An example method may include i) determining a first distance between a pair of feet of a robot at a first time, where the pair of feet is in contact with a ground surface; ii) determining a second distance between the pair of feet of the robot at a second time, where the pair of feet remains in contact with the ground surface from the first time to the second time; iii) comparing a difference between the determined first and second distances to a threshold difference; iv) determining that the difference between determined first and second distances exceeds the threshold difference; and v) based on the determination that the difference between the determined first and second distances exceeds the threshold difference, causing the robot to react.

A vertical surface cleaning device comprising a main body, a cleaning arm, a cleaning head, and leg mechanisms with grippers. The cleaning head applies a cleaning fluid on a surface to carry out a cleaning operation. A waste collector is provided to collect a waste material arising from the cleaning operation. The grippers may remain in a grip or in a release state. The segments of the leg mechanisms are articulatable to configure a first group of the leg mechanisms to stably hold the main body at a first place with the grippers remaining in the grip state. A second group of the leg mechanisms move in a desired direction with their grippers in release state while the first group stably holds the main body. The first group of the leg mechanisms then moves in the same direction while the second group holds the main body at a second place.

A quadruped robotic dog equipped with a center of gravity adjustment mechanism is disclosed and includes a base, a shoulder assembly connected to the base, a head assembly connected to a top of the shoulder assembly, and a leg assembly connected to sides of the shoulder assembly. The base includes a chassis and a battery box. The chassis includes an elastic slide rail, which defines two cap holes. The battery box includes a slide bar, both ends of which each include a round cap. The round caps of the battery box are operative to be snapped-fitted with the cap holes, and the slide bar of the battery box is operative to slide within the elastic slide rail.

A quadruped robotic dog equipped with a center of gravity adjustment mechanism is disclosed and includes a base, a shoulder assembly connected to the base, a head assembly connected to a top of the shoulder assembly, and a leg assembly connected to sides of the shoulder assembly. The base includes a chassis and a battery box. The chassis includes an elastic slide rail, which defines two cap holes. The battery box includes a slide bar, both ends of which each include a round cap. The round caps of the battery box are operative to be snapped-fitted with the cap holes, and the slide bar of the battery box is operative to slide within the elastic slide rail.

A dynamic planning controller receives a maneuver for a robot and a current state of the robot and transforms the maneuver and the current state of the robot into a nonlinear optimization problem. The nonlinear optimization problem is configured to optimize an unknown force and an unknown position vector. At a first time instance, the controller linearizes the nonlinear optimization problem into a first linear optimization problem and determines a first solution to the first linear optimization problem using quadratic programming. At a second time instance, the controller linearizes the nonlinear optimization problem into a second linear optimization problem based on the first solution at the first time instance and determines a second solution to the second linear optimization problem based on the first solution using the quadratic programming. The controller also generates a joint command to control motion of the robot during the maneuver based on the second solution.

A dynamic planning controller receives a maneuver for a robot and a current state of the robot and transforms the maneuver and the current state of the robot into a nonlinear optimization problem. The nonlinear optimization problem is configured to optimize an unknown force and an unknown position vector. At a first time instance, the controller linearizes the nonlinear optimization problem into a first linear optimization problem and determines a first solution to the first linear optimization problem using quadratic programming. At a second time instance, the controller linearizes the nonlinear optimization problem into a second linear optimization problem based on the first solution at the first time instance and determines a second solution to the second linear optimization problem based on the first solution using the quadratic programming. The controller also generates a joint command to control motion of the robot during the maneuver based on the second solution.

A foothold position control system and method for a biped robot are provided. 1) A feasible collision-free path is planned by using a path planning algorithm; 2) an available foothold area of a swing foot is determined according to step-length constraints, movement capabilities, foot sizes, and center offsets of a biped robot; and 3) fuzzy processing is performed to determine a specific foothold position of the biped robot. Selection of suitable foothold positions on both sides of a path when a biped robot executes specific walking actions after finishing path planning is realized. The foothold position control system and method has the advantages of being simple and easy to implement, having low computational load and high speed, being capable of exerting extreme movement capabilities of different biped robots, enabling more flexible movement of the biped robots, and so on.

A foothold position control system and method for a biped robot are provided. 1) A feasible collision-free path is planned by using a path planning algorithm; 2) an available foothold area of a swing foot is determined according to step-length constraints, movement capabilities, foot sizes, and center offsets of a biped robot; and 3) fuzzy processing is performed to determine a specific foothold position of the biped robot. Selection of suitable foothold positions on both sides of a path when a biped robot executes specific walking actions after finishing path planning is realized. The foothold position control system and method has the advantages of being simple and easy to implement, having low computational load and high speed, being capable of exerting extreme movement capabilities of different biped robots, enabling more flexible movement of the biped robots, and so on.

A floor reaction force to a foot of a legged mobile robot is detected with a suitable degree of accuracy, by use of a strain sensor having comparatively low sensitivity. The foot includes an upper frame connected to a movable leg, a lower frame which is disposed under the upper frame and contacts with a walking surface, a strain generating member which is connected to the upper frame and the lower frame at different positions from each other in top plan view and undergoes bending deformation according to a change in distance or inclination between the instep member and the sole member, and a plurality of strain sensors disposed at positions different from each other on the strain generating member.

A floor reaction force to a foot of a legged mobile robot is detected with a suitable degree of accuracy, by use of a strain sensor having comparatively low sensitivity. The foot includes an upper frame connected to a movable leg, a lower frame which is disposed under the upper frame and contacts with a walking surface, a strain generating member which is connected to the upper frame and the lower frame at different positions from each other in top plan view and undergoes bending deformation according to a change in distance or inclination between the instep member and the sole member, and a plurality of strain sensors disposed at positions different from each other on the strain generating member.