HyQ Robot (IIT, Italy, 2007 – present)

 

The HyQ project started in Spring 2007 as my PhD project at the Advanced Robotics Department of the Italian Institute of Technology (under the supervision of Dr. Nikos Tsagarakis and Prof. Darwin Caldwell). The goal of this project is to develop a versatile quadruped robot that is able to perform highly dynamic motions such as running and jumping, and also precise navigation over rough terrain.
After extensive testing of a first leg prototype in 2008 and 2009, the first prototype of HyQ was operational in 2010. Since then, we have been gradually improving the robot hardware and software and we implemented several locomotion modes from walking to running and jumping. Motion planning, low and high level control, rigid body dynamics etc. are part of ongoing research.

Many people are contributing to this project. Only with their expert knowledge and experience such a project is possible. A list of my collaborators is shown below.

official project website (link)

 Latest Youtube video (May 2012)

Earlier Youtube video (October 2011)

 

HyQ Robot version 1.2 (2011)

This version has improved mechanical design, electronics, sensing and joint control.

 

HyQ Robot version 1.1 (2010)

C. Semini, N. G. Tsagarakis, E. Guglielmino, M. Focchi, F. Cannella and D. G. Caldwell, “Design of HyQ – a Hydraulically and Electrically Actuated Quadruped Robot,” Proc. IMechE Vol. 225 Part I: J. Systems and Control Engineering, 2011.   (pdf, tex, link)

C. Semini, J. Buchli, M. Frigerio, T. Boaventura, M. Focchi, E. Guglielmino, F. Cannella, N. G. Tsagarakis and D. G. Caldwell, “HyQ – A Dynamic Locomotion Research Platform,” International Workshop on Bio-Inspired Robots, Nantes (France), April 2011. (pdf)

 

HyQ Robot version 1.0 (2010)

C. Semini, “HyQ – Design and Development of a Hydraulically Actuated Quadruped Robot,” PhD Thesis, Italian Institute of Technology and University of Genoa, Italy, 2010. (pdf) (pdf in high resolution)

 

HyQ First Leg Prototype (2008, 2009)

 

C. Semini, N. G. Tsagarakis, B. Vanderborght, Y. S. Yang and D. G. Caldwell, “HyQ – Hydraulically Actuated Quadruped Robot: Hopping Leg Prototype,” IEEE/RAS-EMBS Int. Conf. on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob), pp.593-599, 2008. (pdf, tex)

C. Semini, N. G. Tsagarakis, D. G. Caldwell, “Dynamic Tasks of a Hydraulically Actuated Quadruped Robot, ” Poster at Dynamic Walking Conference, Delft (The Netherlands), May 2008.

C. Semini, N. G. Tsagarakis, D. G. Caldwell, “Bio-Inspired Design of a Hydraulically Actuated Quadruped Robot [HyQ],” Poster at Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS) Conference, Zurich (Switzerland), June 2008.

T. B. Cunha, C. Semini, E. Guglielmino, V. J. De Negri, Y. S. Yang, D. G. Caldwell, “Gain Scheduling Control for the Hydraulic Actuation of the HyQ Robot Leg,” Int. Conf. of Mechanical Engineering (COBEM), 2009.

M. Focchi, E. Guglielmino, C. Semini, T. B. Cunha, Y. S. Yang, D. G. Caldwell, “Control of a Hydraulically-Actuated Quadruped Robot Leg,” IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2010.

C. Semini, N. G. Tsagarakis, E. Guglielmino, D. G. Caldwell, “Design and Experimental Evaluation of the Hydraulically Actuated Prototype Leg of the HyQ Robot,” IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. on Intelligent RObots and Systems (IROS), 2010.

HyQ in the media

RS@work newsletter of April 2009 (link)

LMS newsletter of March 2011 (link)

Einstein science program of Swiss TV channel SF (April 2011) (link), shown in May 2011 in 3SAT (link)

 

Article in EsPr3sSioni (May 2011) (link) and later in Agoravox (May 2011) (link)

Post on IEEE spectrum blog “HyQ Quadruped Robot From Italy Can Trot, Kick“  (October 2011)

Wired Italy Magazine “Ma gli androidi italiani sognano trenette al pesto?”, (November 2011) (link)

Post on IEEE spectrum blog “Italian Quadruped Robot goes for a Walk“  (May 2012)

Russian TV featuring HyQ (July 2012) (link)

 

My collaborators on the HyQ project

full time:

Jonas Buchli,  Michele Focchi, Thiago Boaventura, Marco Frigerio, Peng Shuang, Ioannis Havoutis, Jake Goldsmith, Stephane Bazeille, Hamza Khan, Victor Barasuol (visiting)

part time:

Nikos Tsagarakis,  Emanuele Guglielmino, Ferdinando Cannella, David Branson, Carlo Tacchino, Marco Migliorini, Stefano Cordasco, Gianluca Pane, Giuseppe Sofia and Alessio Margan

head of department:

Prof. Darwin G. Caldwell

 

Fundings

the project is funded by the Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (link)