Legged mobile robot, leg control method, and program storage medium

A leg control method comprising:

• by a computer configuring a control device of a legged mobile robot including a plurality of legs movable in a front-rear direction, each of the plurality of legs including a sole with a recess shape that is open to a moving surface on which the plurality of legs move;
• a plurality of protrusions respectively protruding in a plurality of directions including at least a lateral direction intersecting with the front-rear direction from a distal end portion of each of the plurality of legs, and capable of coming into contact with the moving surface,
• a drive device configured to displace each of the protrusions up and down with respect to the sole of each of the legs, the sole being a part in contact with the moving surface, and the control device configured to control movements of each of the protrusions by controlling the drive device,
• controlling the drive device in such a way that, when at least one of the legs of the plurality of legs lands on the moving surface after moving in a direction away from the moving surface, no force is applied from the drive device to the protrusions of the landing leg;
• and
• controlling the drive device to lock movements of the protrusions of the landing leg after the protrusions follow a shape of the moving surface by the landing of the leg.

A non-transitory program storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer configuring a control device of a legged mobile robot including a plurality of legs movable in a front-rear direction, each of the plurality of legs including a sole with a recess shape that is open to a moving surface on which the plurality of legs move;

• a plurality of protrusions respectively protruding in a plurality of directions including at least a lateral direction intersecting with the front-rear direction from a distal end portion of each of the plurality of legs, and capable of coming into contact with the moving surface,
• a drive device configured to displace each of the protrusions up and down with respect to the sole of each of the legs, the sole being a part in contact with the moving surface, and the control device configured to control movements of each of the protrusions by controlling the drive device, to execute:
• controlling the drive device in such a way that, when at least one of the legs of the plurality of legs lands on the moving surface after moving in a direction away from the moving surface, no force is applied from the drive device to the protrusions of the landing leg;
• and
• controlling the drive device to lock movements of the protrusions of the landing leg after the protrusions follow a shape of the moving surface by the landing of the leg.