An Evolutionary Optimization Approach for Optimal Hopping of Humanoid Robots

This paper proposes an evolutionary optimization approach for optimal hopping of humanoid robots. In the proposed approach, the hopping trajectory is generated by a central pattern generator (CPG). The CPG is one of the biologically inspired approaches, and it generates rhythmic signals by using neural oscillators. During the hopping motion, the disturbance caused by the ground reaction forces is compensated for by utilizing the sensory feedback in the CPG. Posture control is essential for a stable hopping motion. A posture controller is utilized to maintain the balance of the humanoid robot while hopping. In addition, a compliance controller using a virtual spring-damper model is applied for stable landing. For optimal hopping, the optimization of the hopping motion is formulated as a minimization problem with equality constraints. To solve this problem, two-phase evolutionary programming is employed. The proposed approach is verified through computer simulations using a simulated model of the small-sized humanoid robot platform DARwIn-OP.