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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Robot. AI
Sec. Bio-Inspired Robotics
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frobt.2024.1473628
This article is part of the Research Topic Bio-Inspired Legged Robotics: Design, Sensing and Control View all 5 articles

Bicycle-Inspired Simple Balance Control Method for Quadruped Robots in High-Speed Running

Provisionally accepted
Shoei Hattori Shoei Hattori 1,2Shura Suzuki Shura Suzuki 2*Akira Fukuhara Akira Fukuhara 2Takeshi Kano Takeshi Kano 3Akio Ishiguro Akio Ishiguro 2
  • 1 Department of Electrical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
  • 2 Research Institute of Electrical Communication, School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
  • 3 Future University Hakodate, Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This paper explores the applicability of bicycle-inspired balance control in a quadruped robot model. Bicycles maintain stability and change direction by intuitively steering the handle, which induces yaw motion in the body frame and generates an inertial effect to support balance.Inspired by this balancing strategy, we implemented a similar mechanism in a quadruped robot model, introducing a yaw trunk joint analogous to a bicycle's steering handle. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed model achieves stable high-speed locomotion with robustness against external disturbances and maneuverability that allows directional changes with only slight speed reduction. These findings suggest that utilizing centrifugal force plays a critical role in agile locomotion, aligning with the movement strategies of cursorial animals. This study underscores the potential of bicycle balance control as an effective and straightforward control approach for enhancing the agility and stability of quadruped robots as well as potentially offering insights into animal motor control mechanisms for agile locomotion.

    Keywords: quadruped robot, model-free dynamic balance control, High-speed running, High-speed turning, bicycle-inspired control

    Received: 31 Jul 2024; Accepted: 09 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hattori, Suzuki, Fukuhara, Kano and Ishiguro. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Shura Suzuki, Research Institute of Electrical Communication, School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.