PROCEDURAL ANIMATION ENGINE AND EDITOR FOR SAMPLE-BASED DESIGN OF STYLIZED WALKING GAITS FOR BIPEDAL ROBOTS

Number: 20250232507
Published: 2025-07-17
Filed: 2025-04-02
Assignee: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
Inventors: Hopkins; Michael Anthony et al.
CPC: B62D57/032; G06F3/04847; G06F30/20; B25J5/00; B25J13/06; G06F3/04815; G06T13/40
Verdict: High Hardware
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

The keeper's note

Bipedal-robot walking-gait procedural-animation design engine (continuation).

Abstract

A system for providing a motion for a robotic device includes: a memory storing: a plurality of animation styles, and a sample motion for the robotic device. The sample motion complies with kinematic and dynamic constraints associated with the robotic device. The system includes a processing element in communication with the memory; an animation engine executed by the processing element. The animation engine receives: a target kinematic state of at least a portion of the robotic device, a selection of at least one of the plurality of animation styles, and a real or simulated state of the robotic device. The animation engine generates at least one actuator command configured to modify the sample motion based on the target kinematic state, the selected at least one of the plurality of animation styles, and the real or simulated state of the robotic device.

Background

FIELD OF THE DESCRIPTION

The present description relates, in general, to robots (or “robotic systems” or “robotic characters”) and control systems and methods for such robots. More particularly, the description relates to methods and systems of generating control signals for a legged robotic system such as a bipedal robot (and to controllers implementing such a method and robotic systems or robots with such controllers) that facilitates procedural animation and sample-based design of stylized walking gaits with physical constraints. RELEVANT BACKGROUND

The control of humanoid or bipedal robots to provide stylized walking remains a challenging problem. Ideally, it is desirable to design creative authoring tools and control software that enable robotic characters that walk with the same fluidness and expressivity as their computer animated or human counterparts. The walking control problem is complicated by two main challenges.

First, walking gaits must satisfy the kinematic and dynamic constraints inherent to whole-body locomotion. For example, the rate of change of the character's momentum must be consistent with the forces imparted on each foot when in contact with the ground. Those forces must also satisfy certain friction constraints to prevent the foot from slipping during the support phase. While a walking animation for a virtual character can violate these constraints and still appear physically plausible to viewers, animation content that is author

Claims

1. A system for providing a motion for a robotic device comprising: a memory storing: a plurality of animation styles, and a sample motion for the robotic device, wherein the sample motion complies with kinematic and dynamic constraints associated with the robotic device; a processing element in communication with the memory; an animation engine executed by the processing element, wherein the animation engine receives: a target kinematic state of at least a portion of the robotic device, a selection of at least one of the plurality of animation styles, and a real or simulated state of the robotic device; and wherein the animation engine generates at least one actuator command configured to modify the sample motion based on the target kinematic state, the selected at least one of the plurality of animation styles, and the real or simulated state of the robotic device. || 10. A method of designing a motion for a robotic device, comprising: storing in memory: a plurality of animation styles, and a sample motion for the robotic device, wherein the sample motion complies with kinematic and dynamic constraints associated with the robotic device; and executing, by a processing element in communication with the memory, an animation engine, wherein the animation engine receives: a target kinematic state of at least a portion of the robotic device, a selection of at least one of the plurality of animation styles, and a real or simulated state of the robotic device; and wherein the animation engine generates: at least one actuator command configured to modify the sample motion based on the target kinematic state, the selected at least one of the plurality of animation styles, and the real or simulated state of the robotic device. || 19. A system for providing a motion for a bipedal robotic device comprising: a memory storing: a plurality of animation styles, and a sample motion for the bipedal robotic device, wherein the sample motion complies with kinematic and dynamic constraints associated with the bipedal robotic device; a processing element in communication with the memory; and an animation engine executed by the processing element, wherein the animation engine receives: a target kinematic state of at least one leg of the bipedal robotic device, a selection of at least one of the plurality of animation styles, and a real or simulated state of the bipedal robotic device; and wherein the animation engine generates: at least one actuator command configured to modify the sample motion based on the target kinematic state, the selected at least one of the plurality of animation styles, and the real or simulated state of the bipedal robotic device.