Energy-optimized bipedal running of a simple humanoid robot

A method to optimize energy efficiency for bipedal running robots is presented. A running model of a simple bipedal robot consisting of five rigid bodies connected by actuated revolute joints is introduced. The actuators’ torques are generated by a trajectory tracking controller to produce periodic running gaits. The controller’s reference trajectories are parameterized by Bézier polynomials. A numerical optimization is used to employ reference trajectories with optimal energy efficiency for average velocities in the range of 1.5 to 5.5 m/s.