Experimental evaluation of commercial quadruped robots: stability and performance in non-inertial environments

This paper presents an experimental evaluation of the stability and performance of commercial quadrupedal robots, specifically the Ghost Robotics Vision 60 and Boston Dynamics Spot, under dynamic ground conditions typical of non-inertial naval environments. Our study systematically assesses these robots in controlled laboratory settings and real-world scenarios aboard the M80 Stiletto, a naval prototype vessel. To rigorously test the robots’ stability, balance, and path-following capabilities, we analyze primary metrics including the distance of the center of mass to the support polygon boundary, body-position tracking accuracy, trunk orientation steadiness, and joint torque profiles under dynamic disturbances from ground accelerations and rotations. The results reveal that while both robots demonstrate operational capabilities, significant challenges remain. Vision 60, in particular, exhibits superior stability, balance, and lower peak torque when handling substantial ground motions compared to Spot. However, both robots struggle with accurate body-position tracking under aggressive ground motions. These findings highlight the limitations of current commercial quadruped robots in operating within non-inertial environments and underscore the urgent requirement for further research and development in robot planning and control.