In the wave of technology, quadruped robots are rapidly becoming new stars in exploring the unknown, emergency rescue, military reconnaissance, and other fields with their unique walking style and excellent ground adaptability. Today, we will take you on a deeper understanding of parallel configuration technology in quadruped robots, as well as Stanford Doggo developed by a team of Stanford University students, to get a glimpse of the latest developments in this field.

Foot robots: the new favorite of technology

Foot robots, with their ability to walk freely on rugged terrain and powerful environmental crossing skills, have demonstrated enormous potential in exploring unknown terrains, emergency rescue, military reconnaissance, and complex environmental operations. With the rapid development of materials science, control algorithms, and artificial intelligence technology, these robots can not only walk freely in extreme environments, but also perform high-precision tasks, providing strong support for humans to explore the unknown world, respond to natural disasters, and perform high-risk tasks.

Figure 1 Foot type robot

Parallel configuration: innovative design

The design of parallel legged feet is a challenging and innovative field in legged robots. Compared with traditional series leg foot designs, parallel leg feet have significant advantages in structural stability and load-bearing capacity. This design achieves multi degree of freedom movement and precise control of the legs through the collaborative work of multiple linkages and joints, providing new possibilities for improving the performance of legged robots.

Stanford Doggo: The epitome of quadruped robots

Stanford Doggo， Developed by the Extreme Mobility team of the Stanford University Student Robotics Club, it has attracted widespread attention for its agility, intelligence, and open-source nature. This quadruped robot is not only open-source and low-cost, but also has high performance, making it a highlight in the field of quadruped robots.

Figure 2 Stanford Doggo

[Design and Function]

Structural design: Stanford Doggo has four SCARA style 2DOF legs, each leg is a five link mechanism, and the two upper links are coaxially driven. This design gives the robot a high degree of flexibility and stability. The leg connections are made using high-precision waterjet cutting technology, while the legs are made of 3D printed silicone sheets that are soft and wear-resistant. The robot architecture is made of carbon fiber and aluminum metal plates, which are lightweight and sturdy.

Drive and Control: The power system adopts TMotor MN5212 motor, which transmits power to the coaxial shaft through GT2 belt. Each motor is equipped with AS5047P encoder to track the motor angle. The control system consists of a Teensy microcontroller and four ODrive motor controllers, which are configured through customized ODrive firmware and doggousetup.py script to achieve precise control of the robot.

Functional performance: Stanford Doggo can perform various movements such as walking, jogging, dancing, jumping, and even perform backflips. Its vertical jumping ability is particularly outstanding, setting the highest vertical jumping record among all robots. Due to its highly flexible parallel leg design and precise control system, Stanford Doggo is able to adapt to various terrain and environmental conditions, with excellent obstacle crossing capabilities and motion redundancy.

The development of quadruped robot technology not only promotes innovation in robot technology, but also provides new tools for humans to explore the unknown world. The success of Stanford Doggo demonstrates the important role of open source projects in driving technological progress. With the continuous advancement of technology, we have reason to believe that legged robots will demonstrate their unique value in more fields.

The parallel configuration technology of legged robots is an important breakthrough in the field of robotics. The open-source spirit and outstanding performance of Stanford Doggo provide us with a window into the future of robotics technology. Let's look forward together to how these intelligent machines will change our world.