Improved hopping control on slopes for small robots using spring mass modeling

Fuente: arXiv
Salvato in:
Dettagli Bibliografici
Autori principali: Roberts, Heston, Sarker, Pronoy, Islam, Sm Ashikul, Kim, Min Gyu
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
Soggetti:
Accesso online:
Tags: Aggiungi Tag
Nessun Tag, puoi essere il primo ad aggiungerne!!
_version_ 1866917317748719616
author Roberts, Heston
Sarker, Pronoy
Islam, Sm Ashikul
Kim, Min Gyu
author_facet Roberts, Heston
Sarker, Pronoy
Islam, Sm Ashikul
Kim, Min Gyu
contents Hopping robots often lose balance on slopes because the tilted ground creates unwanted rotation at landing. This work analyzes that effect using a simple spring mass model and identifies how slope induced impulses destabilize the robot. To address this, we introduce two straightforward fixes, adjusting the bodys touchdown angle based on the slope and applying a small corrective torque before takeoff. Together, these steps effectively cancel the unwanted rotation caused by inclined terrain, allowing the robot to land smoothly and maintain stable hopping even on steep slopes. Moreover, the proposed method remains simple enough to implement on low cost robotic platforms without requiring complex sensing or computation. By combining this analytical model with minimal control actions, this approach provides a practical path toward reliable hopping on uneven terrain. The results from simulation confirm that even small slope aware adjustments can dramatically improve landing stability, making the technique suitable for future autonomous field robots that must navigate natural environments such as hills, rubble, and irregular outdoor landscapes.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_05902
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Improved hopping control on slopes for small robots using spring mass modeling
Roberts, Heston
Sarker, Pronoy
Islam, Sm Ashikul
Kim, Min Gyu
Robotics
Systems and Control
Hopping robots often lose balance on slopes because the tilted ground creates unwanted rotation at landing. This work analyzes that effect using a simple spring mass model and identifies how slope induced impulses destabilize the robot. To address this, we introduce two straightforward fixes, adjusting the bodys touchdown angle based on the slope and applying a small corrective torque before takeoff. Together, these steps effectively cancel the unwanted rotation caused by inclined terrain, allowing the robot to land smoothly and maintain stable hopping even on steep slopes. Moreover, the proposed method remains simple enough to implement on low cost robotic platforms without requiring complex sensing or computation. By combining this analytical model with minimal control actions, this approach provides a practical path toward reliable hopping on uneven terrain. The results from simulation confirm that even small slope aware adjustments can dramatically improve landing stability, making the technique suitable for future autonomous field robots that must navigate natural environments such as hills, rubble, and irregular outdoor landscapes.
title Improved hopping control on slopes for small robots using spring mass modeling
topic Robotics
Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.05902