Somersaulting Jump of Wheeled Bipedal Robot: A Comprehensive Planning and Control Strategy

The wheeled bipedal robot (WBR) is a type of robot with strong athletic ability. It combines the advantages of wheeled and legged robots while possessing efficient motion performance and good terrain adaptability. However, research on the jumping motion of WBR is currently limited, mainly focusing on relatively simple jumping actions. This letter explores the WBR's somersaulting jump, expanding the degrees of freedom in jumping actions and further enhancing its mobility. A comprehensive planning and control strategy is proposed. Specifically, the paper first designs the entire process of somersaulting jump, including preparation, flight, and recovery, based on human motion. Building on this, the dynamic models for both phases are derived. Critical states at take-off and landing are carefully designed. Moreover, trajectory planning considers constraints such as system dynamics, joint limits, and torque restrictions, ensuring the rationality of the trajectory. Subsequently, effective controllers are constructed to ensure the stability of the somersaulting jump motion. Finally, the effectiveness and adaptability of the overall planning and control strategy are verified through physical simulations.