Mini Cheetah Sensor Suite for Visual Perception

Abstract

The mini cheetah robot is a small lightweight quadruped capable of dynamic movements. Currently, the mini cheetah does not have a method of collecting stabilized perception data. Research has been conducted at the University of Michigan, where a sensor suite for collecting perception data has been created. While the sensor suite is able to collect perception data, it is heavy and affects the agility of the mini cheetah robot and does not incorporate any active stabilization into the design. A lightweight sensor suite was designed and manufactured incorporating a commercial gimbal. Three tests were conducted on a rigid mounted camera and a gimbal stabilized camera. AprilTag detection as well as visual qualitative analysis determined the rigid mounted camera performed better than the current gimbal configuration. Further work involving active stabilization will be needed to determine a satisfactory solution, particularly when the mini cheetah is pronking.