Flexible Muscle-Based Locomotion for Bipedal Creatures

In ACM Transactions on Graphics, Vol. 32, Nr. 6 (Proc. of SIGGRAPH Asia 2013)

Thomas Geijtenbeek, Michiel van de Panne, Frank van der Stappen

 

Abstract

We present a muscle-based control method for simulated bipeds in which both the muscle routing and control parameters are optimized. This yields a generic locomotion control method that supports a variety of bipedal creatures. All actuation forces are the result of 3D simulated muscles, and a model of neural delay is included for all feedback paths. As a result, our controllers generate torque patterns that incorporate biomechanical constraints. The synthesized controllers find different gaits based on target speed, can cope with uneven terrain and external perturbations, and can steer to target directions.

Paper

[paper pdf] [bibtex]

Contact

For more information about this project: t.geijtenbeek [at] tudelft [dot] nl

Funding

GALA, funded by the European Union in FP7

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada)

GRAND NCE: Graphics, Animation, and New Media