ZiMPedance: Impedance-Aware ZMP Modeling and Control for Payload Carrying with Quadruped Robots

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2606.18883v1
• Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2026 10:00:19 GMT
• Title: ZiMPedance: Impedance-Aware ZMP Modeling and Control for Payload Carrying with Quadruped Robots
• Abstract summary: This paper derives a Zero Moment Point (ZMP) formulation that includes passive payload-interface dynamics, relating stiffness, damping, and payload mass to the stability margin.<n>In simulation, the proposed controller reduces stability violations by up to $10times$, from $7.0%$ to $0.7%$, and increase locomotion efficiency by lowering horizontal ground reaction force effort by up to $15%$ compared to a nominal baseline.
• Score: 4.183011762144409
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: Load transportation with quadruped robots is strongly affected by the dynamics of the physical interface between the robot and the load. Passive spring-based arms reduce weight and complexity compared to active manipulators, but their spring-damper dynamics can introduce oscillatory forces that degrade locomotion stability. This paper derives an extended Zero Moment Point (ZMP) formulation that includes passive payload-interface dynamics, relating stiffness, damping, and payload mass to the stability margin. The analysis shows that underdamped configurations can resonate with locomotion harmonics. Based on this insight, we augment a Single Rigid Body Dynamics model with passive subsystem dynamics and integrate it into a Model Predictive Control framework. In simulation, the proposed controller reduces stability violations by up to $10\times$, from $7.0\%$ to $0.7\%$, and increase locomotion efficiency by lowering horizontal ground reaction force effort by up to $15\%$ compared to a nominal baseline. Hardware experiments with a $2\,\mathrm{kg}$ payload show stable locomotion under pull-release disturbances where the nominal controller fails. The same model also enables end-effector tracking through passive arm dynamics without direct arm actuation.

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