reactive collision-free locomotion
Integrating Riemannian Motion Policies with whole-body control for collision-free dynamic legged locomotion.
In dynamic legged locomotion, the size of the valid stepping region determines how much center-of-mass velocity a robot can safely regulate. Conventional approaches often restrict lateral stepping to prevent the legs from crossing and colliding, but this also prevents aggressive stabilizing steps that could improve balance and robustness to external disturbances.
We address this trade-off with an RMPflow-based reactive collision-avoidance swing leg controller. The controller steers the swing foot toward its planned step while avoiding collisions between the robot’s links. By using the full kinematically reachable region as a valid stepping area, the approach widens the robot’s stability margin and improves recovery from disturbances.
Video
Riemannian Motion Policy and whole-body control
Learn more in the UMass Robotics RMP project.