Research And Implementation On ODE-based Dynamic Simulation Platform For Quadruped Robot

Compared with other types of mobile robots, legged robot has a better ability to adapt to various terrain. Quadruped robot, as the most practical form of mobile robot with excellent moving stability,can be easily controlled,and has the advantage of low cost.Quadruped robot can be used in many kinds of occasions, thus researching on quadruped robot has great theoretical value and practical value. The robot simulation,which is an important step in the development process,can not only accelerate the research progress, but also save the cost.Current robot simulation software has the limitation in universality and usability.It is not easy to complete complicated user defined simulation tasks conveniently with existed robot simulation software. In order to meet the various needs of robot simulation, a universal simulation platform based on ODE is designed in this paper.The platform provides users with a rapid prototyping environment for modeling, programming and simulating mobile robots,especially for quadruped robot.The main contents of this paper include:(1)Firstly,the research background,as well as the research situation and development of quadruped robot both in domestic and abroad are briefly introduced. The advantages and disadvantages of existed robot simulation software are listed. The design plan of robot simulation platform in this paper is proposed.(2) Various dynamics algorithms and collision detection algorithms are described,related libraries are introduced. The architecture of Open dynamics engine(ODE) and the method of using ODE is presented.(3) A Qt-based dynamic simulation platform for robots is designed.The file structure of the simulation platform and running process are specified. Usage and function of each module are explained particularly.(4) D-H method is utilized to build the virtual prototype of SCalf-Ⅱ quadruped robot.All the main parts and joints of SCalf-Ⅱ are modeled in the simulation platform. Several experiments of quadruped robot with trot gait are carried out to verify the reliability of the platform.(5)The performance of the simulation platform is evaluated by real-time simulation speed tests.The influence of simulation step size is analyzed.A simple biped robot is realized in the simulation platform to certified that the platform is universal and expandable.(6) The contents in this paper are summarized, the prospects for future work are put forward.