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Learning Locomotion (LL)
Program Manager: Dr. Robert Mandelbaum
Background:
Locomotion over extreme terrain requires deliberately planned, precisely coordinated movements. Like a hiker traversing a boulder field, the unmanned vehicle in extreme terrain will succeed not by flailing, but by meticulously sequencing its motions. The complexity of the planning and the required sensorimotor coordination presents significant challenges for the design and implementation of control systems. Handcrafting the control laws and parameters may not even be possible with reasonable effort.
Automatic learning offers a promising alternative. In the Learning Locomotion program, algorithms will be created that learn how to locomote based on the experience of a legged platform confronting extreme terrain. It is expected that the performance of these algorithms will far exceed the performance of handcrafted systems, creating a breakthrough in locomotion over extreme terrain. Further, it is expected that these algorithms will be broadly applicable to the class of "agile" ground vehicles.
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