Human Balancing on a Log: A Switched Multi-Layer Controller

We study the task of balancing a human on a log that is fixed in place. Balancing on a log is substantially more challenging than balancing on a flat surface -- to achieve stability, we use a switched multi-layer controller. The controller consists of an upper-layer LQR planner (akin to the central...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inarXiv.org
Main Authors Zhao, Jiayi, Yang, Mo, Li, Jing Shuang
Format Paper
LanguageEnglish
Published Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 03.10.2024
Subjects
Actuation
Balancing
Central nervous system
Controllers
Dynamical systems
Flat surfaces
Initial conditions
Multilayers
Nonlinear control
Nonlinear dynamics
Surface stability
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Summary:We study the task of balancing a human on a log that is fixed in place. Balancing on a log is substantially more challenging than balancing on a flat surface -- to achieve stability, we use a switched multi-layer controller. The controller consists of an upper-layer LQR planner (akin to the central nervous system) that coordinates ankle and hip torques, and lower-layer PID trackers (akin to local motor units) that follow this plan subject to nonlinear dynamics. Additionally, the controller switches between three operational modes depending on the current state of the human. The efficacy of the controller is verified in simulation, where our controller is able to stabilize the human for a variety of initial conditions. We also show that this controller is compatible with muscle-based actuation and imperfect sensing, making it a promising candidate for modeling motor control under challenging conditions in a more bio-realistic way.
ISSN:2331-8422