Patent ID: 8442681

Claim:
A desired motion evaluation apparatus of a legged mobile robot, which evaluates a desired motion of the robot for causing the robot to implement a motion while having a plurality of portions of the robot in contact with a plurality of different surfaces to be contacted, which exist in an operating environment of the robot, the desired motion evaluation apparatus comprising at least one processor, the at least one processor comprising: a virtual surface group setting unit which uses a virtual surface group composed of a plurality of virtual surfaces having a predetermined mutual posture relationship in order to virtually set the virtual surface group in the space of an operating environment of the robot such that the plurality of virtual surfaces of the virtual surface group match or approximate the plurality of surfaces to be contacted; a required total translational external force determining unit which determines, on the basis of the desired motion, a required total translational external force, which is a translational force component in a total external force to be applied to the robot to implement the desired motion; a required virtual surface translational force calculating unit, which is a unit that calculates a required virtual surface translational force, which is a translational force to be applied to the robot from each of the plurality of virtual surfaces of the virtual surface group to attain the determined required total translational external force, and calculates the required virtual surface translational force in each virtual surface so as to satisfy at least a first A requirement that the resultant force of virtual surface normal force components, which are components perpendicular to the virtual surface of the required virtual surface translational force in each of the plurality of virtual surfaces, coincides with components other than components parallel to all virtual surfaces of the virtual surface group of the required total translational external force and a first B requirement that the resultant force of virtual surface frictional force components, which are components parallel to the virtual surface of the required virtual surface translational force in each of the plurality of virtual surfaces, coincides with the components parallel to all virtual surfaces of the virtual surface group of the required total translational external force; and a desired motion evaluating unit which evaluates the desired motion at least on the basis of the calculated required virtual surface translational force.