Towards goal-directed biped locomotion: Combining CPGs and motion primitives

• A bio-inspired architecture generates biped locomotion on different platforms.
• Rhythmic movements are generated by CPGs modeled by nonlinear oscillators.
• The approach provides for a developmental mechanism, which enables progressively building a motor repertoire.
• Results in a simulated and real DARWIN robot show general ball following behavior.

In this paper it is presented a CPG approach based on phase oscillators to bipedal locomotion where the designer with little a priori knowledge is able to incrementally add basic motion primitives, reaching bipedal walking and other locomotor behaviors as final result. The proposed CPG aims to be a model free solution for the generation of bipedal walking, not requiring the use of inverse kinematical models and previously defined joint trajectories.The proposed incremental construction of bipedal walking allows an easier parametrization and performance evaluation throughout the design process. Furthermore, the approach provides for a developmental mechanism, which enables progressively building a motor repertoire. It would easily benefit from evolutionary robotics and machine learning to explore this aspect.The proposed CPG system also offers a good substrate for the inclusion of feedback mechanisms for modulation and adaptation. It is explored a phase regulation mechanism using load sensory information, observable in vertebrate legged animals.Results from simulations, on HOAP and DARwIn-OP in Webots software show the adequacy of the locomotor system to generate bipedal walk on different robots. Experiments on a DARwIn-OP demonstrates how it can accomplish locomotion and how the proposed work can generalize, achieving several distinct locomotor behaviors.