Robotics: Science and Systems XXII

MOBIUS: A Multi-Modal Bipedal Robot that can Walk, Crawl, Climb, and Roll

Alexander Schperberg, Yusuke Tanaka, Stefano Di Cairano, Dennis Hong

Abstract:

This paper presents the MOBIUS platform, a bipedal robot capable of walking, crawling, climbing, and rolling. MOBIUS features four limbs, two 6-DoF arms with two-finger grippers for manipulation and climbing, and two 4-DoF legs for locomotion--enabling smooth transitions across diverse terrains without reconfiguration. A hybrid control architecture combines reinforcement learning for locomotion and admittance control enhanced for safety by a Reference Governor and auto-tuning toward compliant contact interactions during manipulation. A high-level MIQCP planner autonomously selects locomotion modes to balance stability and energy efficiency. Hardware experiments demonstrate robust gait transitions, dynamic climbing, and full-body load support via pinch grasp. Overall, MOBIUS demonstrates the importance of tight integration between morphology, high-level planning, and control to enable mobile loco-manipulation and grasping, substantially expanding its interaction capabilities, workspace, and traversability.

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Bibtex:

  
@INPROCEEDINGS{SchperbergA-RSS-26, 
    AUTHOR    = {Alexander Schperberg AND Yusuke Tanaka AND Stefano Di Cairano AND Dennis Hong}, 
    TITLE     = {{MOBIUS: A Multi-Modal Bipedal Robot that can Walk, Crawl, Climb, and Roll}}, 
    BOOKTITLE = {Proceedings of Robotics: Science and Systems}, 
    YEAR      = {2026}, 
    ADDRESS   = {Sydney, Australia}, 
    MONTH     = {July}, 
    DOI       = {10.15607/RSS.2026.XXII.024} 
}