Related papers: Docking and Undocking a Modular Underactuated Osci…
Motion control of underactuated systems through the inverse dynamics contains configuration singularities. These limitations in configuration space mainly stem from the inertial coupling that passive joints/bodies create. In this study, we…
Underactuated legged robots depict highly nonlinear and complex dynamical behaviors that create significant challenges in accurately modeling system dynamics using both first principles and system identification approaches. Hence, it makes…
This paper introduces a cube-based reconfigurable robot that utilizes an electromagnet-based actuation framework to reconfigure in three dimensions via pivoting. While a variety of actuation mechanisms for self-reconfigurable robots have…
The optimal control of a mechanical system is of crucial importance in many realms. Typical examples are the determination of a time-minimal path in vehicle dynamics, a minimal energy trajectory in space mission design, or optimal motion…
Docking control of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a task that is integral to achieving persistent long term autonomy. This work explores the application of state-of-the-art model-free deep reinforcement learning (DRL) approaches…
Oscillations of flagella and cilia play an important role in biology, which motivates the idea of functional mimicry as part of bio-inspired applications. Nevertheless, it still remains challenging to drive their artificial counterparts to…
A spherical robot has many practical advantages as the entire electronics are protected within a hull and can be carried easily by any Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). However, its use is limited due to finding mounts for sensors. Pendulum…
Traditional aerial vehicles have limitations in their capabilities due to actuator constraints, such as motor saturation. The hardware components and their arrangement are designed to satisfy specific requirements and are difficult to…
Soft robots are known for their ability to perform tasks with great adaptability, enabled by their distributed, non-uniform stiffness and actuation. Bending is the most fundamental motion for soft robot design, but creating robust, and…
Autonomous docking between Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and ground robots is essential for heterogeneous systems, yet most existing approaches target wheeled platforms whose limited mobility constrains exploration in complex terrains.…
Learning dynamical systems through purely data-driven methods is challenging as they do not learn the underlying conservation laws that enable them to correctly generalize. Existing port-Hamiltonian neural network methods have recently been…
Retinal surgery is a complex medical procedure that requires exceptional expertise and dexterity. For this purpose, several robotic platforms are currently being developed to enable or improve the outcome of microsurgical tasks. Since the…
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) docking in dynamic and uncertain environments is a critical challenge for underwater robotics. Reinforcement learning is a promising method for developing robust controllers, but the disparity between…
Unmodeled aerodynamic disturbances pose a key challenge for multirotor flight when multiple vehicles are in close proximity to each other. However, certain missions \textit{require} two multirotors to approach each other within 1-2…
We present a flow-based control strategy that enables resource-constrained marine robots to patrol gyre-like flow environments on an orbital trajectory with a periodicity in a given range. The controller does not require a detailed model of…
The paper presents a new, robust control algorithm for position trajectory tracking in a 3D space, dedicated to underactuated airships. In order to take into account real characteristics of such vehicles, and to reflect practically…
Multi-rotor UAVs face limited flight time due to battery constraints. Autonomous docking on blimps with onboard battery recharging and data offloading offers a promising solution for extended UAV missions. However, the vulnerability of…
Autonomous shipping has recently gained much interest in the research community. However, little research focuses on inland - and port navigation, even though this is identified by countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands as an…
Underwater robots are widely deployed for ocean exploration and manipulation. Underactuated mechanisms are particularly advantageous in aquatic environments, as reducing actuator count lowers the risk of motor leakage while introducing…
Capabilities of long-range flight and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) are essential for Urban Air Mobility (UAM). Tiltrotor VTOLs have the advantage of balancing control simplicity and system complexity due to their redundant control…