Rollover has been normally regarded as an undesirable way of legged robot locomotion. In spite of this, we are looking for the improved robot movement by combining the rollover with regular gaits. By considering gaits on the macro level, we identify the conditions when adding rollover may result in a faster movement of a legged robot. Our method is generic because the number of legs does not matter; we are taking into account only the features and constraints shared by all legged robots. As the outcome of this study, we propose a mathematical model for estimating the efficiency of using rollover as additional gait. This model is illustrated by evaluating the speed gain achieved in 4-legged Sony Aibo ERS-7 robot if it is equipped with a rollover skill. While having in our implementation the same linear speed as walking, rollover in some situations eliminates the need to make turns, thus saving time for the robot to change its pose.
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