Related papers: Characterizing Universal Reconfigurability of Modu…
This paper proposes a distributed on-orbit spacecraft assembly algorithm, where future spacecraft can assemble modules with different functions on orbit to form a spacecraft structure with specific functions. This form of spacecraft…
Motion planning trajectories for a multi-limbed robot to climb up walls requires a unique combination of constraints on torque, contact force, and posture. This paper focuses on motion planning for one particular setup wherein a six-legged…
The motion of a mechanical system can be defined as a path through its configuration space. Computing such a path has a computational complexity scaling exponentially with the dimensionality of the configuration space. We propose to reduce…
An oblivious mobile robot is a stateless computational entity located in a spatial universe, capable of moving in that universe. When activated, the robot observes the universe and the location of the other robots, chooses a destination,…
Contact planning is crucial in locomoting systems.Specifically, appropriate contact planning can enable versatile behaviors (e.g., sidewinding in limbless locomotors) and facilitate speed-dependent gait transitions (e.g., walk-trot-gallop…
We study the problem of reconfiguring odd matchings, that is, matchings that cover all but a single vertex. Our reconfiguration operation is a so-called flip where the unmatched vertex of the first matching gets matched, while consequently…
In this paper, we present a heterogeneous robot swarm system that can physically couple with each other to form functional structures and dynamically decouple to perform individual tasks. The connection between robots can be formed with a…
The paper surveys topological problems relevant to the motion planning problem of robotics and includes some new results and constructions. First we analyse the notion of topological complexity of configuration spaces which is responsible…
Imagine a swarm of terrestrial robots that can explore an environment, and, upon completion of this task, reconfigure into a spherical ball and roll out. This dimensional change alters the dynamics of locomotion and can assist them to…
The Meeting problem for $k\geq 2$ searchers in a polygon $P$ (possibly with holes) consists in making the searchers move within $P$, according to a distributed algorithm, in such a way that at least two of them eventually come to see each…
This paper presents a novel partial differential equation (PDE)-based framework for controlling an ensemble of robots, which have limited sensing and actuation capabilities and exhibit stochastic behaviors, to perform mapping and coverage…
Modular self-reconfigurable satellites refer to satellite clusters composed of individual modular units capable of altering their configurations. The configuration changes enable the execution of diverse tasks and mission objectives.…
Using results on the topology of moduli space of polygons [Jaggi, 92; Kapovich and Millson, 94], it can be shown that for a planar robot arm with $n$ segments there are some values of the base-length, $z$, at which the configuration space…
This work continues the analysis of complex dynamics in a class of bidimensional nonlinear hybrid dynamical systems with resets modeling neuronal voltage dynamics with adaptation and spike emission. We show that these models can generically…
In this work, the control of snake robot locomotion via economic model predictive control (MPC) is studied. Only very few examples of applications of MPC to snake robots exist and rigorous proofs for recursive feasibility and convergence…
In modular robotics, modules can be reconfigured to change the morphology of the robot, making it able to adapt for specific tasks. However, optimizing both the body and control is a difficult challenge due to the intricate relationship…
Humanoid robots are expected to navigate in changing environments and perform a variety of tasks. Frequently, these tasks require the robot to make decisions online regarding the speed and precision of following a reference path. For…
Reconfigurable robots are at the forefront of robotics innovation due to their unmatched versatility and adaptability in addressing various tasks through collaborative operations. This paper explores the design and implementation of a novel…
We study the problem of coordinating multiple robots along fixed geometric paths. Our contribution is threefold. First we formalize the intuitive concept of priorities as a binary relation induced by a feasible coordination solution,…
An analytic reversible Hamiltonian system with two degrees of freedom is studied in a neighborhood of its symmetric heteroclinic connection made up of a symmetric saddle-center, a symmetric orientable saddle periodic orbit lying in the same…