Navigation of a walking robot in natural environments

The most relevant differences existing between wheeled and legged robots, from the point of view of the expected navigation tasks to be performed using each kind of locomotion, are reviewed. We propose a new framework for legged robot navigation that replaces many implicit assumptions usually made for wheeled robots by new ones that are better suited to legged robots. Based on this, specific techniques are proposed for navigation control, sensing and map usage, path planning, body movement, and gait generation.