Related papers: On ideal dynamic climbing ropes
This paper addresses an optimal control problem for a robot that has to find and collect a finite number of objects and move them to a depot in minimum time. The robot has fourth-order dynamics that change instantaneously at any pick-up or…
This paper investigates two optimization criteria for damping optimization in a multi-body oscillator system with arbitrary degrees of freedom ($n$), resembling string/rod free vibrations. The total average energy over all possible initial…
This paper is aimed to investigate some computational aspects of different isoperimetric problems on weighted trees. In this regard, we consider different connectivity parameters called {\it minimum normalized cuts}/{\it isoperimteric…
A conceptual difficulty in the Hooke's-law description of ideal Gaussian polymer-chain elasticity is sometimes apparent in analyses of experimental data or in physical models designed to simulate the behavior of biopolymers. The problem,…
Identifying the dynamic precompensator that renders a nonlinear control system feedback linearizable is a challenging problem. Researchers have explored the problem -- dynamic feedback linearization -- and produced existence conditions and…
This paper analyzes the use of variable speed limits to optimize travel time reliability for commuters. The investigation focuses on a traffic corridor with a bottleneck subject to the capacity drop phenomenon. The optimization criterion is…
In certain applications, relay terminals can be employed to simultaneously deliver information and energy to a designated receiver and a radio frequency (RF) energy harvester, respectively. In such scenarios, the relay that is preferable…
We investigate the mechanics of elastic fibres carrying liquid droplets. In such systems, buckling may localize inside the drop cavity if the fibre is thin enough. This so-called drop-on-coilable-fibre system exhibits a surprising…
A dynamic crack will travel in a straight path up to a material-dependent critical speed beyond which its path becomes erratic. Predicting this critical speed and discovering the origin of this instability are two outstanding problems in…
Inspired by sled-pulling dogs in transportation, we present a cable-trailer integrated with a quadruped robot system. The motion planning of this system faces challenges due to the interactions between the cable's state transitions, the…
The article discusses six problems which can arise in the determination of the equilibrium configuration of an elastic cantilever rod pulled by an inextensible cable. The discussions are illustrated with graphs of equilibrium shapes and…
We address the problem of efficiently gathering correlated data from a wired or a wireless sensor network, with the aim of designing algorithms with provable optimality guarantees, and understanding how close we can get to the known…
Simple, linear equations relate microscopic swimmers to the corresponding gliders and pumps. They have the following set of consequences: The swimming velocity of free swimmers can be inferred from the force on the tethered swimmer and vice…
This paper presents the technique of flex-and-flip manipulation. It is suitable for grasping thin, flexible linear objects lying on a flat surface. During the manipulation process, the object is first flexed by a robotic gripper whose…
In cluttered spaces, such as forests, drone picking up a payload via an abseil claw is an open challenge, as the cable is likely tangled and blocked by the branches and obstacles. To address such a challenge, in this work, a cooperative…
Exploration of extreme environments, including caves, canyons and cliffs on low-gravity surfaces such as the Moon, Mars and asteroids can provide insight into the geological history of the solar system, origins of water, life and prospect…
In this work we consider the problem of finding the minimum-weight loop cover of an undirected graph. This combinatorial optimization problem is called 2-matching and can be seen as a relaxation of the traveling salesman problem since one…
We consider closed planar curves with fixed length and arbitrary winding number whose elastic energy depends on an additional density variable and a spontaneous curvature. Working with the inclination angle, the associated $L^2$-gradient…
The problem of Reinforcement Learning (RL) in an unknown nonlinear dynamical system is equivalent to the search for an optimal feedback law utilizing the simulations/ rollouts of the dynamical system. Most RL techniques search over a…
Sliding cable system with frictions is encountered in many engineering applications. Such system is typically characterized by existences of complex and varied motion states of different sliding nodes (pulleys), which leads to significant…