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Breaking speed scaling in quadrupedal robots via Huygens' coupled-pendulum dynamics

arXiv · AI, language, vision and robotics · article · Sep 9, 2026 · UTC

Achieving biological-level running speeds has largely been pursued through advances in control algorithms, which improve the utilization of existing hardware. However, the ultimate speed limits remain governed by the underlying force and torque requirements of rapid locomotion, which are typically addressed through increased actuator capacity. Inspired by Huygens' coupled pendulums, we demonstrate that superior locomotion can emerge from principled exploitation of intrinsic dynamics rather than brute-force hardware scaling. Inter-limb inertial coupling redistributes energy across the gait cycl

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