Related papers: LQR-CBF-RRT*: Safe and Optimal Motion Planning
Safely deploying robots in uncertain and dynamic environments requires a systematic accounting of various risks, both within and across layers in an autonomy stack from perception to motion planning and control. Many widely used motion…
In this paper, we introduce a reduced order model-based reinforcement learning (MBRL) approach, utilizing the Iterative Linear Quadratic Regulator (ILQR) algorithm for the optimal control of nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs).…
In this paper, we present a new algorithm that extends RRT* and RT-RRT* for online path planning in complex, dynamic environments. Sampling-based approaches often perform poorly in environments with narrow passages, a feature common to many…
Useful robot control algorithms should not only achieve performance objectives but also adhere to hard safety constraints. Control Barrier Functions (CBFs) have been developed to provably ensure system safety through forward invariance.…
This paper proposes a novel safety specification tool, called the distributionally robust risk map (DR-risk map), for a mobile robot operating in a learning-enabled environment. Given the robot's position, the map aims to reliably assess…
Physical human-robot interaction offers the potential to leverage human intelligence and robot physical capabilities to enable a range of exciting applications, e.g., collaborative robots for rehabilitation. Safety is critical for the…
Continuum robots (CR) offer excellent dexterity and compliance in contrast to rigid-link robots, making them suitable for navigating through, and interacting with, confined environments. However, the study of path planning for CRs while…
Collision avoidance is a widely investigated topic in robotic applications. When applying collision avoidance techniques to a mobile robot, how to deal with the spatial structure of the robot still remains a challenge. In this paper, we…
The safety of training task policies and their subsequent application using reinforcement learning (RL) methods has become a focal point in the field of safe RL. A central challenge in this area remains the establishment of theoretical…
This paper presents a reactive planning system that allows a Cassie-series bipedal robot to avoid multiple non-overlapping obstacles via a single, continuously differentiable control barrier function (CBF). The overall system detects an…
The key innovation of our analytical method, CaRT, lies in establishing a new hierarchical, distributed architecture to guarantee the safety and robustness of a given learning-based motion planning policy. First, in a nominal setting, the…
Legged robots exhibit significant potential across diverse applications, including but not limited to hazardous environment search and rescue missions and the exploration of unexplored regions both on Earth and in outer space. However, the…
We introduce a real-time, constrained, nonlinear Model Predictive Control for the motion planning of legged robots. The proposed approach uses a constrained optimal control algorithm known as SLQ. We improve the efficiency of this algorithm…
We address the problem of optimizing the performance of a dynamic system while satisfying hard safety constraints at all times. Implementing an optimal control solution is limited by the computational cost required to derive it in real…
In the field of control engineering, the connection between Signal Temporal Logic (STL) and time-varying Control Barrier Functions (CBF) has attracted considerable attention. CBFs have demonstrated notable success in ensuring the safety of…
This article presents a method to automatically generate energy-optimal trajectories for systems with linear dynamics, linear constraints, and a quadratic cost functional (LQ systems). First, using recent advancements in optimal control, we…
We present Fast-dRRT*, a sampling-based multi-robot planner, for real-time industrial automation scenarios. Fast-dRRT* builds upon the discrete rapidly-exploring random tree (dRRT*) planner, and extends dRRT* by using pre-computed swept…
In this paper we present a novel probabilistic sampling-based motion planning algorithm called the Fast Marching Tree algorithm (FMT*). The algorithm is specifically aimed at solving complex motion planning problems in high-dimensional…
This paper presents a two-step algorithm for online trajectory planning in indoor environments with unknown obstacles. In the first step, sampling-based path planning techniques such as the optimal Rapidly exploring Random Tree (RRT*)…
Path planners based on basic rapidly-exploring random trees (RRTs) are quick and efficient, and thus favourable for real-time robot path planning, but are almost-surely suboptimal. In contrast, the optimal RRT (RRT*) converges to the…