Locomotion

Gait Transition

A gait transition is the change of a legged robot's locomotion pattern from one gait to another, such as a quadruped shifting from walk to trot to gallop, or a biped moving between standing, walking, and running. Transitions alter the contact sequence and timing, and must be executed without destabilizing the robot, typically triggered by commanded speed, energetic efficiency, or terrain. Learned locomotion policies can exhibit emergent, smooth transitions.

Why it matters for physical AI

Real environments demand continuously varying speeds and terrains, so seamless gait switching without stumbles is a practical robustness marker for locomotion controllers deployed outside the lab.