Modeling and Control of Humanoid Robots in Dynamic Environments: iCub Balancing on a Seesaw

TL;DR

This paper develops a modeling and control framework for humanoid robots interacting with dynamic environments, demonstrated through iCub balancing on a seesaw, addressing limitations of traditional controllers.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive modeling and control approach for balancing humanoid robots in dynamic environments, validated through simulation.

Findings

Successful simulation of iCub balancing on a seesaw

Effective stabilization of robot-environment interaction

Framework applicable to various dynamic contact scenarios

Abstract

Forthcoming applications concerning humanoid robots may involve physical interaction between the robot and a dynamic environment. In such scenario, classical balancing and walking controllers that neglect the environment dynamics may not be sufficient for achieving a stable robot behavior. This paper presents a modeling and control framework for balancing humanoid robots in contact with a dynamic environment. We first model the robot and environment dynamics, together with the contact constraints. Then, a control strategy for stabilizing the full system is proposed. Theoretical results are verified in simulation with robot iCub balancing on a seesaw.