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This paper proposes an upper-limb exoskeleton teleoperation system based on magnetorheological (MR) clutches, aiming to improve operational accuracy and enhance the immersive experience during lunar sampling tasks. Conventional exoskeleton…
Impact-aware tasks (i.e. on purpose impacts) are not handled in multi-objective whole body controllers of hu-manoid robots. This leads to the fact that a humanoid robot typically operates at near-zero velocity to interact with the external…
Force modulation of robotic manipulators has been extensively studied for several decades but is not yet commonly used in safety-critical applications due to a lack of accurate interaction contact modeling and weak performance guarantees -…
Soft Robots distinguish themselves from traditional robots by embracing flexible kinematics. Because of their recent emergence, there exist numerous uncharted territories, including novel actuators, manufacturing processes, and advanced…
This article propose a whole-body impedance coordinative control framework for a wheel-legged humanoid robot to achieve adaptability on complex terrains while maintaining robot upper body stability. The framework contains a bi-level control…
Soft and soft-rigid hybrid robots are inherently underactuated and operate under tight actuator limits, making task-space control with stability guarantees challenging. Common nonlinear strategies for soft robots (e.g., those based on PD…
Bolting operations are critical in industrial assembly and in the maintenance of scientific facilities, requiring high precision and robustness to faults. Although robotic solutions have the potential to improve operational safety and…
For humans and robots to form an effective human-robot team (HRT) there must be sufficient trust between team members throughout a mission. We analyze data from an HRT experiment focused on trust dynamics in teams of one human and two…
Reinforcement learning (RL) and sim-to-real transfer have advanced rigid-object manipulation. However, policies remain brittle for articulated mechanisms due to contact-rich dynamics that require both stable grasping and simultaneous free…
Recent studies on quadruped robots have focused on either locomotion or mobile manipulation using a robotic arm. Legged robots can manipulate heavier and larger objects using non-prehensile manipulation primitives, such as planar pushing,…
This manuscript presents a model of compliant contacts for time-critical humanoid robot motion control. The proposed model considers the environment as a continuum of spring-damper systems, which allows us to compute the equivalent contact…
Force control in hydraulic actuators is notoriously difficult due to strong nonlinearities, uncertainties, and the high risks associated with unsafe exploration during learning. This paper investigates safe reinforcement learning (RL) for…
Teleoperation of low-cost manipulators is attracting increasing attention as a practical means of collecting demonstration data for imitation learning. However, most existing systems rely on unilateral control without force feedback, which…
Most robotic hands and grippers rely on actuators with large gearboxes and force sensors for controlling gripping force. However, this might not be ideal for tasks that require the robot to interact with an unstructured and unknown…
Typical contact detection is based on the monitoring of a threshold value in the force and torque signals. The selection of a threshold is challenging for robots operating in unstructured or highly dynamic environments, such in a household…
Incorporating both flexible and rigid components in robot designs offers a unique solution to the limitations of traditional rigid robotics by enabling both compliance and strength. This paper explores the challenges and solutions for…
This paper presents a Load-Based Variable Transmission (LBVT) mechanism designed to enhance robotic actuation by dynamically adjusting the transmission ratio in response to external torque demands. Unlike existing variable transmission…
In this paper, the problem of making a safe compliant contact between a human and an assistive robot is considered. Users with disabilities have a need to utilize their assistive robots for physical human-robot interaction (PHRI) during…
Magnetically actuated robots provide a promising untethered platform for navigation in confined environments, enabling biological studies and targeted micro-delivery. However, dexterous manipulation in complex structures remains…
In recent years, multimodal locomotion capabilities have enabled robots to maneuver in both terrestrial and aerial domains. However, most of these robots are designed only for locomotion, and few possess the manipulation capabilities…