Motion Planning for a Legged Robot with Dynamic Characteristics

Legged soccer robots present a significant challenge in robotics owing to the need for seamless integration of perception, manipulation, and dynamic movement. While existing models often depend on external perception or static techniques, our study aims to develop a robot with dynamic and untethered capabilities. We have introduced a motion planner that allows the robot to excel in dynamic shooting and dribbling. Initially, it identifies and predicts the position of the ball using a rolling model. The robot then pursues the ball, using a novel optimization-based cycle planner, continuously adjusting its gait cycle. This enables the robot to kick without stopping its forward motion near the ball. Each leg is assigned a specific role (stance, swing, pre-kick, or kick), as determined by a gait scheduler. Different leg controllers were used for tailored tiptoe trajectory planning and control. We validated our approach using real-world penalty shot experiments (5 out of 12 successful), cycle adjustment tests (11 out of 12 successful), and dynamic dribbling assessments. The results demonstrate that legged robots can overcome onboard capability limitations and achieve dynamic mobility and manipulation.