Kinematic Control and Posture Optimization of a Redundantly Actuated Quadruped Robot

Although legged locomotion for robots has been studied for many years, the research of wheeled-leg robotics is much more recent. Robots of this type can take advantage of the energy efficiency of wheeled locomotion while adapting to more difficult terrain with legged locomotion when necessary. The Micro Hydraulic Toolkit (MHT), developed by engineers at Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), is a good example of such a robot. MHT is an unmanned quadruped hybrid robot with hydraulically articulated legs and electric wheels. Investigation into the control of MHT leads to a better understanding of ground vehicle control for terrestrial exploration and reconnaissance. The methodology applied in this work uses MHT's velocity kinematics to determine joint rates for the given posture and trajectory inputs. This thesis will review the formulation of the kinematic controller and the results obtained via co-simulation using Matlab's Simulink and the high-fidelity model of MHT in LMS Virtual Lab.