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Legged Robots, Design of

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Encyclopedia of Robotics

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Definition

Legged robot design generally refers to the deliberate selection, development, and integration of particular system features, from mechanism design and joint configuration to hardware selection and communication interfaces, in order to realize a robot that satisfies performance requirements.

Overview

Legged robot design is a precarious balancing act that involves carefully selecting the best leg and feet configuration and type, actuators, materials, and sensors to yield a platform that is capable of achieving the robot’s intended tasks. For example, in the case of legged robots designed to travel over multifaceted, unstructured terrain with discrete and isolated footholds, it is important that the robot be able to sense, coordinate, and place its end effectors (feet) at desired locations while also being able to handle unexpected disturbances and variations in terrain. These qualities are just a few of the most rudimentary requirements for a legged robot, and yet they...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa), Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Dennis W. Hong, Min Sung Ahn, Joshua R. Hooks & Jeffrey C. Yu

Authors
  1. Dennis W. Hong
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  2. Min Sung Ahn
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  3. Joshua R. Hooks
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  4. Jeffrey C. Yu
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Dennis W. Hong , Min Sung Ahn , Joshua R. Hooks or Jeffrey C. Yu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Marcelo H. Ang

  2. Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Oussama Khatib

  3. Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

    Bruno Siciliano

Section Editor information

  1. Laboratoire de robotique, Département de génie mécanique, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada

    Clément Gosselin

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Hong, D.W., Ahn, M.S., Hooks, J.R., Yu, J.C. (2020). Legged Robots, Design of. In: Ang, M.H., Khatib, O., Siciliano, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Robotics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41610-1_152-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41610-1_152-1

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