Use of Active Compliance in the Control of Legged Vehicles

Often it is desirable to specify both position and force at the end effector of a manipulator system; however, when the system forms a closed kinematic chain both cannot be realized independently. Active compliance is a trade-off method that can be easily incorporatd into the supervisory control philosophy which is often used to control complex man-machine systems. An example of such a system is the Ohio State University (OSU) Hexapod which is a legged walking vehicle. Active compliance is shown to be invaluable for allowing legged locomotion over irregular terrain.