apirrone/microduck-footsteps

Microduck footsteps

Everything a Microduck needs to walk on placed footsteps. The robot runtime (pollen-robotics/microduck, branch footsteps) fetches both files from here when [policy] footstep_control is switched on in robotctl configure.

file	what	in → out
footsteps.onnx	footstep-tracking policy (microduck_rl Mjlab-Footsteps-Flat-Backlash-MicroDuck, run m09310ur, iteration 3750, the one tested on the robot)	obs [1, 61] → actions [1, 14]
footstepnet.onnx	FootstepNet planner, Microduck geometry, 5 cm steps (same file as apirrone/microduck-footstepnet)	obs [N, 8] → step [N, 3]

The policy has the standard 61-D observation; its twist slots carry the swing foot's target landing pose (dx, dy, dyaw) in the current support sole frame (sole centre = 7 mm ahead of the *_foot site), and the support foot is the one the contact odometry anchors on. In simulation it lands 5–7 mm / 1–2° from its targets.

The planner's limits and foot geometry are in its ONNX metadata (options); see apirrone/microduck-footstepnet for its observation/action contract.

Try it on a robot

1. Put the robot on the runtime branch: from a clone of pollen-robotics/microduck, git checkout footsteps && scripts/dev-push.sh --docker --name duck-xxxx.
2. On the robot: sudo robotctl configure → [policy] footstep_control → on → save, and accept the reload. It fetches both files from this repo; nothing else to set.
3. Press Start and drive with the left stick: the step is proportional to the deflection (full stick = 5 cm forward/back, 2 cm sideways, 30° turn per step). Let go and it steps in place, then hands back to the standing gait. Switch footstep_control off to go back to the normal walk.

Printed patterns

patterns/footstep_patterns.pdf: six FootstepNet plans drawn 1:1 on A4 (print at 100 %, the 100 mm bar checks it). Copy the matching patterns/<name>.json to the robot, stand it on the dashed START soles, and run robotctl robot footsteps <name>.json. The robot walks the marks and hands back; each landing's miss is in journalctl -u robotd | grep footstep.