Yannick Aoustin

About

Yannick Aoustin is a prominent French robotics researcher whose career has been defined by groundbreaking contributions to bipedal locomotion, robot control, and motion planning. Best known for his central role in the RABBIT project — an experimental bipedal robot platform that has become a landmark reference in advanced control theory with over 538 citations — Aoustin has fundamentally shaped how researchers design, model, and control walking robots. His work on optimal trajectory generation for biped locomotion, particularly for robots without actuated ankles, has provided the field with rigorous mathematical frameworks for achieving efficient walking and running gaits, earning over 272 citations. He further advanced the field by investigating human-like walking behaviors, including heel-rise and toe-rotation phases that most humanoid robots still lack. His co-authored book, *Bipedal Robots: Modeling, Design and Walking Synthesis* (2009), serves as a key reference for students and practitioners alike. Earlier in his career, Aoustin also made notable contributions to flexible robot modeling and control, demonstrating the breadth of his expertise. With hundreds of citations spanning multiple decades, his work remains essential reading for anyone studying legged robotics and autonomous motion planning.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   RABBIT: a testbed for advanced control theory

   538 citations · 2003
2. 2
   Optimal reference trajectories for walking and running of a biped robot

   272 citations · 2001
3. 3
   Bipedal Robots : Modeling, Design and Walking Synthesis

   91 citations · 2009
4. 4
   Human-Like Walking: Optimal Motion of a Bipedal Robot With Toe-Rotation Motion

   85 citations · 2010
5. 5
   Theory and Practice in the Motion Planning and Control of a Flexible Robot Arm Using Mikusiński Operators

   63 citations · 1997
6. 6
   Comparison of different gaits with rotation of the feet for a planar biped

   59 citations · 2008
7. 7
   Design of a walking cyclic gait with single support phases and impacts for the locomotor system of a thirteen-link 3D biped using the parametric optimization

   57 citations · 2009
8. 8
   Modelling and control of flexible robots

   52 citations · 1991
9. 9
   Optimal Trajectories for a Quadruped Robot with Trot, Amble and Curvet Gaits for Two Energetic Criteria

   34 citations · 2003
10. 10
    Optimal Reference Motions for Walking of a Biped Robot

    34 citations · 2006

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links