Related papers: Learning to Brachiate via Simplified Model Imitati…
Brachiation is a dynamic, coordinated swinging maneuver of body and arms used by monkeys and apes to move between branches. As a unique underactuated mode of locomotion, it is interesting to study from a robotics perspective since it can…
The existing Motion Imitation models typically require expert data obtained through MoCap devices, but the vast amount of training data needed is difficult to acquire, necessitating substantial investments of financial resources, manpower,…
Imitation learning has been actively studied in recent years. In particular, skill acquisition by a robot with a fixed body, whose root link position and posture and camera angle of view do not change, has been realized in many cases. On…
This paper presents the design, analysis, and performance evaluation of RicMonk, a novel three-link brachiation robot equipped with passive hook-shaped grippers. Brachiation, an agile and energy-efficient mode of locomotion observed in…
Performing bimanual tasks with dual robotic setups can drastically increase the impact on industrial and daily life applications. However, performing a bimanual task brings many challenges, like synchronization and coordination of the…
The logarithmic spiral is observed as a common pattern in several living beings across kingdoms and species. Some examples include fern shoots, prehensile tails, and soft limbs like octopus arms and elephant trunks. In the latter cases,…
We present a novel method for learning from demonstration 6-D tasks that can be modeled as a sequence of linear motions and compliances. The focus of this paper is the learning of a single linear primitive, many of which can be sequenced to…
Finger-gaiting manipulation is an important skill to achieve large-angle in-hand re-orientation of objects. However, achieving these gaits with arbitrary orientations of the hand is challenging due to the unstable nature of the task. In…
A complete mechatronic design of a minimal configuration brachiation robot is presented. The robot consists of a single rigid rod with gripper mechanisms attached to both ends. The grippers are used to hang the robot on a horizontal bar on…
Many possible fields of application of robots in real world settings hinge on the ability of robots to grasp objects. As a result, robot grasping has been an active field of research for many years. With our publication we contribute to the…
When human acquire physical skills (e.g., tennis) from experts, we tend to first learn from merely observing the expert. But this is often insufficient. We then engage in practice, where we try to emulate the expert and ensure that our…
Reproducing the diverse and agile locomotion skills of animals has been a longstanding challenge in robotics. While manually-designed controllers have been able to emulate many complex behaviors, building such controllers involves a…
Bagging is an essential skill that humans perform in their daily activities. However, deformable objects, such as bags, are complex for robots to manipulate. This paper presents an efficient learning-based framework that enables robots to…
Learning to locomote to arbitrary goals on hardware remains a challenging problem for reinforcement learning. In this paper, we present a hierarchical learning framework that improves sample-efficiency and generalizability of locomotion…
Humans' ability to smoothly switch between locomotion and manipulation is a remarkable feature of sensorimotor coordination. Leaning and replication of such human-like strategies can lead to the development of more sophisticated robots…
Visual imitation learning provides a framework for learning complex manipulation behaviors by leveraging human demonstrations. However, current interfaces for imitation such as kinesthetic teaching or teleoperation prohibitively restrict…
Among the infinite number of possible movements that can be produced, humans are commonly assumed to choose those that optimize criteria such as minimizing movement time, subject to certain movement constraints like signal-dependent and…
In-hand object manipulation is challenging to simulate due to complex contact dynamics, non-repetitive finger gaits, and the need to indirectly control unactuated objects. Further adapting a successful manipulation skill to new objects with…
Robots that can operate autonomously in a human living environment are necessary to have the ability to handle various tasks flexibly. One crucial element is coordinated bimanual movements that enable functions that are difficult to perform…
Resource-constrained robotic platforms are particularly useful for tasks that require low-cost hardware alternatives due to the risk of losing the robot, like in search-and-rescue applications, or the need for a large number of devices,…