Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion

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9 papers in the last four weeks, against 1 the four weeks before. 0.1% of all new papers.

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Energy-Efficient Gait Adaptation via Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning for Quadrupedal Locomotion Across Diverse Terrains
Oct 7, 2026Ammar Issa, Anubhav Singh, Anton Tsaritsin +1Legged Robotics Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion
Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics, ITMO University, and the Biomechatronics and Energy-Efficient Robotics Lab (BE2R), St. Petersburg, Russia
Subject-Specific Predictive Musculoskeletal Simulations of Lower-Limb Exoskeleton Assistance: Metabolic and Biomechanical Effects of Joint Assistance Strategies
Oct 2, 2026Neethan Ratnakumar, Mariya Tohfafarosh, Xianlian ZhouEnergy-Efficient Robot Locomotion Assistive Robotics
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka · Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, 07102, USA
PROMO: Preference-conditioned Multi-Objective Reinforcement Learning for Quadrupedal Robots
Oct 1, 2026Amr Mousa, Rifny Rachman, Neil Karavis +2Multi-Objective Reinforcement Learning Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion
The University of Manchester, United Kingdom · BAE Systems, United Kingdom · University of Warwick, United Kingdom
Passive-Dynamic-Walking-Inspired Dynamics Guidance for Energy-Efficient Humanoid Locomotion
Sep 28, 2026Hyeonjin Choi, Joongheon Kim, Daekyum KimHumanoid Robot Locomotion Reinforcement Learning
School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea · School of Electrical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea · School of Smart Mobility, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
Dense-Joint-Based Obstacle-Aided Locomotion with a Joint-Repositionable Snake Robot
Sep 24, 2026Kyosuke Minomo, Ryo Takahashi, Kotaro Yasui +3Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion Robot Locomotion
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan · Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan · Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan +1
Safety-Constrained Model Predictive Control for an Omnidirectional Walking Assistive Robot Using Control Barrier Function
Sep 22, 2026Andrea Fortuna, Marta Lorenzini, Elisa Motta +3Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion Control Barrier Functions
Human-Robot Interfaces and Interaction Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy · Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy · Dep. of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, INAIL, Rome, Italy
When to Waddle: A Comparative Study of Bipedal Torso-Stabilization on Low-Friction Surfaces
Sep 18, 2026Ben Gu, Naomi Oke, George Ortiz +4Humanoid Robot Locomotion Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion
Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA · Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA · Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University, New York, NY 10012, USA
Learning to Exploit Passive Dynamics for Energy-Efficient Target Hopping of a Spring-Legged Quadcopter
Sep 14, 2026Ruigang Chen, Qi Zhang, Zhicheng Zhong +3RL Control Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou, 515063, Guangdong, China. · Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3200003, Israel.
Dynamics-Informed Reinforcement Learning for Agile and Energy-Efficient Locomotion of a Monopedal Hopping Quadcopter
Sep 14, 2026Ruigang Chen, Qi Zhang, Zhicheng Zhong +3Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion Robot Locomotion
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou, 515063, Guangdong, China. · Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3200003, Israel.
Tuning ROS 2 for Energy-Efficient Navigation: Empirical Insights from Costmap 2D Configurations
Sep 14, 2026Michel Albonico, Andreas Wortmann, Ivano MalavoltaEnergy-Efficient Robot Locomotion Robot Navigation
Federal University of Technology - Paran´a (UTFPR), DAINF-FB, Francisco Beltr˜ao, Brazil · University of Southern Denmark (SDU), MMMI, Centre for Software Technology (CST), Vejle, Denmark · Institute for Control Eng. of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Units (ISW), University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany +1
Optimal control of a swimming robot based on Purcell's microswimmer model
Aug 18, 2026Noam Berkovich Lahav, Oren Wiezel, Yizhar OrEnergy-Efficient Robot Locomotion Robot Locomotion
DASH Robot: Minimalistic Design and Optimal Aerial-Terrestrial Locomotion via Contact-Implicit Control
Jul 20, 2026Ryan Gomes Paiva, Conrad Ho, Jiarong Kang +3Aerial Robotics Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion
University of Wisconsin–Madison, WI, USA. · Shanghai Innovation Institute (SII), Shanghai, China
Strouhal-Aware Model Predictive Control for Efficient Multi-Fin Flapping Locomotion
Jul 3, 2026Yuya Hamamatsu, Zixi Chen, Maarja Kruusmaa +1Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion Model Predictive Control
Department of Computer Systems, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia · Brubotics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and IMEC, Brussel, Belgium.
Dynamics, stability, and energy efficiency of an energy-recycling rimless wheel with spring-clutch legs
Jun 20, 2026Tongchen Lin, Yanqiu Zheng, Chuhan Zhang +3Legged Robotics Mechanism Design
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou, China. · Department of Applied Electronics, Faculty of Advanced Engineering, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, Japan. · Tongchen Lin, Chuhan Zhang, Ruigang Chen, Yizhar Or, and Mingyi Liu: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Comparative Study on Agility, Efficiency, and Impact Absorption of Bipedal Robots with Active Toes
Jun 18, 2026Joong-Gil Kim, Wontae Ye, Geunwoo Cho +3Legged Robotics Humanoid Robot Locomotion
School of Electrical, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Korea University of Technology and Education, Cheonan, 31253, Korea · Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, South Korea · Robot Innovation Hub, WIRobotics Inc., Cheonan, 31253, Korea
LoComposition: Terrain-Adaptive Energy-Efficient Quadruped Locomotion without Gait Priors
Jun 14, 2026Loukas Kordos, Leonard T. Franz, Simon Rappenecker +4Legged Robotics RL for Robotics
Technical University of Munich. · University of Tübingen. · Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research & Center for Integrative Neuroscience. +1
Energy-Efficient Quadruped Locomotion with Compliant Feet
May 14, 2026Pramod Pal, Shishir Kolathaya, Ashitava GhosalLegged Robotics Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion
Indian Institute of Science Bangalore India · Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, India · Robert Bosch Centre for Cyber Physical Systems Bangalore India +3
Locomotion of an Elastic Snake Robot via Natural Dynamics
Apr 20, 2026Tristan Ehlert, Arne Sachtler, Annika Schmidt +2Dynamical Systems Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion
German Aerospace Center (DLR), Robotics and Mechatronics Center (RMC), Münchner Str. 20, 82234 Weßling, Germany · Technical University of Munich (TUM), Department of Computer Engineering; Boltzmannstraße 3, 85748 Garching, Germany
Tunable Leg Stiffness in a Monopedal Hopper for Energy-Efficient Vertical Hopping Across Varying Ground Profiles
Aug 4, 2025Rongqian Chen, Jun Kwon, Kefan Wu +1Legged Robotics Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion
George Washington University · General Robotics, Automation, Sensing & Perception Lab at the University of Pennsylvania · University of Connecticut

Oct 7, 2026, cs.ROJ/K move · Enter open · S save

Energy-Efficient Gait Adaptation via Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning for Quadrupedal Locomotion Across Diverse Terrains

Ammar Issa, Anubhav Singh, Anton Tsaritsin, Sergey Kolyubin

Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics, ITMO University, and the Biomechatronics and Energy-Efficient Robotics Lab (BE2R), St. Petersburg, Russia

Legged Robotics Energy-Efficient Robot Locomotion Quadruped Locomotion Hierarchical RL Terrain-Aware Robot Locomotion

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While energy efficiency is a critical objective for legged-robot locomotion control, achieving low energy consumption while maintaining robust performance across different velocity ranges and terrain conditions remains a key challenge. This is particularly true for end-to-end RL policies, where gait generation, motion execution, and energy optimization are tightly coupled, leading to high sensitivity to reward design. In this work, we propose a hierarchical reinforcement learning (HRL) framework that separates a high-frequency policy for stable and robust joint-level motion execution from low-frequency gait adaptation that explicitly minimizes the cost of transport (CoT). The three-stage Isaac-based training procedure enables zero-shot sim-to-real transfer with improved tracking accuracy, robustness, and energy efficiency. The learned hierarchy exhibits automatic speed-dependent gait adaptation, transitioning from pacing at low speeds to trotting at higher speeds. We validate the proposed approach in simulation against representative single-policy and hierarchical locomotion baselines, demonstrating reduced CoT over a broad range of commanded velocities, while maintaining robust locomotion across flat, uneven rough, and inclined terrains. We further demonstrate its practical feasibility through zero-shot deployment on a physical Unitree AlienGo quadruped.

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