Related papers: An optimal control approach to the design of perio…
Ground robots navigating in complex, dynamic environments must compute collision-free trajectories to avoid obstacles safely and efficiently. Nonconvex optimization is a popular method to compute a trajectory in real-time. However, these…
We study the problem of data-driven, constrained control of unknown nonlinear dynamics from a single ongoing and finite-horizon trajectory. We consider a one-step optimal control problem with a smooth, black-box objective, typically a…
The problem of controlling hybrid dynamical systems using model predictive control (MPC) is formulated and sufficient conditions for asymptotic stability of a set are provided. Hybrid dynamical systems are modeled in terms of hybrid…
This paper formulates an optimal control problem for a system of rigid bodies that are connected by ball joints and immersed in an irrotational and incompressible fluid. The rigid bodies can translate and rotate in three-dimensional space,…
An alternative numerical method is developed to find stable and unstable periodic orbits of nonlinear dynamical systems. The method exploits the high-efficiency of the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm for medium-sized problems and has the…
The transition from free motion to contact is a challenging problem in robotics, in part due to its hybrid nature. Additionally, disregarding the effects of impacts at the motion planning level often results in intractable impulsive contact…
In this paper, we develop an optimal control framework for dynamical systems when only an approximate model of the underlying plant is available. We consider a setting in which the control strategy is synthesized using a model-based optimal…
Understanding the complex patterns in space-time exhibited by active systems has been the subject of much interest in recent times. Complementing this forward problem is the inverse problem of controlling active matter. Here we use optimal…
A deep-space exploration mission with low-thrust propulsion to rendezvous with multiple asteroids is investigated. Indirect methods, based on the optimal control theory, are implemented to optimize the fuel consumption. The application of…
The trajectory optimization of the atmospheric entry of a reusable launch vehicle is studied. The objective is to maximize the crossrange of the vehicle subject to two control-inequality path constraints, two state-inequality path…
Overtaking is one of the most challenging tasks in driving, and the current solutions to autonomous overtaking are limited to simple and static scenarios. In this paper, we present a method for behaviour and trajectory planning for safe…
Extended time-delay auto-synchronization (ETDAS) is a promising technique for stabilizing unstable periodic orbits in low-dimensional dynamical systems. The technique involves continuous feedback of signals delayed by multiples of the…
Most animal and human locomotion behaviors for solving complex tasks involve dynamic motions and rich contact interaction. In fact, complex maneuvers need to consider dynamic movement and contact events at the same time. We present a…
This work studies the design of safe control policies for large-scale non-linear systems operating in uncertain environments. In such a case, the robust control framework is a principled approach to safety that aims to maximize the…
A method to reduce or enhance chaos in Hamiltonian flows with two degrees of freedom is discussed. This method is based on finding a suitable perturbation of the system such that the stability of a set of periodic orbits changes (local…
The aim of this paper is to numerically investigate the orbital dynamics of the circular planar restricted problem of five bodies. By numerically integrating several large sets of initial conditions of orbits we classify them into three…
Motion planning is a critical component of intelligent unmanned systems, enabling their complex autonomous operations. However, current planning algorithms still face limitations in planning efficiency due to inflexible strategies and weak…
The need for fast and robust optimization algorithms are of critical importance in all areas of machine learning. This paper treats the task of designing optimization algorithms as an optimal control problem. Using regret as a metric for an…
This survey article deals with applications of optimal control to aerospace problems with a focus on modern geometric optimal control tools and numerical continuation techniques. Geometric optimal control is a theory combining optimal…
In this paper, we study the optimal control of a mixed-autonomy platoon driving on a single lane to smooth traffic flow. The platoon consists of autonomous vehicles, whose acceleration is controlled, and human-driven vehicles, whose…