Related papers: A Microstructural View of Burrowing with RoboClam
Pipelines, vital for fluid transport, pose an important yet challenging inspection task, particularly in small, flexible biological systems, that robots have yet to master. In this study, we explored the development of an innovative robot…
Reward specification is a notoriously difficult problem in reinforcement learning, requiring extensive expert supervision to design robust reward functions. Imitation learning (IL) methods attempt to circumvent these problems by utilizing…
In this paper, we explore whether a robot can learn to regrasp a diverse set of objects to achieve various desired grasp poses. Regrasping is needed whenever a robot's current grasp pose fails to perform desired manipulation tasks. Endowing…
The current work is a qualitative study that aims to explore the implementation of Twisted and Coiled Artificial Muscles (TCAMs) for actuating and replicating the bending motion of an octopus-like soft robot arm underwater. Additionally, it…
In areas that are inaccessible to humans, such as the lunar surface and landslide sites, there is a need for multiple autonomous mobile robot systems that can replace human workers. In particular, at landslide sites such as river channel…
This paper introduces the task of {\em Planar Robot Casting (PRC)}: where one planar motion of a robot arm holding one end of a cable causes the other end to slide across the plane toward a desired target. PRC allows the cable to reach…
We present a model of a crawler consisting of several suction units distributed along a straight line and connected by springs. The suction units are rudimentary proprioceptors-actuators, which sense binary states of compression vs…
Robots excel at avoiding obstacles but struggle to traverse complex 3-D terrain with cluttered large obstacles. By contrast, insects like cockroaches excel at doing so. Recent research in our lab elucidated how locomotor transitions emerge…
Characterizing forces on deformable objects intruding into sand and soil requires understanding the solid and fluid-like responses of such substrates and their effect on the state of the object. The most detailed studies of intrusion in dry…
Inspired by the behavior of birds, we present AirCrab, a hybrid aerial ground manipulator (HAGM) with a single active wheel and a 3-degree of freedom (3-DoF) manipulator. AirCrab leverages a single point of contact with the ground to reduce…
Achieving generalizable and precise robotic manipulation across diverse environments remains a critical challenge, largely due to limitations in spatial perception. While prior imitation-learning approaches have made progress, their…
Intricate behaviors an organism can exhibit is predicated on its ability to sense and effectively interpret complexities of its surroundings. Relevant information is often distributed between multiple modalities, and requires the organism…
SLAM system using only point cloud has been proven successful in recent years. In most of these systems, they extract features for tracking after ground removal, which causes large variance on the z-axis. Ground actually provides robust…
Precise camera tracking, high-fidelity 3D tissue reconstruction, and real-time online visualization are critical for intrabody medical imaging devices such as endoscopes and capsule robots. However, existing SLAM (Simultaneous Localization…
With the wide penetration of smart robots in multifarious fields, Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technique in robotics has attracted growing attention in the community. Yet collaborating SLAM over multiple robots still remains…
ReachBot, a proposed robotic platform, employs extendable booms as limbs for mobility in challenging environments, such as martian caves. When attached to the environment, ReachBot acts as a parallel robot, with reconfiguration driven by…
Drilling is one of the hardest parts of pedicle screw fixation, and it is one of the most dangerous operations because inaccurate screw placement would injury vital tissues, particularly when the vertebra is not stationary. Here we…
Perceiving and mapping the surroundings are essential for enabling autonomous navigation in any robotic platform. The algorithm class that enables accurate mapping while correcting the odometry errors present in most robotics systems is…
Limbless crawling is ubiquitous in biology, from cells to organisms. We develop and analyze a model for the dynamics of one-dimensional elastic crawlers, subject to active stress and deformation-dependent friction with the substrate. We…
Autonomous robots can help people explore parts of the ocean that would be hard or impossible to get to otherwise. The increase in the availability of low-cost components has made it possible to innovate, design, and implement new and…