Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique

Softbank Robotics Europe

Institut National De Recherche En Informatique Et En Automatique

Aldebaran Robotics

Inria Institut National De Recherche En Informatique Et En Automatique

Aldebaran Robotics S.a

Alain Berthoz

Bruno Maisonnier

Pascal Lafourcade

Anatole Lecuyer

Nizar Ouarti

A computer program and a system for controlling walking of a mobile robot, notably a humanoid robot moving on two legs. Conventionally, control was guided by driving a zero moment point. Such driving was performed within a fixed coordinate system connected to a progression surface and assumed knowledge of the characteristics of said surface and the creation of a provisional trajectory. Such driving encountered significant limitations due to the nature of the progression surfaces on which walking can effectively be controlled and an obligation to have a perfect knowledge of their geometry; and also in respect to the necessary computing power, and the appearance of the walk which bore little resemblance to an actual human walk. The invention overcomes such limitations by providing a walk which includes a pseudo-free or ballistic phase, an impulse phase imparted by the heel of the robot, and a landing phase.

Method for controlling the walking motion of a mobile robot, and robot implementing said method

The invention relates to a method for simulating the movements of a virtual vehicle, a user being in physical contact with a simulator including a force-feedback haptic interface, wherein said physical contact corresponds to at least one physical point of contact between the haptic interface and the body of the user that is representative of a virtual point of contact between the user and the virtual vehicle. Said method comprises at least two steps. A first step involves determining a linear acceleration vector (formula (I)) and a linear velocity vector (formula (II)) at the virtual point of contact between the user and the virtual vehicle, said vectors being representative of the movement of the vehicle at said point. A second step involves deducing a three-dimensional force vector (formula (III)) from the linear acceleration vector (formula (I)) and linear velocity vector (formula (II)), said force vector being predetermined by a linear combination of said linear acceleration and velocity vectors, the corresponding force being applied via the haptic interface substantially at the physical point of contact. The invention also relates to a device for simulating movements of a vehicle.

Method for simulating specific movements by haptic feedback, and device implementing the method

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Paris, France

Alain Berthoz