skyguogary / qm_control

Quadruped manipulator controller using model predictive control and whole body control

qm_control

Video Links: YouTube, bilibili (for China).

Overview

qm_control is a quadruped manipulator controller using model predictive control and whole body control. We aim to make the quadruped manipulator perform better in coordination and balance. The project is still under development, not the final version.

Notes: The controller assumes that there is no force on the end effector. If force on the end effector needs to be considered, see the feature-force branch. The implement on the real robot hardware can see the branch feature-real.

Related Paper

To be soon.

Installation

Install dependencies

• OCS2
• ROS1-Noetic

Clone and Build

# Clone
mkdir -p <catkin_ws_name>/src
cd <catkin_ws_name>/src
git clone https://github.com/skywoodsz/qm_control.git

# Build
cd <catkin_ws_name>
catkin init
catkin config -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo
catkin build

Notes: Make sure OCS2 in the environment path.

Usage

We have two versions of the controller: MPC with WBC and only MPC.

MPC-WBC

Launch the simulation with:

mon launch qm_gazebo empty_world.launch

Load the controller:

mon launch qm_controllers load_controller.launch

Start the controller using rqt_controller_manager GUI

rosrun rqt_controller_manager rqt_controller_manager

After the manipulator is initialized, commands can be sent

# Don't use mon
roslaunch qm_controllers load_qm_target.launch 
# rviz
mon launch qm_controllers rviz.launch

MPC Only

Launch the simulation with:

mon launch qm_gazebo empty_world_mpc.launch

Load the controller:

mon launch qm_controllers load_controller_mpc.launch

Gamepad Control

You can use the gamepad to control the quadruped base and the manipulator's end-effector, respectively. The schematic diagram of the gamepad is as follows:

End-effector stability testing in simulation

Analysis: The motion of the base and end-effector pose w.r.t. the initial pose when the end-effector is controlled to remain at a fixed pose during locomotion. While the base travels 30 cm, the end-effector’s deviation from its initial position is at most 3.5 mm and 2.6 degree.

Bugs & Feature Requesityts

The project is still in the early stages of development and we welcome feedback. Please report bugs and request features using the Issue Tracker or Email [email protected]

TODO

• Solve the singularity problem.
• Add the foot trajectory plannning.
• Merge the branch feature-real to main.