Researchers improve legged robots' resistance to magnetic disturbances

Researchers report a control system that increases legged robots' tolerance of magnetic disturbances in simulation and physical hardware experiments. Their arXiv preprint finds a factor of 2.5 improvement in maximum rejectable force disturbances and 1.6-2 times improvement for torque compared with a non-compensated system. The framework models magnetic forces, estimates the surrounding field from robot motion and sensor readings, and predicts compensating movements. It targets facilities where strong magnetic fields corrupt sensors and destabilize robots. The comparisons apply to the experimental framework, rather than an established facility deployment.