Publications de Alexander Spröwitz

Oncilla Robot: A Versatile Open-Source Quadruped Research Robot With Compliant Pantograph Legs

Auke Ijspeert, Rico Möckel, Alexander Spröwitz, Alexandre Tuleu, Mostafa Ajallooeian, Massimo Vespignani, Peter Eckert

2018

Spinal joint compliance and actuation in a simulated bounding quadruped robot

Auke Ijspeert, Alexander Spröwitz, Soha Pouya, Mohammad Khodabakhsh

Spine movements play an important role in quadrupedal locomotion, yet their potential benefits in locomotion of quadruped robots have not been systematically explored. In this work, we investigate the role of spinal joint actuation and compliance on the bo ...

Springer2017

Comparing the effect of different spine and leg designs for a small bounding quadruped robot

Auke Ijspeert, Alexander Spröwitz, Peter Eckert

We present Lynx-robot, a quadruped, modular, compliant machine. It alternately features a directly actuated, single-joint spine design, or an actively supported, passive compliant, multi-joint spine conﬁguration. Both spine con- ﬁgurations bend in the sagi ...

2015

Automatic Generation of Reduced CPG Control Networks for Locomotion of Arbitrary Modular Robot Structures

Auke Ijspeert, Rico Möckel, Alexander Spröwitz, Soha Pouya, Jesse van den Kieboom, Stéphane Bonardi, Massimo Vespignani

The design of efficient locomotion controllers for arbitrary structures of reconfigurable modular robots is challenging because the morphology of the structure can change dynamically during the completion of a task. In this paper, we propose a new method t ...

2014

Kinematic primitives for walking and trotting gaits of a quadruped robot with compliant legs

Auke Ijspeert, Alexander Spröwitz, Alexandre Tuleu, Mostafa Ajallooeian

In this work we research the role of body dynamics in the complexity of kinematic patterns in a quadruped robot with compliant legs. Two gait patterns, lateral sequence walk and trot, along with leg length control patterns of different complexity were impl ...

Frontiers Research Foundation2014

Roombots: A Hardware Perspective on 3D Self-Reconfiguration and Locomotion with a Homogeneous Modular Robot

Auke Ijspeert, Rico Möckel, Alexander Spröwitz, Stéphane Bonardi, Massimo Vespignani

In this work we provide hands-on experience on designing and testing a self-reconfiguring modular robotic system, Roombots (RB), to be used among others for adaptive furniture. In the long term, we envision that RB can be used to create sets of furniture, ...

Elsevier2014

Benefits of an Active Spine Supported Bounding Locomotion With a Small Compliant Quadruped Robot

Auke Ijspeert, Alexander Spröwitz, Alexandre Tuleu, Mahdi Khoramshahi

We studied the effect of the control of an active spine versus a fixed spine, on a quadruped robot run- ning in bound gait. Active spine supported actuation led to faster locomotion, with less foot sliding on the ground, and a higher stability to go straig ...

2013

Horse-like walking, trotting, and galloping derived from kinematic Motion Primitives (kMPs) and their application to walk/trot transitions in a compliant quadruped robot

Auke Ijspeert, Alexander Spröwitz, Alexandre Tuleu, Massimo Vespignani

This manuscript proposes a method to directly transfer the features of horse walking, trotting, and galloping to a quadruped robot, with the aim of creating a much more natural (horse-like) locomotion profile. A principal component analysis on horse joint ...

Springer Verlag2013

Modular Control of Limit Cycle Locomotion over Unperceived Rough Terrain

Auke Ijspeert, Alexander Spröwitz, Sébastien Gay, Alexandre Tuleu, Mostafa Ajallooeian

We present a general approach to design modular controllers for limit cycle locomotion over unperceived rough terrain. The control strategy uses a Central Pattern Generator (CPG) model implemented as coupled nonlinear oscillators as basis. Stumbling correc ...

2013

Towards Dynamic Trot Gait Locomotion—Design, Control and Experiments with Cheetah-cub, a Compliant Quadruped Robot

Auke Ijspeert, Alexander Spröwitz, Alexandre Tuleu, Mostafa Ajallooeian, Massimo Vespignani

We present robot design and results from locomotion experiments with a novel, compliant quadruped robot: Cheetah-cub. The robot's leg configuration is based on a spring-loaded, panthograph-mechanism with multiple segments. A dedicated open-loop, joint-spac ...

2013

Gait Optimization for Roombots Modular Robots - Matching Simulation and Reality

Auke Ijspeert, Rico Möckel, Alexander Spröwitz, Soha Pouya, Stéphane Bonardi, Massimo Vespignani

The design of efficient locomotion gaits for robots with many degrees of freedom is challenging and time con- suming even if optimization techniques are applied. Control parameters can be found through optimization in two ways: (i) through online optimizat ...

2013

Use Your Spine! Effect of Active Spine Movements on Horizontal Impulse and Cost of Transport in a Bounding, Quadruped Robot

Auke Ijspeert, Alexander Spröwitz, Alexandre Tuleu, Mahdi Khoramshahi

2013

Central Pattern Generators Augmented with Virtual Model Control for Quadruped Rough Terrain Locomotion

Auke Ijspeert, Alexander Spröwitz, Soha Pouya, Mostafa Ajallooeian

2013

Locomotion through Reconfiguration based on Motor Primitives for Roombots Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robots

Auke Ijspeert, Rico Möckel, Alexander Spröwitz, Stéphane Bonardi, Massimo Vespignani

We present the hardware and reconfiguration experiments for an autonomous self-reconfigurable modular robot called Roombots (RB). RB were designed to form the basis for self-reconfigurable furniture. Each RB module contains three degrees of freedom that ha ...

IEEE2012

Oncilla robot: a light-weight bio-inspired quadruped robot for fast locomotion in rough terrain

Auke Ijspeert, Rico Möckel, Alexander Spröwitz, Alexandre Tuleu, Mostafa Ajallooeian

: On the hardware level, we are proposing and testing a bio-inspired quadruped robot design (Oncilla robot), based on light-weight, compliant, and three-segmented legs. Our choice of placing the compliance such that it is spanning two joints enforces a non ...

2011

Roombots: Design and Implementation of a Modular Robot for Reconfiguration and Locomotion

Alexander Spröwitz

In this thesis we present the design and implementation of a novel self-reconfiguring modular (SR-MR) robotic system: Roombots. We are aiming at three main applications with Roombots; locomotion through self-reconfiguration in the regular cubic 3D-lattice ...

EPFL2010

Automatic Gait Generation in Modular Robots: to Oscillate or to Rotate? that is the question

Auke Ijspeert, Alexander Spröwitz, Soha Pouya, Jesse van den Kieboom

Modular robots offer the possibility to design robots with a high diversity of shapes and functionalities. This nice feature also brings an important challenge: namely how to design efficient locomotion gaits for arbitrary robot structures with many degree ...

Ieee Service Center, 445 Hoes Lane, Po Box 1331, Piscataway, Nj 08855-1331 Usa2010

Roombots: Reconfigurable Robots for Adaptive Furniture

Aude Billard, Auke Ijspeert, Pierre Dillenbourg, Rico Möckel, Alexander Spröwitz, Soha Pouya, Jesse van den Kieboom, Stéphane Bonardi

Imagine a world in which our furniture moves around like legged robots, interacts with us, and changes shape and function during the day according to our needs. This is the long term vision we have in the Roombots project. To work towards this dream, we ar ...

2010

Roombots-Towards Decentralized Reconfiguration with Self-Reconfiguring Modular Robotic Metamodules

Auke Ijspeert, Pierre-André Mudry, Rico Möckel, Philippe Laprade, Alexander Spröwitz, Mikaël Mayer, Stéphane Bonardi

This paper presents our work towards a decentralized reconfiguration strategy for self-reconfiguring modular robots, assembling furniture-like structures from Roombots metamodules. We explore how reconfiguration by locomotion from a configuration A to a co ...

Ieee Service Center, 445 Hoes Lane, Po Box 1331, Piscataway, Nj 08855-1331 Usa2010

Compliant Leg Design for a Quadruped Robot

Auke Ijspeert, Ludovic Righetti, Simon Rutishauser, Alexander Spröwitz, Konstantinos Karakasiliotis

2009