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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kumar, Suraj, Ruina, Andy
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.00512
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author Kumar, Suraj
Ruina, Andy
author_facet Kumar, Suraj
Ruina, Andy
contents Bipedal balance is challenging due to its multi-phase, hybrid nature and high-dimensional state space. Traditional balance control approaches for bipedal robots rely on low-dimensional models for locomotion planning and reactive control, constraining the full robot to behave like these simplified models. This involves tracking preset reference paths for the Center of Mass and upper body obtained through low-dimensional models, often resulting in inefficient walking patterns with bent knees. However, we observe that bipedal balance is inherently low-dimensional and can be effectively described with simple state and action descriptors in a low-dimensional state space. This allows the robot's motion to evolve freely in its high-dimensional state space, only constraining its projection in the low-dimensional state space. In this work, we propose a novel control approach that avoids prescribing a low-dimensional model to the full model. Instead, our control framework uses a descriptive model with the minimum degrees of freedom necessary to maintain balance, allowing the remaining degrees of freedom to evolve freely in the high-dimensional space. This results in an efficient human-like walking gait and improved robustness.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_00512
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Descriptive Model-based Learning and Control for Bipedal Locomotion
Kumar, Suraj
Ruina, Andy
Robotics
Systems and Control
Bipedal balance is challenging due to its multi-phase, hybrid nature and high-dimensional state space. Traditional balance control approaches for bipedal robots rely on low-dimensional models for locomotion planning and reactive control, constraining the full robot to behave like these simplified models. This involves tracking preset reference paths for the Center of Mass and upper body obtained through low-dimensional models, often resulting in inefficient walking patterns with bent knees. However, we observe that bipedal balance is inherently low-dimensional and can be effectively described with simple state and action descriptors in a low-dimensional state space. This allows the robot's motion to evolve freely in its high-dimensional state space, only constraining its projection in the low-dimensional state space. In this work, we propose a novel control approach that avoids prescribing a low-dimensional model to the full model. Instead, our control framework uses a descriptive model with the minimum degrees of freedom necessary to maintain balance, allowing the remaining degrees of freedom to evolve freely in the high-dimensional space. This results in an efficient human-like walking gait and improved robustness.
title Descriptive Model-based Learning and Control for Bipedal Locomotion
topic Robotics
Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.00512