Central Pattern Generators with phase regulation for the control of humanoid locomotion

This work presents a Central Pattern Generator approach where the designer is able to build a basic motor repertoire that enables a biped robot to walk. The presented locomotor system includes a phase regulation feedback, which elicits or delays the transitions between swing and stance step phases according to load sensory information, adjusting the nominal walk to the environment. The approach is tested on two simulated humanoid robots and in a DARwIn-OP robot, achieving a multitude of locomotor tasks, showing how general the proposed locomotor system can be. Simulations and experiments also demonstrate the role of phase regulation on addressing small external perturbations.