Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Google Inc.

Yeuhi Abe

Benjamin Stephens

Alfred Anthony Rizzi

Marco Da Silva

Kevin Blankespoor

Nicolas Hudson

Jennifer Barry

Robin Deits

Matthew P Kelly

Scott Kuindersma

Twan Koolen

Systems and methods for determining movement of a robot about an environment are provided. A computing system of the robot (i) receives information including a navigation target for the robot and a kinematic state of the robot; (ii) determines, based on the information and a trajectory target for the robot, a retargeted trajectory for the robot; (iii) determines, based on the retargeted trajectory, a centroidal trajectory for the robot and a kinematic trajectory for the robot consistent with the centroidal trajectory; and (iv) determines, based on the centroidal trajectory and the kinematic trajectory, a set of vectors having a vector for each of one or more joints of the robot.

Robot movement and online trajectory optimization

A robot system includes: an upper body section including one or more end-effectors; a lower body section including one or more legs; and an intermediate body section coupling the upper and lower body sections. An upper body control system operates at least one of the end-effectors. The intermediate body section experiences a first intermediate body linear force and/or moment based on an end-effector force acting on the at least one end-effector. A lower body control system operates the one or more legs. The one or more legs experience respective surface reaction forces. The intermediate body section experiences a second intermediate body linear force and/or moment based on the surface reaction forces. The lower body control system operates the one or more legs so that the second intermediate body linear force balances the first intermediate linear force and the second intermediate body moment balances the first intermediate body moment.

Whole body manipulation on a legged robot using dynamic balance

A computing system may provide a model of a robot. The model may be configured to determine simulated motions of the robot based on sets of control parameters. The computing system may also operate the model with multiple sets of control parameters to simulate respective motions of the robot. The computing system may further determine respective scores for each respective simulated motion of the robot, wherein the respective scores are based on constraints associated with each limb of the robot and a predetermined goal. The constraints include actuator constraints and joint constraints for limbs of the robot. Additionally, the computing system may select, based on the respective scores, a set of control parameters associated with a particular score. Further, the computing system may modify a behavior of the robot based on the selected set of control parameters to perform a coordinated exertion of forces by actuators of the robot.

Offline optimization to robot behavior

Determination of robot behavior

Offline determination of robot behavior

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Waltham, MA, United States of America

Yeuhi Abe