion. These limitations are exacerbated by the fact that the primary
techniques used for robotic navigation are not currently equipped to utilize the full range of behaviors afforded to legged systems. This thesis
addresses three aspects of dynamic legged locomotion necessary for field implementation, specifically with regards to running and climbing
motions. The first thrust examines and directly compares two distinct, commonly-used controller archetypes in running and evaluates their the
merits in terms of speed, efficiency, and robustness. The second thrust explores the effects of leg morphology on locomotive performance,
motivating the construction of the design concept of "Effective Dynamic Workspace" which enabled dynamic running and climbing on a quadrupedal
robot. Finally, the thesis concludes with the development of a motion planner which addresses the unique mobility constraints and enables
navigation on a Full-Goldman style climbing robot. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Master of Science. / Fall Semester 2018. / November 8, 2018. / Includes bibliographical references. / Johnathan Clark, Professor Directing Thesis; Patrick Hollis, Committee Member; William Oates, Committee
Member.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_661121
ContributorsAustin, Max (author), Clark, Jonathan E. (professor directing thesis), Hollis, Patrick J. (committee member), Oates, William (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), FAMU-FSU College of Engineering (degree granting college), Department of Mechanical Engineering (degree granting departmentdgg)
PublisherFlorida State University
Source SetsFlorida State University
LanguageEnglish, English
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText, text, master thesis
Format1 online resource (64 pages), computer, application/pdf

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