Path planning and gait of walking machine in an obstacle‐strewn environment
Jongkil Lee, Shin‐Min Song · Journal of Robotic Systems · 1991
Abstract The locomotion of a quadrupedal walking machine in an obstacle‐strewn environment is studied. The path planning of the walking machine body includes the following two features: first, the path is generated based on the Bezier curve so that its shape can be easily adjusted to avoid obstacles; second, the velocity and acceleration are assigned independently from the path generation so that the inertial terms are controllable. After the path has been generated, a gait algorithm that enables the walking machine to follow the path and maintain stability is developed. Two special cases—straight‐line crab walking and turning about a fixed axis—are studied first. The general case that the walking machine is following an arbitrary curve is then studied. During walking, if the crab angle exceeds a certain limit, the gait needs to be changed in order to maintain stability. The methods for changing the gaits are discussed.