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In this paper, we consider bilevel optimization problem where the lower-level has coupled constraints, i.e. the constraints depend both on the upper- and lower-level variables. In particular, we consider two settings for the lower-level…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2025-03-14 Xiaotian Jiang , Jiaxiang Li , Mingyi Hong , Shuzhong Zhang

Aiming to promote the wide adoption of safety filters for autonomous aerial robots, this paper presents a safe control architecture designed for seamless integration into widely used open-source autopilots. Departing from methods that…

Robotics · Computer Science 2025-04-23 Nazar Misyats , Marvin Harms , Morten Nissov , Martin Jacquet , Kostas Alexis

This paper generalizes the control barrier function framework by replacing scalar-valued functions with matrix-valued ones. Specifically, we develop barrier conditions for safe sets defined by matrix inequalities -- both semidefinite and…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2025-09-01 Pio Ong , Yicheng Xu , Ryan M. Bena , Faryar Jabbari , Aaron D. Ames

This paper presents a safe model predictive control (SMPC) framework designed to ensure the satisfaction of hard constraints for systems perturbed by an external disturbance. Such safety guarantees are ensured, despite the disturbance, by…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2025-03-20 Ying Shuai Quan , Mohammad Jeddi , Francesco Prignoli , Paolo Falcone

In this paper, we propose a compositional framework for the synthesis of safety controllers for networks of partially-observed discrete-time stochastic control systems (a.k.a. continuous-space POMDPs). Given an estimator, we utilize a…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2022-01-03 Niloofar Jahanshahi , Abolfazl Lavaei , Majid Zamani

This paper considers safe control synthesis for dynamical systems with either probabilistic or worst-case uncertainty in both the dynamics model and the safety constraints. We formulate novel probabilistic and robust (worst-case) control…

Robotics · Computer Science 2022-10-04 Kehan Long , Vikas Dhiman , Melvin Leok , Jorge Cortés , Nikolay Atanasov

This article introduces a safe control strategy for application of forces to an external object using a dexterous robotic arm mounted on an unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). A hybrid force-motion controller has been developed for this purpose.…

Safe operation is essential for deploying robots in human-centered 3D environments. Soft continuum manipulators provide passive safety through mechanical compliance, but still require active control to achieve reliable collision avoidance.…

Robotics · Computer Science 2026-03-23 Kiwan Wong , Maximillian Stölzle , Wei Xiao , Daniela Rus

We present a novel method of optimal robust control through quadratic programs that offers tracking stability while subject to input and state-based constraints as well as safety-critical constraints for nonlinear dynamical robotic systems…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2021-04-14 Quan Nguyen , Koushil Sreenath

Robotic grasping requires safe force interaction to prevent a grasped object from being damaged or slipping out of the hand. In this vein, this paper proposes an integrated framework for grasping with formal safety guarantees based on…

Robotics · Computer Science 2025-11-20 Yitaek Kim , Jeeseop Kim , Albert H. Li , Aaron D. Ames , Christoffer Sloth

Monotone systems, also known as order-preserving or cooperative systems, are prevalent in models of engineering applications such as transportation and biological networks. In this paper, we investigate the problem of finding a control…

Systems and Control · Computer Science 2018-07-30 Sadra Sadraddini , Calin Belta

Optimal control for safety-critical systems is often dependent on the conservativeness of constraints. Control Barrier Functions (CBFs) serve as a medium to represent such constraints, but constructing a minimally conservative CBF is a…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2026-05-08 Tanmay Dokania , Yashwanth Kumar Nakka

Control barrier functions (CBFs) are widely used in safety-critical controllers. However, constructing a valid CBF is challenging, especially under nonlinear or non-convex constraints and for high relative degree systems. Meanwhile, finding…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2022-10-12 Bolun Dai , Prashanth Krishnamurthy , Farshad Khorrami

Efficient methods to provide sub-optimal solutions to non-convex optimization problems with knowledge of the solution's sub-optimality would facilitate the widespread application of nonlinear optimal control algorithms. To that end,…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2023-04-10 Prithvi Akella , Aaron D. Ames

We introduce a type of safe extremum seeking (ES) controller, which minimizes an unknown objective function while also maintaining practical positivity of an unknown barrier function. We show semi-global practical asymptotic stability of…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2023-09-28 Alan Williams , Miroslav Krstic , Alexander Scheinker

Soft robots manufactured with flexible materials can be highly compliant and adaptive to their surroundings, which facilitates their application in areas such as dexterous manipulation and environmental exploration. This paper aims at…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2025-07-01 Renjie Ma , Ziyao Qu , Zhijian Hu , Dong Zhao , Marios M. Polycarpou

This article presents an adaptive Super-Twisting Sliding Mode Control framework for uncertain first-order systems, with rate-bounded perturbations, where the bound is constant but unknown. Positive definite barrier functions, when used in…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2025-11-12 Antoine Thibault Vié , Leonid Fridman , Roberto Galeazzi , Dimitrios Papageorgiou

This paper studies the well-posedness and regularity of safe stabilizing optimization-based controllers for control-affine systems in the presence of model uncertainty. When the system dynamics contain unknown parameters, a finite set of…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2024-01-01 Pol Mestres , Kehan Long , Nikolay Atanasov , Jorge Cortés

Safety in dynamic systems with prevalent uncertainties is crucial. Current robust safe controllers, designed primarily for uni-modal uncertainties, may be either overly conservative or unsafe when handling multi-modal uncertainties. To…

Robotics · Computer Science 2023-10-02 Tianhao Wei , Liqian Ma , Ravi Pandya , Changliu Liu

This paper introduces control barrier functions for discrete-time systems, which can be shown to be necessary and sufficient for controlled invariance of a given set. Moreover, we propose nonlinear discrete-time control barrier functions…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2020-04-07 Matthew Cavorsi , Mohammad Khajenejad , Ruochen Niu , Qiang Shen , Sze Zheng Yong