Task-Oriented Systematic Design of a Heavy-Duty Electrically Actuated Quadruped Robot with High Performance

Area of Science:

• Robotics and Mechanical Engineering
• Artificial Intelligence and Control Systems

Background:

• Increasing demand for high-performance quadruped robots in practical applications.
• Design challenges in heavy-duty electric quadruped robots due to constraints in motor torque and battery energy density.
• Need for a systematic approach to balance conflicting performance indicators like speed, payload, and endurance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel task-oriented design methodology for heavy-duty electric quadruped robots.
• To address design conflicts and optimize performance metrics through a structured design path.
• To develop a reliable design specification for task-specific quadruped robots.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing heuristic design for initial prototype form and proposing a task-oriented actuator joint configuration.
• Employing step-wise analytical models for leg length and joint parameter optimization, considering trajectory and motor heat constraints.
• Constructing a holistic simulation platform with modular control algorithms for iterative design refinement.

Main Results:

• Development of a heavy-duty electric quadruped robot prototype.
• Achieved maximum speed of 2 m/s in trotting gait with a payload exceeding 160 kg.
• Demonstrated endurance of 2 hours, validating the efficiency of the proposed design approach.

Conclusions:

• The proposed task-oriented design approach effectively balances conflicting performance requirements in heavy-duty electric quadruped robots.
• Hierarchical optimization and control-in-the-loop simulation are crucial for achieving robust and efficient robot designs.
• The developed prototype validates the practical applicability and efficiency of the presented design strategies.