Self-Organizing Map With Time-Varying Structure to Plan and Control Artificial Locomotion

IEEE Trans Neural Netw Learn Syst. 2015 Aug;26(8):1594-607. doi: 10.1109/TNNLS.2014.2345662. Epub 2014 Sep 4.

Abstract

This paper presents an algorithm, self-organizing map-state trajectory generator (SOM-STG), to plan and control legged robot locomotion. The SOM-STG is based on an SOM with a time-varying structure characterized by constructing autonomously close-state trajectories from an arbitrary number of robot postures. Each trajectory represents a cyclical movement of the limbs of an animal. The SOM-STG was designed to possess important features of a central pattern generator, such as rhythmic pattern generation, synchronization between limbs, and swapping between gaits following a single command. The acquisition of data for SOM-STG is based on learning by demonstration in which the data are obtained from different demonstrator agents. The SOM-STG can construct one or more gaits for a simulated robot with six legs, can control the robot with any of the gaits learned, and can smoothly swap gaits. In addition, SOM-STG can learn to construct a state trajectory form observing an animal in locomotion. In this paper, a dog is the demonstrator agent.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Dogs
  • Gait*
  • Locomotion*
  • Machine Learning*
  • Neural Networks, Computer*
  • Robotics*
  • Time Factors