Papers
47
Total Citations
1,663
H-Index
18
About
Ioannis Poulakakis is a leading figure in the field of dynamic legged locomotion, whose work bridges the gap between theoretical control design and physical robotic performance. His research focuses on the analysis and control of compliant, underactuated robots, with key contributions to both bipedal and quadrupedal running. Poulakakis is perhaps best known for his work on the planar biped MABEL, where he developed the Compliant Hybrid Zero Dynamics controller—a formalism that enabled stable, efficient, and fast walking by actively leveraging springs in the drivetrain. This work, which has garnered over 348 citations, demonstrated how compliance could be systematically integrated into feedback control for dynamic locomotion. Earlier, his foundational experiments with the Scout II quadruped robot (268 citations) showed that highly efficient, untethered bounding gaits could be achieved with minimal actuation and sensing, fundamentally challenging assumptions about the complexity required for dynamic stability. His studies on the passive dynamics of quadrupedal running (165 citations) revealed surprising self-stabilizing properties in simplified models. More recently, his work on switchable parallel elastic actuators and robust control of switched systems continues to push the boundaries of practical, energetically efficient robot design.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 5Quadruped Robot Running With a Bounding Gait58 citations · 2007
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- 8Rotary gallop in the untethered quadrupedal robot scout II51 citations · 2005
- 9On the stable passive dynamics of quadrupedal running50 citations · 2004
- 10Experimentally validated bounding models for the Scout II quadrupedal robot43 citations · 2004