H2R · Integrative approach for the emergence of human-like robot locomotion

The development of a robotic humanoid is one of the recurrent human dreams of all ages. Environments in which humans operate or live are specially made for and structured to their locomotion and manipulation capabilities. In healthy humans, walking emerges naturally from a hierarchical organization and combination of motor control mechanisms. Artificial bipeds have not reached performance comparable to human behaviour. Major drawbacks of these bipeds and control concepts are related to their stability and energy consumption.<br/>The goal of H2R project is to demonstrate human-like gait and posture in a controlled compliant biped robot as a result of a hierarchical organization and combination of the most relevant motor control mechanisms found in humans. This will be done integrating the human-like mechanical principles and control strategies currently applied in the three actual prototypes ESBiRRo, Veronica and Posturob, into a behavior-based hierarchical architecture proposed by the iB2C approach. This process will result in a novel reflex-based controlled passive walker, built around the ESBiRRo platform.<br/>H2R biped, will allow, to some extent, capturing human functional morphology and passive dynamics features. The behaviour-based control structure will allow for hierarchical strategies and combination of feed-forward and feedback control, thus supporting spinal motor patterns for bilateral synchronization of gait phases and stabilization by means of spinal reflexes. The system will include human-like vestibular and visual sensory systems, to allow for supraspinal postural reflexes. The behaviour-based control architecture will be combined with novel learning schemes and prediction strategies in which biomechanical, neuromotor and cognitive key features of human walking are transferred to the machine.