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Abstract

A force controller for a multi-legged robot operating in low-, micro-, or zero gravity environments, and using adhesive foot pads for removable attachment of the feet to a supporting surface or object, dynamically balances all external forces on the robot using a least squares technique, while observing predefined system constraints. The controller decomposes otherwise indeterminate least squares problems into plural individual problems involving fewer forces or controlled parameters, which problems are determinate, and then combines the results using superposition to produce a solution for the entire robot. Where system constraints, such as limits on footpad adhesion, prevent the controller from perfectly balancing all external forces, the residual unbalanced forces will cause some movement of the robot body that deviates from the intended movement or position profile. The controller continues to balance forces over time, such that the movement/position error decays to a minimal amount.

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First Claim