Legged-Robots

This repository contains papers, videos and other references in the field of legged robots.

Robotics conference paper lists

1. List of all ICRA 2024 paper: [Webpage]
2. List of all IROS 2023 papers: [Google sheet] / [Github Repo]
3. List of all ICRA 2023 papers: [Google sheet]

Robotics Workshops Websites and video links

1. ICRA 2024 Workshop on Co-design in Robotics: Theory, Practice, and Challenges: [Webpage]
2. ICRA 2024 Advancements in Trajectory Optimization and Model Predictive Control for Legged Systems: [Webpage]

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Robotics Publications

1. List of Top Robotics Conferences and Publications: [List on Google Scholar Webpage]
   1. A few ASME Conferences and Journals:
      1. Journal of Mechanisms and Robots,
      2. Journal of Dynamics Systems, Measurement and Control, and
      3. Transaction on Mechatronics (IEEE/ASME) etc
   2. A few IEEE Conferences and Journals:
      1. International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA),
      2. International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS),
      3. Robotics and Automation Letters (RAL),
      4. Transaction on Robotics (T-RO) etc.

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Papers

New Papers: Legged Robots

1. Design and Development of the MIT Humanoid: A Dynamic and Robust Research Platform [IEEE-RAS HUMANOIDS 2023] [Paper]
2. Guardians as You Fall: Active Mode Transition for Safe Falling: Yikai Wang, Mengdi Xu, Guanya Shi, Ding Zhao: CMU [Paper][Website][Github]
3. Barry: A High-Payload and Agile Quadruped Robot: Giorgio Valsecchi , Nikita Rudin , Lennart Nachtigall, Konrad Mayer, Fabian Tischhauser, and Marco Hutter: ETH Zurich; [RAL Nov 2023] [Paper]

ICRA 2023

Learning for locomotion

1. DribbleBot: Dynamic Legged Manipulation in the wild [Paper][Video][Code][Notes]
2. DreamWaQ: Learning Robust Quadrupedal Locomotion with Implicit Terrain Imagination Via Deep Reinforcement Learning [Paper][Video][Website]
3. Learning Low-Frequency Motion Control for Robust and Dynamic Robot Locomotion [Paper][Video][Website]
4. OPT-Mimic: Imitation of Optimized Trajectories for Dynamic Quadruped Behaviors [Paper][Video][Website]
5. Learning to Walk by Steering: Perceptive Quadrupedal Locomotion in Dynamic Environments [Paper][Video][Website][Code]
6. Legs As Manipulator: Pushing Quadrupedal Agility Beyond Locomotion [Paper][Video][Website]
7. Force Control for Robust Quadruped Locomotion: A Linear Policy Approach [Paper: will be updated soon][Video][Website]
8. Advanced Skills through Multiple Adversarial Motion Priors in Reinforcement Learning [Paper][Video]
9. Deep Reinforcement Learning Based Personalized Locomotion Planning for Lower-Limb Exoskeletons [Paper][Video]
10. Expanding Versatility of Agile Locomotion through Policy Transitions Using Latent State Representation [Paper][Video]
11. Sim-To-Real Transfer for Quadrupedal Locomotion Via Terrain Transformer [Paper]
12. Agile and Versatile Robot Locomotion Via Kernel-Based Residual Learning [Paper][Video]

Design of Mechanisms

1. Energy-Based Design Optimization of a Miniature Wave-Like Robot Inside Curved Compliant Tubes
2. A Palm-Sized Omnidirectional Mobile Robot Driven by 2-DOF Torus Wheels
3. Flipper-Style Locomotion through Strong Expanding Modular Robots
4. Simplified Configuration Design of Anthropomorphic Hand Imitating Specific Human Hand Grasps
5. Meta Reinforcement Learning for Optimal Design of Legged Robots [Paper]
6. Advanced 2-DOF Counterbalance Mechanism Based on Gear Units and Springs to Minimize Required Torques of Robot Arm
7. Permanent-Magnetically Amplified Robotic Gripper with Less Clamping Width Influence on Compensation Realized by a Stepless Width Adjustment Mechanism
8. Design of a New Bio-Inspired Dual-Axis Compliant Micromanipulator with Millimeter Strokes
9. Optimal Elastic Wing for Flapping-Wing Robots through Passive Morphing

Navigation and planning of Quadruped Robots

1. GPF-BG: A Hierarchical Vision-Based Planning Framework for Safe Quadrupedal Navigation: LiDAR Lab, GaTech [Paper][Video]

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Control

Optimization Based control for legged robots:

1. Survey Paper: Optimization-Based Control for Dynamic Legged Robots
2. Convex MPC: Dynamic Locomotion in the MIT Cheetah 3 Through Convex Model-Predictive Control
3. Feedback MPC: Feedback MPC for Torque-Controlled Legged Robots
4. RF-MPC: Representation-Free Model Predictive Control for Dynamic Motions in Quadrupeds
   a. Github Code link: YanranDing/RF-MPC
5. Motion Imitation: Learning Agile Robotic Locomotion Skills by Imitating Animals
   a. Github Code link: erwincoumans/motion_imitation
6. Non-Linear RF-MPC:Real-Time Constrained Nonlinear Model Predictive Control on SO(3) or Dynamic Legged Locomotion
7. WBC+MPC: Highly Dynamic Quadruped Locomotion via Whole-Body Impulse Control and Model Predictive Control

Optimization problem solving:

1. Contact-implicit DDP: Contact-Implicit Differential Dynamic Programming for Model Predictive Control with Relaxed Complementarity Constraints
2. RPC on MIT Cheetah-3: Implementing Regularized Predictive Control for Simultaneous Real-Time Footstep and Ground Reaction Force Optimization
3. CACTO: CACTO: Continuous Actor-Critic with Trajectory Optimization -- Towards global optimality

Barrier Functions:

1. AMBER Lab, CalTech: Risk-Averse Control via CVaR Barrier Functions: Application to Bipedal Robot Locomotion
2. MIT Humanoid: Humanoid Self-Collision Avoidance Using Whole-Body Control with Control Barrier Functions

Learning Based locomotion:

1. Tencent Robotics: Lifelike Agility and Play on Quadrupedal Robots using Reinforcement Learning and Deep Pre-trained Models
   [Paper coming soon][Website][Video]

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Mechanical Design

Design Principles and design of robots:

1. MIT, Design Principles: Design principles for highly efficient quadrupeds and implementation on the MIT Cheetah robot
2. UIUC, Panther: Design and experimental implementation of a quasi-direct-drive leg for optimized jumping
3. UIUC, Tello Leg: Tello Leg: The Study of Design Principles and Metrics for Dynamic Humanoid Robots
4. UIUC, Tello Leg: The dynamic effect of mechanical losses of transmissions on the equation of motion of legged robots
5. AMI, IIT, Italy, egroCub Humanoid: Optimization of Humanoid Robot Designs for Human-Robot Ergonomic Payload Lifting
6. ETH Zurich, ANYmal: Vitruvio: An Open-Source Leg Design Optimization Toolbox for Walking Robots
7. Co-design(CACTO): Exploring the Limits of a Redundant Actuation System Through Co-Design
8. Tachyon, Sony: Tachyon: Design and Control of High Payload, Robust, and Dynamic Quadruped Robot with Series-Parallel Elastic Actuators

Actuator Designs:

1. KAIST, Actuator Design: DRPD, Dual Reduction Ratio Planetary Drive for Articulated Robot Actuators
2. KAIST, HOUND design: Design of KAIST HOUND, a Quadruped Robot Platform for Fast and Efficient Locomotion with Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Optimization of a Gear Train
3. Dual Motor Design (2021): Explosive Electric Actuator and Control for Legged Robots
4. John Harry Bell, Master's Thesis, MIT (2018): A Two-Motor Actuator for Legged Robotics Applications
5. Robotics and Multibody Mechanics Research Group (R&MM), Belgium (2017): Modeling and design of an energy-efficient dual-motor actuation unit with a planetary differential and holding brakes
6. Alexandre Girard's paper, Hamburg, Germany IROS(2015): A Two-Speed Actuator for Robotics with Fast Seamless Gear Shifting
7. Hoyul Lee's Paper, ASME/IEEE Transactions on mechatronics(2012): A New Actuator System Using Dual-Motors and a Planetary Gear
8. Jung Jun Park' paper, ASME/IEEE Transactions on mechatronics(2010): A Serial-Type Dual Actuator Unit With Planetary Gear Train: Basic Design and Applications

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Patents

1. Boston Dynamics: List of Patents from Boston Dynamics
2. Boston Dynamics: Screw Actuator for Legged Robots
3. Boston Dynamics: WO2018112097 - TRANSMISSION WITH INTEGRATED OVERLOAD PROTECTION FOR A LEGGED ROBOT

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Good Robot designs:

1. MIT Mini Cheetah, MIT
2. Tiktok, Humanoid, Cornell University
3. Stanford Doggo, Stanford University (Click here then scroll down for designs)

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Video Lectures:

Robotics and Controls:

1. Robotics Fall 2023, by Pranav Bhounsule: [Videos][Notes]

Topics in Mathematics

1. MIT 18.06 Linear Algebra, Spring 2005, MITOCW: Gilbert Strang

Optimization

1. Course: Numerical Optimization, (NPTEL): Shirish Sevade

Trajectory Optimization

1. Video Lecture: Introduction to Trajectory Optimization: Matthew Kelly
2. Video Lecture: Underactuated Robotics, Trajectory Optimization I: Lec 11, Russ Tedrake
3. Video Lecture: Underactuated Robotics, Trajectory Optimization II: Lec 12, Russ Tedrake
4. Video Lecture: Optimization, Optimal Control, Trajectory Optimization, and Splines: Jesus Tordesillas
5. Book: Practical Methods for Optimal control and estimation using non-linear programming, John T. Betts
6. Github Repos: Matthew Kelly's TrajOpt Repo
7. Github Repos: MindtPy Library Page: MINLP solver
8. Tutorial Paper: An Introduction to Trajectory Optimization: How to do your own direct collocation, Matthew Kelly

Basics of Control systems

1. Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR): Basics/Overview Derivation

Reinforcement Learning

1. Deep RL Bootcamp
2. Reinforcement Learning: David Silver
3. CS-285: Deep Reinforcement Learning, UC Berkeley
4. Spinning up*: It's a blog but really useful

ROS

1. ROS Wiki Tutorials: Muhammad Luqman

Mechanical Design and Theory

1. Kinematics of Mechanisms and Machines: NPTEL, IIT KGP
   1. Lec-37: Gear Kinematics
   2. Lec-38: Gear Trains I
   3. Lec-39: Gear Trains II
   4. Lec-40: Gear Trains III
2. Bond Graph Modeling: NPTEL
3. Gear Strength Theory: NPTEL
4. Friction-Model-for-Spur-Gear-transmission-efficiency: Review by Tsuneji Yada

Miscellaneous:

1. List-of-Science-and-Math-courses

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Usefull Books:

1. Statics and Dynamics: Andy Ruina

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Useful Tools:

Mathematics:

1. Lean: Programming Language for Theorem prover [Link]
   i. Tutorials: Natural Number Game [Link]

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Useful articles:

Software installations:

1. Installing Anaconda on Ubuntu 22.04
2. Installing Anaconda on Ubuntu 18.04

Technical topics:

1. DDP: A good read for DDP
2. Policy Gradient Algorithms: A good read for Policy Gradient Algos
3. Reinforcement Learning Resources: A list of resources for studying Reinforcement Learning

Study:

1. How to read Research Papers?
   • How to read a research paper by Andrew NG: Video / Notes
   • How to Read a Paper by S. Keshav: PDF
   • How to read a paper: LinkedIn Post
   • Usefull Resources by Ness B Shroff, on PhD and writing papers: Webpage
2. How to organize Reasearch Papers?
   • How to find, read and organize papers by Maya Gosztyla: Article

Know your scientist:

1. Steven LaValle: Motivating story of Steven LaValle, who gave the RRT algorithm.
2. Shuji Nakamura: Invention of Blue LED: Documentary about invention of blue LED.

Website:

1. List of usefull resources: Aditya Mehrotra, MIT D-lab
2. StePhane Caron
3. Usefull Resources: Xiaobin Xiong

Productivity Articles: (Don't get sucked too much into them)

1. HBR: 5 Mental Mistakes That Kill Your Productivity by Alice Boyes

Cool AI tools:

1. InstantID : Merges your picture with text description and an optional pose photo
2. Perplexity.ai : A replacement for ChatGPT. It is real-time and it continuously searches the internet.
3. Text to Image Playground: COnvert text to image with free credits addition.

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Useful GitHub Repositories:

1. loco-3d/crocoddyl: Crocoddyl is an optimal control library for robot control under contact sequence. Its solver is based on various efficient Differential Dynamic Programming (DDP)-like algorithms

2. Pinocchio: Efficient and Versatile Rigid Body Dynamics Algorithms

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Professors and Labs working in legged robotics

India

• Shishir N Y, Stochastic Robotics Lab, RBCCPS, IISc Bengaluru [Personal Website][Lab website]

USA

• Sangbae Kim, Biomimetics Robotics Lab, MIT [Lab Website]
• Pulkit Agarwal, Improbable AI Lab, MIT [Personal Website]
• Deepak Pathak, CMU [Personal Website]
• Zac Manchester, Robotic Exploration Group, CMU [Personal Webpage][Lab Website]
• Ye Zhao, LIDAR lab, Georgia Tech [Personal Website][Lab Website]
• Sehoon Ha, Georgia Tech [Personal Website]
• Quan Nguyen, Dynamic Robotics and Control Laboratory, University of South California (USC) [Personal Webpage][Lab Website]
• Pranav Bhounsule, Robotics and Motion Laboratory, University of Illinois Chicago [Personal Webpage][Lab Website]
• Joao Ramos, Robo Design Lab, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) [Lab Website]
• Ayonga Hereid, Cyber-Physical and Robotics Lab, Ohio State University [Personal Webpage][Lab Webpage]
• Koushil Sreenath, Hybrid Robotics, University of South California, Berkeley (USC, Berkeley) [Personal Webpage][Lab Website]
• Jitendra Malik, EECS, University of California at Berkeley [Personal Webpage]
• Yanran Ding, Robotics Department, University of Michigan [Personal Website]
• Xiaobin Xiong, UW WELL Lab, University of Wisconsin-Madison [Personal Website][Lab Website]

Europe

• Marco Hutter, Robotic Systems Lab, ETH Zurich, Switzerland [Lab Website]
• Serena Ivaldi, Research Scientist, INRIA, France [Personal Website]
• Oliver Strasse, French National Centre for Scientific Research, France [Personal Website]
• Carlos Mastalli, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK [Personal Website]

South Korea

• Hae-Won Park, DRDC Lab, KAIST [Lab Website]
• Jemin Hwangbo, RaiLab, KAIST [Lab Website]

Other Labs

• Sony Quadruped Research Website

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Robotics Companies

India

• Ideaforge, Drone manufacturing company [Website]
• Ati Motors, Industrial Mobile robots company [Website]

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Accesories for Legged robots:

1. Motors
   1. TQ-Motors: Used in Raibo Quadruped
   2. Halodi Motors: Used in Hound quadruped
2. Drivers
   1. Mjbots: Moteus-n1, Moteus-r4.xx
      It also provide several other accesories for legged robots. It is like a one stop shop.