Dynamics and Generation of Gaits for a Planar Rollerblader

We develop the dynamic model for a planar ROLLERBLADER. The robot consists of a rigid platform and two planar, two degree-of-freedom legs with in-line skates at the foot. The dynamic model consists of two unicycles coupled through the rigid body dynamics of the planar platform. We derive the Lagrangian reduction for the ROLLERBLADING robot. We show the generation of some simple gaits that allow the platform to move forward and rotate by using cyclic motions of the two legs

Motion Planning for Dynamic Eel-like Robots

In this paper, we investigate basic issues of motion planning for a class of dynamic mobile robots, focusing on eel-like swimming robots. A primary characteristic of this class of robots is that drift plays a significant role in the generation of motion. In this paper, we build on previous work in which we explored generic gait patterns that could be used to drive an eel-like robot. We make an analogy with kinematic car-like robots to develop a nominal path from an initial state to a goal state, and then develop feedback algorithms to perform trajectory tracking around this nominal path. We also address the central issues that arise when using cyclic gaits as the basis for control strategies. 1 Introduction A central issue in studying mobile robots is how to enable a robot to move from one location to another, the motion planning problem . There is an extensive literature on motion planning [1, 8], though the vast majority has focused on kinematic systems in which the robot's motion c..