Related papers: Contact Optimization for Non-Prehensile Loco-Manip…
Collision-free planning is essential for bipedal robots operating within unstructured environments. This paper presents a real-time Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework that addresses both body and foot avoidance for dynamic bipedal…
Due to high dimensionality and non-convexity, real-time optimal control using full-order dynamics models for legged robots is challenging. Therefore, Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) approaches are often limited to reduced-order…
Effective close-proximity human-robot interaction (CP-HRI) requires robots to be able to both efficiently perform tasks as well as adapt to human behavior and preferences. However, this ability is mediated by many, sometimes competing,…
Motion Cueing Algorithms (MCAs) encode the movement of simulated vehicles into movement that can be reproduced with a motion simulator to provide a realistic driving experience within the capabilities of the machine. This paper introduces a…
In scenarios involving the grasping of multiple targets, the learning of stacking relationships between objects is fundamental for robots to execute safely and efficiently. However, current methods lack subdivision for the hierarchy of…
Whole-body loco-manipulation for quadruped robots with arms remains a challenging problem, particularly in achieving multi-task control. To address this, we propose MLM, a reinforcement learning framework driven by both real-world and…
Model Predictive Control (MPC) has shown the great performance of target optimization and constraint satisfaction. However, the heavy computation of the Optimal Control Problem (OCP) at each triggering instant brings the serious delay from…
As humanoid robots enter real-world environments, ensuring robust locomotion across diverse environments is crucial. This paper presents a computationally efficient hierarchical control framework for humanoid robot locomotion based on…
Many robots are not equipped with a manipulator and many objects are not suitable for prehensile manipulation (such as large boxes and cylinders). In these cases, pushing is a simple yet effective non-prehensile skill for robots to interact…
This paper proposes a Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm for target tracking amongst static and dynamic obstacles. Our main contribution lies in improving the computational tractability and reliability of the underlying non-convex…
We define "robotic contact juggling" to be the purposeful control of the motion of a three-dimensional smooth object as it rolls freely on a motion-controlled robot manipulator, or "hand." While specific examples of robotic contact juggling…
Humanoid robots often face significant balance issues due to the motion of their heavy limbs. These challenges are particularly pronounced when attempting dynamic motion or operating in environments with irregular terrain. To address this…
In this work, we build on our method for manipulating unknown objects via contact configuration regulation: the estimation and control of the location, geometry, and mode of all contacts between the robot, object, and environment. We…
Planning and execution of agile locomotion maneuvers have been a longstanding challenge in legged robotics. It requires to derive motion plans and local feedback policies in real-time to handle the nonholonomy of the kinetic momenta. To…
Husky Carbon, a robot developed by Northeastern University, serves as a research platform to explore unification of posture manipulation and thrust vectoring. Unlike conventional quadrupeds, its joint actuators and thrusters enable enhanced…
This paper presents a scalable multi-robot motion planning algorithm called Conflict-Based Model Predictive Control (CB-MPC). Inspired by Conflict-Based Search (CBS), the planner leverages a similar high-level conflict tree to efficiently…
Seamless loco-manipulation in unstructured environments requires robots to leverage autonomous exploration alongside whole-body control for physical interaction. In this work, we introduce HANDO (Hierarchical Autonomous Navigation and…
The use of exoskeleton robots is increasing due to the rising number of musculoskeletal injuries. However, their effectiveness depends heavily on the design of control systems. Designing robust controllers is challenging because of…
This work addresses the challenge of a robot using real-time feedback from contact sensors to reliably manipulate a movable object on a cluttered tabletop. We formulate contact manipulation as a partially observable Markov decision process…
Model predictive control (MPC) has shown great success for controlling complex systems such as legged robots. However, when closing the loop, the performance and feasibility of the finite horizon optimal control problem (OCP) solved at each…