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Mobile robots with complex morphology are essential for traversing rough terrains in Urban Search & Rescue missions (USAR). Since teleoperation of the complex morphology causes high cognitive load of the operator, the morphology is…
Real-world environments are inherently uncertain, and to operate safely in these environments robots must be able to plan around this uncertainty. In the context of motion planning, we desire systems that can maintain an acceptable level of…
Safe motion planning algorithms are necessary for deploying autonomous robots in unstructured environments. Motion plans must be safe to ensure that the robot does not harm humans or damage any nearby objects. Generating these motion plans…
Exploring and navigating in extreme environments, such as caves, oceans, and planetary bodies, are often too hazardous for humans, and as such, robots are possible surrogates. These robots are met with significant locomotion challenges that…
In order to perform highly dynamic and agile maneuvers, legged robots typically spend time in underactuated domains (e.g. with feet off the ground) where the system has limited command of its acceleration and a constrained amount of time…
This paper presents a provably correct method for robot navigation in 2D environments cluttered with familiar but unexpected non-convex, star-shaped obstacles as well as completely unknown, convex obstacles. We presuppose a limited range…
Generating safe motion plans in real-time is necessary for the wide-scale deployment of robots in unstructured and human-centric environments. These motion plans must be safe to ensure humans are not harmed and nearby objects are not…
We present controllers that enable mobile robots to persistently monitor or sweep a changing environment. The changing environment is modeled as a field which grows in locations that are not within range of a robot, and decreases in…
This paper presents a soft earthworm robot that is capable of both efficient locomotion and obstacle avoidance. The robot is designed to replicate the unique locomotion mechanisms of earthworms, which enable them to move through narrow and…
Although wheeled robots have been predominant for planetary exploration, their geometry limits their capabilities when traveling over steep slopes, through rocky terrains, and in microgravity. Legged robots equipped with grippers are a…
Quadrupeds are strong candidates for navigating challenging environments because of their agile and dynamic designs. This paper presents a methodology that extends the range of exploration for quadrupedal robots by creating an end-to-end…
The use of soft and compliant manipulators in marine environments represents a promising paradigm shift for subsea inspection, with devices better suited to tasks owing to their ability to safely conform to items during contact. However,…
Collaborative robots should ideally use low torque actuators for passive safety reasons. However, some applications require these collaborative robots to reach deep into confined spaces while assisting a human operator in physically…
Minimally Invasive Surgeries (MIS) are challenging for surgeons due to the limited field of view and constrained range of motion imposed by narrow access ports. These challenges can be addressed by robot-assisted endoscope systems which…
Small-scale robots hold great potential for targeted cargo delivery in minimally-inv asive medicine. However, current robots often face challenges to locomote efficiently on slip pery biological tissue surfaces, especially when loaded with…
Leeches are fascinating creatures: they have simple modular nervous circuitry m yet exhibit a rich spectrum of behavioural modes. Leeches could be ideal blue-prints for designing flexible soft robots which are modular, multi-functional,…
This paper develops a new approach for robot motion planning and control in obstacle-laden environments that is inspired by fundamentals of fluid mechanics. For motion planning, we propose a novel transformation between motion space, with…
Robotic inspection of radioactive areas enables operators to be removed from hazardous environments; however, planning and operating in confined, cluttered environments remain challenging. These systems must autonomously reconstruct the…
Limbless creatures can crawl on flat surfaces by deforming their bodies and interacting with asperities on the ground, offering a biological blueprint for designing efficient limbless robots. Inspired by this natural locomotion, we present…
Modular self-reconfigurable robots (MSRRs) offer enhanced task flexibility by constructing various structures suitable for each task. However, conventional terrestrial MSRRs equipped with wheels face critical challenges, including…