Task-oriented whole body motion for humanoid robots

We present a whole body motion control algorithm for humanoid robots. It is based on the framework of Liegeois and solves the redundant inverse kinematics problem on velocity level. We control the hand positions as well as the hand and head attitude. The attitude is described with a novel 2-dof description suited for symmetrical problems. Task-specific command elements can be assigned to the command vector at any time, such enabling the system to control one or multiple effectors and to seamlessly switch between such modes while generating a smooth, natural motion. Further, kinematic constraints can be assigned to individual degrees of freedom. The underlying kinematic model does not consider the leg joints explicitly. Nevertheless, the method can be used in combination with an independent balance or walking control system, such reducing the complexity of a complete system control. We show how to incorporate walking in this control scheme and present experimental results on ASIMO