Touch-down sensing for robotic devices

A robotic device comprising:

• one or more limbs, each limb comprising a respective end component, the respective end component configured to contact an environment;
• a computing system;
• and
• memory hardware in communication with the computing system, the memory hardware storing instructions that when executed cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:
• receiving information indicating an estimated distance between the respective end component of a limb and a portion of the environment;
• determining a force threshold indicative of a touch-down event based on the estimated distance between the respective end component of the limb and the portion of the environment, the touch-down event corresponding to touch-down of the respective end component of the limb with the portion of the environment;
• and
• in response to receiving a force signal corresponding to a force experienced by the limb, using the force threshold indicative of the touch-down event to evaluate whether the received force signal corresponds to a respective touch-down event.