Minimalist CPG model for inter- and intra-limb coordination in bipedal locomotion

Abstract

Inter- and intra-limb coordination for bipedal locomotion were numerically investigated using a "minimalist" bipedal robot model and an unconventional central pattern generator (CPG)-based control scheme that exploits local sensory feedback generated from the discrepancy between the control system, mechanical system, and environment. The simulation results showed that a bipedal robot controlled by the proposed controller exhibits walking and running gaits dependent only on one parameter: the angular velocity of the oscillators. Interestingly, spontaneous inter- and intra-limb coordination were found to be inherent to the proposed design scheme for stable bipedal locomotion. These findings are expected to lead to a useful methodology for robots to generate stable and adaptive locomotion. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.