Related papers: Co-Evolution of Multi-Robot Controllers and Task C…
Multi-robot control in cluttered environments is a challenging problem that involves complex physical constraints, including robot-robot collisions, robot-obstacle collisions, and unreachable motions. Successful planning in such settings…
Humanoid robots will be able to assist humans in their daily life, in particular due to their versatile action capabilities. However, while these robots need a certain degree of autonomy to learn and explore, they also should respect…
When conducting autonomous scanning for the online reconstruction of unknown indoor environments, robots have to be competent at exploring scene structure and reconstructing objects with high quality. Our key observation is that different…
Reconfigurable robot swarms are capable of connecting with each other to form complex structures. Current mechanical or magnetic connection mechanisms can be complicated to manufacture, consume high power, have a limited load-bearing…
In this paper, we propose a novel cross-platform fault-tolerant surfacing controller for underwater robots, based on reinforcement learning (RL). Unlike conventional approaches, which require explicit identification of malfunctioning…
Regardless of their industrial or research application, the streamlining of robot operations is limited by the proximity of experienced users to the actual hardware. Be it massive open online robotics courses, crowd-sourcing of robot task…
Collaborative robotics cells leverage heterogeneous agents to provide agile production solutions. Effective coordination is essential to prevent inefficiencies and risks for human operators working alongside robots. This paper proposes a…
Efficient multi-robot task allocation (MRTA) is fundamental to various time-sensitive applications such as disaster response, warehouse operations, and construction. This paper tackles a particular class of these problems that we call…
To perform manipulation tasks in the real world, robots need to operate on objects with various shapes, sizes and without access to geometric models. It is often unfeasible to train monolithic neural network policies across such large…
Applications of large-scale mobile multi-robot systems can be beneficial over monolithic robots because of higher potential for robustness and scalability. Developing controllers for multi-robot systems is challenging because the multitude…
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…
The application of GNC devices on small robots is a game-changer that enables these robots to be mobile on low-gravity planetary surfaces and small bodies. Use of reaction wheels enables these robots to roll, hop, summersault and rest on…
We propose a novel formulation of the collision-aware task assignment (CATA) problem and a decentralized auction-based algorithm to solve the problem with optimality bound. Using a collision cone, we predict potential collisions and…
For a team of heterogeneous robots executing multiple tasks, we propose a novel algorithm to optimally allocate tasks to robots while accounting for their different capabilities. Motivated by the need that robot teams have in many…
With plans to send humans to the Moon and further, the supply of resources like oxygen, water, fuel, etc., can be satiated by performing In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), where resources from the extra-terrestrial body are extracted to…
The applicability of the swarm robots to perform foraging tasks is inspired by their compact size and cost. A considerable amount of energy is required to perform such tasks, especially if the tasks are continuous and/or repetitive.…
Future multi-spacecraft missions require robust autonomous trajectory optimization capabilities to ensure safe and efficient rendezvous operations. This capability hinges on solving non-convex optimal control problems in real-time, although…
The Industry 4.0 paradigm promises shorter development times, increased ergonomy, higher flexibility, and resource efficiency in manufacturing environments. Collaborative robots are an important tangible technology for implementing such a…
In post-disaster scenarios, efficient search and rescue operations involve collaborative efforts between robots and humans. Existing planning approaches focus on specific aspects but overlook crucial elements like information gathering,…
This work provides a complete framework for the simulation, co-optimization, and sim-to-real transfer of the design and control of soft legged robots. The compliance of soft robots provides a form of "mechanical intelligence" -- the ability…