Coupled Oscillators for Legged Robots

摘要

Biologists have uncovered some of the mechanisms at work in the control of legged animals. The animal CPG has received much attention and provides new inspiration for the control of legged robots. This paper presents the further development of a control method which involves coupled oscillators. In particular, the paper discusses a pair of coupled oscillators which operate in discrete time and which have been implemented on a pair of microcontrollers. Coupling between the oscillators only need occur twice each period (once for each oscillator), rather than continually. A simulation demonstrates phaselocking of the two oscillators. Experimental results are briefly described.