Introduction to Legged Locomotion

Catalog description

This course reviews three decades' development of agile legged machines, treating past and recent advances as well as remaining formidable challenges in the materials selection, design, and programming of robots that can run, leap and climb through complicated, unstructured terrain. Emphasis is on developing understanding of and facility using key dynamical primitives whose composition allows more complicated behaviors to emerge from simpler constituents. Several historical case studies will be used to illustrate how advances have rewarded interdisciplinary thinking about animals, materials, mathematics and mechatronics. Course credit will be based on problem sets and coding exercises.