Gait planning for biped locomotion on slippery terrain

Abstract

We propose a new biped locomotion planning method that optimizes locomotion speed subject to friction constraints. For this purpose we use approximate models of required coefficient of friction (RCOF) as a function of gait. The methodology is inspired by findings in human gait analysis, where subjects have been shown to adapt spatial and temporal variables of gait in order to reduce RCOF in slippery environments. Here we solve the friction problem similarly, by planning on gait parameter space: namely foot step placement, step swing time, double support time and height of the center of mass (COM). We first used simulations of a 48 degrees-of-freedom robot to estimate a model of how RCOF varies with these gait parameters. Then we developed a locomotion planning algorithm that minimizes the time the robot takes to reach a goal while keeping acceptable RCOF levels. Our physics simulation results show that RCOF-aware planning can drastically reduce slippage amount while still maximizing efficiency in terms of locomotion speed. Also, according to our experiments human-like stretched-knees walking can reduce slippage amount more than bent-knees (i.e. crouch) walking for the same speed.