Related papers: Direct Collocation Methods for Trajectory Optimiza…
This paper addresses the challenge of accommodating nonlinear dynamics and constraints in rapid trajectory optimization, envisioned for use in the context of onboard guidance. We present a novel framework that uniquely employs…
Many core problems in robotics can be framed as constrained optimization problems. Often on these problems, the robotic system has uncertainty, or it would be advantageous to identify multiple high quality feasible solutions. To enable…
Tilt-rotor aerial robots are more dynamic and versatile than fixed-rotor platforms, since the thrust vector and body orientation are decoupled. However, the coordination of servos and propellers (the allocation problem) is not trivial,…
Cooperative transportation, a key aspect of logistics cyber-physical systems (CPS), is typically approached using dis tributed control and optimization-based methods. The distributed control methods consume less time, but poorly handle and…
In this paper, we present a concurrent and scalable trajectory optimization method to improve the quality of robot-assisted manufacturing. Our method simultaneously optimizes tool orientations, kinematic redundancy, and waypoint timing on…
Motion planning under differential constraints, kinodynamic motion planning, is one of the canonical problems in robotics. Currently, state-of-the-art methods evolve around kinodynamic variants of popular sampling-based algorithms, such as…
In this work we investigate dynamical systems designed to approach the solution sets of inclusion problems involving the sum of two maximally monotone operators. Our aim is to design methods which guarantee strong convergence of…
To economically deploy robotic manipulators the programming and execution of robot motions must be swift. To this end, we propose a novel, constraint-based method to intuitively specify sequential manipulation tasks and to compute…
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…
Mechanical systems are usually modeled by second-order Ordinary Differential Equations (ODE) which take the form $\ddot{q} = f(t, q, \dot{q})$. While simulation methods tailored to these equations have been studied, using them in direct…
In this paper, we present a novel approach to efficiently generate collision-free optimal trajectories for multiple non-holonomic mobile robots in obstacle-rich environments. Our approach first employs a graph-based multi-agent path planner…
Stable dynamical systems are a flexible tool to plan robotic motions in real-time. In the robotic literature, dynamical system motions are typically planned without considering possible limitations in the robot's workspace. This work…
This paper deals with time-optimal control of nonlinear continuous-time systems based on direct collocation. The underlying discretization grid is variable in time, as the time intervals are subject to optimization. This technique differs…
Online generation of collision free trajectories is of prime importance for autonomous navigation. Dynamic environments, robot motion and sensing uncertainties adds further challenges to collision avoidance systems. This paper presents an…
We introduce a modeling framework for manipulation planning based on the formulation of the dynamics as a projected dynamical system. This method uses implicit signed distance functions and their gradients to formulate an equivalent…
Safe operation of systems such as robots requires them to plan and execute trajectories subject to safety constraints. When those systems are subject to uncertainties in their dynamics, it is challenging to ensure that the constraints are…
Several interesting problems in multi-robot systems can be cast in the framework of distributed optimization. Examples include multi-robot task allocation, vehicle routing, target protection, and surveillance. While the theoretical analysis…
This paper presents a novel method to generate spatial constraints for motion planning in dynamic environments. Motion planning methods for autonomous driving and mobile robots typically need to rely on the spatial constraints imposed by a…
We present an optimization-based method to plan the motion of an autonomous robot under the uncertainties associated with dynamic obstacles, such as humans. Our method bounds the marginal risk of collisions at each point in time by…
This paper addresses an optimal control problem for a robot that has to find and collect a finite number of objects and move them to a depot in minimum time. The robot has fourth-order dynamics that change instantaneously at any pick-up or…