Conjugate momentum based thruster force estimate in dynamic multimodal robot

TL;DR

This paper introduces a conjugate momentum-based estimator for thruster force in a multimodal robot, enhancing force estimation accuracy during dynamic locomotion by incorporating terrain information and working conditions.

Contribution

It presents a novel momentum-based thruster force estimator tailored for a bipedal robot with thrusters, accounting for real-world conditions like battery voltage and terrain.

Findings

Estimator performs well in simulations with terrain knowledge.

Including terrain information improves force estimation accuracy.

The method is validated in a numerical simulator for thruster-assisted walking.

Abstract

In a multi-modal system which combines thruster and legged locomotion such our state-of-the-art Harpy platform to perform dynamic locomotion. Therefore, it is very important to have a proper estimate of Thruster force. Harpy is a bipedal robot capable of legged-aerial locomotion using its legs and thrusters attached to its main frame. we can characterize thruster force using a thrust stand but it generally does not account for working conditions such as battery voltage. In this study, we present a momentum-based thruster force estimator. One of the key information required to estimate is terrain information. we show estimation results with and without terrain knowledge. In this work, we derive a conjugate momentum thruster force estimator and implement it on a numerical simulator that uses thruster force to perform thruster-assisted walking.