Related papers: Evacuating Two Robots from a Disk: A Second Cut
We consider the unlabeled motion-planning problem of $m$ unit-disc robots moving in a simple polygonal workspace of $n$ edges. The goal is to find a motion plan that moves the robots to a given set of $m$ target positions. For the unlabeled…
We present DisCo, a distributed algorithm for contact-rich, multi-robot tasks. DisCo is a distributed contact-implicit trajectory optimization algorithm, which allows a group of robots to optimize a time sequence of forces to objects and to…
We propose a novel exact algorithm for the transportation problem, one of the paradigmatic network optimization problems. The algorithm, denoted Iterated Inside Out, requires in input a basic feasible solution and is composed by two main…
Regular irradiation of indoor environments with ultraviolet C (UVC) light has become a regular task for many indoor settings as a result of COVID-19, but current robotic systems attempting to automate it suffer from high costs and…
This paper addresses the complete area coverage problem of a known environment by multiple-robots. Complete area coverage is the problem of moving an end-effector over all available space while avoiding existing obstacles. In such tasks,…
This paper presents an approach to externally influencing a team of robots by means of time-varying density functions. These density functions represent rough references for where the robots should be located. To this end, a continuous-time…
This article solves an optimal control problem arising in attitude control of a spacecraft under state and control constraints. We first derive the discrete-time attitude dynamics by employing discrete mechanics. The orientation transfer,…
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 introduces a new algorithm for trajectory optimization, Decoupled Reduced-space and Adaptive Feasibility-repair Trajectory Optimization (DRAFTO). It first constructs a constrained objective that accounts for smoothness, safety,…
With robots leaving factories and entering less controlled domains, possibly sharing the space with humans, safety is paramount and multimodal awareness of the body surface and the surrounding environment is fundamental. Taking inspiration…
Multi-robot systems are increasingly being used for critical applications such as rescuing injured people, delivering food and medicines, and monitoring key areas. These applications usually involve navigating at high speeds through…
We consider the following motion-planning problem: we are given $m$ unit discs in a simple polygon with $n$ vertices, each at their own start position, and we want to move the discs to a given set of $m$ target positions. Contrary to the…
This paper describes our recent effort to use virtual reality to simulate threatening emergency evacuation scenarios in which a robot guides a person to an exit. Our prior work has demonstrated that people will follow a robot's guidance,…
It is well-known that a deep understanding of co-workers' behavior and preference is important for collaboration effectiveness. In this work, we present a method to accomplish smooth human-robot collaboration in close proximity by taking…
Emergency evacuation is the process of movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of hazards such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, fires and bombs. In this paper, we focus on evacuation from a building, but the…
We study a new search problem on the plane involving a robot and an immobile treasure, initially placed at distance $1$ from each other. The length $\beta$ of an arc (a fence) within the perimeter of the corresponding circle, as well as the…
If robots are ever to achieve autonomous motion comparable to that exhibited by animals, they must acquire the ability to quickly recover motor behaviors when damage, malfunction, or environmental conditions compromise their ability to move…
Productive and efficient human-robot teaming is a highly desirable ability in service robots, yet there is a fundamental trade-off that a robot needs to consider in such tasks. On the one hand, gaining information from communication with…
We study the problem of determining coordinated motions, of minimum total length, for two arbitrary convex centrally-symmetric (CCS) robots in an otherwise obstacle-free plane. Using the total path length traced by the two robot centres as…
As robots leave the controlled environments of factories to autonomously function in more complex, natural environments, they will have to respond to the inevitable fact that they will become damaged. However, while animals can quickly…