Kinematic control and posture optimization of a redundantly actuated quadruped robot

Although legged locomotion for robots has been studied for many years, the research of autonomous wheellegged robotics is much more recent. Robots of this type, also described as hybrid, can take advantage of the energy efficiency of wheeled locomotion while adapting to more difficult terrain with legged locomotion when necessary. The Micro Hydraulic Toolkit (MHT), developed by engineers at Defence R&D Canada - Suffield, is a good example of such a robot. Investigation into control and optimization techniques for MHT leads to a better understanding of hybrid vehicle control for terrestrial exploration and reconnaissance. Control of hybrid robots has been studied by several researchers during the last decade. The methodology applied in this work uses an inverse kinematics algorithm developed previously for a hybrid robot Hylos, and implements an optimization technique to minimize torques occurring at crucial actuators. As well, some added functionality is incorporated into the control method to implement stepping maneuvers. This paper will present the results obtained via co-simulation using Matlab's Simulink and a high-fidelity model of MHT in LMS Virtual Lab.