Real-Time Gait Adaptation for Quadrupeds using Model Predictive Control and Reinforcement Learning

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2510.20706v2
• Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2025 07:47:41 GMT
• Title: Real-Time Gait Adaptation for Quadrupeds using Model Predictive Control and Reinforcement Learning
• Authors: Prakrut Kotecha, Ganga Nair B, Shishir Kolathaya,
• Abstract summary: We propose an optimization framework for real-time gait adaptation in a continuous gait space.<n>We combine the Model Predictive Path Integral (MPPI) algorithm with a Dreamer module to produce adaptive and optimal policies for quadruped locomotion.<n>We evaluate our framework in simulation on the Unitree Go1, demonstrating an average reduction of up to 36.48 % in energy consumption across varying target speeds.
• Score: 2.5845893156827158
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: Model-free reinforcement learning (RL) has enabled adaptable and agile quadruped locomotion; however, policies often converge to a single gait, leading to suboptimal performance. Traditionally, Model Predictive Control (MPC) has been extensively used to obtain task-specific optimal policies but lacks the ability to adapt to varying environments. To address these limitations, we propose an optimization framework for real-time gait adaptation in a continuous gait space, combining the Model Predictive Path Integral (MPPI) algorithm with a Dreamer module to produce adaptive and optimal policies for quadruped locomotion. At each time step, MPPI jointly optimizes the actions and gait variables using a learned Dreamer reward that promotes velocity tracking, energy efficiency, stability, and smooth transitions, while penalizing abrupt gait changes. A learned value function is incorporated as terminal reward, extending the formulation to an infinite-horizon planner. We evaluate our framework in simulation on the Unitree Go1, demonstrating an average reduction of up to 36.48 % in energy consumption across varying target speeds, while maintaining accurate tracking and adaptive, task-appropriate gaits.

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