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Sampling-based methods are widely adopted solutions for robot motion planning. The methods are straightforward to implement, effective in practice for many robotic systems. It is often possible to prove that they have desirable properties,…
We study the problem of motion-planning for free-flying multi-link robots and develop a sampling-based algorithm that is specifically tailored for the task. Our work is based on the simple observation that the set of configurations for…
Legged robot locomotion requires the planning of stable reference trajectories, especially while traversing uneven terrain. The proposed trajectory optimization framework is capable of generating dynamically stable base and footstep…
Dynamic locomotion in rough terrain requires accurate foot placement, collision avoidance, and planning of the underactuated dynamics of the system. Reliably optimizing for such motions and interactions in the presence of imperfect and…
Uncertainties in contact dynamics and object geometry remain significant barriers to robust robotic manipulation. Caging mitigates these uncertainties by constraining an object's mobility without requiring precise contact modeling. However,…
Developing robust locomotion for humanoid robots is a complex task due to the unstable nature of these robots and also to the unpredictability of the terrain. A robust locomotion planner is one of the fundamental components for generating…
We address high-dimensional zero-one random parameters in two-stage convex conic optimization problems. Such parameters typically represent failures of network elements and constitute rare, high-impact random events in several applications.…
This paper reports a novel result: with proper robot models on matrix Lie groups, one can formulate the kinodynamic motion planning problem for rigid body systems as \emph{exact} polynomial optimization problems that can be relaxed as…
We describe a convex programming approach to the calculation of lower bounds on the minimum cost of constrained decentralized control problems with nonclassical information structures. The class of problems we consider entail the…
In this paper, we present an efficient Dynamic Programing framework for optimal planning and control of legged robots. First we formulate this problem as an optimal control problem for switched systems. Then we propose a multi--level…
This work addresses the problem of multi-robot coordination under unknown robot transition models, ensuring that tasks specified by Time Window Temporal Logic are satisfied with user-defined probability thresholds. We present a bi-level…
Robust optimization is a popular paradigm for modeling and solving two- and multi-stage decision-making problems affected by uncertainty. In many real-world applications, the time of information discovery is decision-dependent and the…
Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a common tool for the control of nonlinear, real-world systems, such as legged robots. However, solving MPC quickly enough to enable its use in real-time is often challenging. One common solution is given…
In this series of papers, we present a motion planning framework for planning comfortable and customizable motion of nonholonomic mobile robots such as intelligent wheelchairs and autonomous cars. In this first one we present the…
We study the problem of learning to perform multi-stage robotic manipulation tasks, with applications to cable routing, where the robot must route a cable through a series of clips. This setting presents challenges representative of complex…
Overcoming robotics challenges in the real world requires resilient control systems capable of handling a multitude of environments and unforeseen events. Evolutionary optimization using simulations is a promising way to automatically…
Floating-base multi-link robots can change their shape during flight, making them well-suited for applications in confined environments such as autonomous inspection and search and rescue. However, trajectory planning for such systems…
We propose a flexible convex relaxation for the phase retrieval problem that operates in the natural domain of the signal. Therefore, we avoid the prohibitive computational cost associated with "lifting" and semidefinite programming (SDP)…
Quadratically constrained quadratic programs (QCQPs) are ubiquitous in optimization: Such problems arise in applications from operations research, power systems, signal processing, chemical engineering, and portfolio theory, among others.…
When a human and a humanoid robot collaborate physically, ergonomics is a key factor to consider. Assuming a given humanoid robot, several control architectures exist nowadays to address ergonomic physical human-robot collaboration. This…