Related papers: Mixed-Initiative variable autonomy for remotely op…
We develop a hybrid control approach for robot learning based on combining learned predictive models with experience-based state-action policy mappings to improve the learning capabilities of robotic systems. Predictive models provide an…
In mixed traffic environments that involve conventional vehicles (CVs) and autonomous vehicles (AVs), it is crucial for CV drivers to maintain an appropriate level of situation awareness to ensure safe and efficient interactions with AVs.…
Robots that physically interact with their surroundings, in order to accomplish some tasks or assist humans in their activities, require to exploit contact forces in a safe and proficient manner. Impedance control is considered as a…
Motion mimicking, i.e., encouraging the control policy to mimic human motion, facilitates the learning of complex tasks via reinforcement learning (RL) for humanoid robots. Although standard RL frameworks demonstrate impressive locomotion…
Robot-assisted navigation is a perfect example of a class of applications requiring flexible control approaches. When the human is reliable, the robot should concede space to their initiative. When the human makes inappropriate choices the…
As robots become increasingly prevalent in human environments, there will inevitably be times when a robot needs to interrupt a human to initiate an interaction. Our work introduces the first interruptibility-aware mobile robot system, and…
Fleets of autonomous robots have been deployed for exploration of unknown scenes for features of interest, e.g., subterranean exploration, reconnaissance, search and rescue missions. During exploration, the robots may encounter…
Wheeled-legged robots hold promise for traversing complex terrains and offer superior mobility compared to legged robots. However, wheeled-legged robots must effectively balance both wheeled driving and legged control. Furthermore, due to…
Emergency stop (E-stop) mechanisms are the de facto standard for robot safety. However, for humanoid robots, abruptly cutting power can itself cause catastrophic failures; instead, an emergency stop must execute a predefined fallback…
Practical deployments of coordinated fleets of mobile robots in different environments have revealed the benefits of maintaining small distances between robots, especially as they move at higher speeds. However, this is counter-intuitive in…
The growing spread of robots for service and industrial purposes calls for versatile, intuitive and portable interaction approaches. In particular, in industrial environments, operators should be able to interact with robots in a fast,…
We outline our work on evaluating robots that assist older adults by engaging with them through multiple modalities that include physical interaction. Our thesis is that to increase the effectiveness of assistive robots: 1) robots need to…
Robot interaction control is often limited to low dynamics or low flexibility, depending on whether an active or passive approach is chosen. In this work, we introduce a hybrid control scheme that combines the advantages of active and…
External Human-Machine Interfaces (eHMI) are widely used on robots and autonomous vehicles to convey the machine's intent to humans. Delivery robots are getting common, and they share the sidewalk along with the pedestrians. Current…
Multi-robot systems are made up of a team of multiple robots, which provides the advantage of performing complex tasks with high efficiency, flexibility, and robustness. Although research on human-robot interaction is ongoing as robots…
Teleoperated robotic characters can perform expressive interactions with humans, relying on the operators' experience and social intuition. In this work, we propose to create autonomous interactive robots, by training a model to imitate…
Human-robot co-carrying tasks reveal their potential in both industrial and everyday applications by leveraging the strengths of both parties. Effective control of robots in these tasks requires managing the energy level in the closed-loop…
Policymakers advocate for the use of external Human-Machine Interfaces (eHMIs) to allow autonomous vehicles (AVs) to communicate their intentions or status. Nonetheless, scalability concerns in complex traffic scenarios arise, such as…
Shared autonomy is a promising paradigm in robotic systems, particularly within the maritime domain, where complex, high-risk, and uncertain environments necessitate effective human-robot collaboration. This paper investigates the…
We describe a shared control methodology that can, without knowledge of the task, be used to improve a human's control of a dynamic system, be used as a training mechanism, and be used in conjunction with Imitation Learning to generate…