A survey of the development of quadruped robots: Joint configuration, dynamic locomotion control method and mobile manipulation approach

Some quadruped robots developed recently show better dynamic performance and environmental adaptability than ever, and have been preliminarily applied in the field of emergency disposal, military reconnaissance and infrastructure construction. The development route, mechanisms design, control methods and mobile manipulating approaches of the quadruped robots are surveyed in this article. Firstly, the development route of the quadruped robot is combed, as the references of the forecast of the future work on quadruped robots. Then the bionic structure and the motion control method of the quadruped robot is summarized, the advantages and disadvantages are analyzed in aspects of gait switching, terrain adaption and disturbance resistance. Subsequently, aiming at the mobile manipulation of the quadruped robot, the representative leg-arm collaborative robots and the multi-task-oriented Whole-body Control (WBC) methods are introduced. Finally, the summary and future work of the quadruped robots is given.