Related papers: Keep it Upright: Model Predictive Control for Nonp…
Autonomous mobile manipulation offers a dual advantage of mobility provided by a mobile platform and dexterity afforded by the manipulator. In this paper, we present a whole-body optimal control framework to jointly solve the problems of…
We propose a Model Predictive Control (MPC) for collision avoidance between an autonomous agent and dynamic obstacles with uncertain predictions. The collision avoidance constraints are imposed by enforcing positive distance between convex…
In this paper, we study the implementation of a model predictive controller (MPC) for the task of object manipulation in a highly uncertain environment (e.g., picking objects from a semi-flexible array of densely packed bins). As a…
Industrial manipulators are normally operated in cluttered environments, making safe motion planning important. Furthermore, the presence of model-uncertainties make safe motion planning more difficult. Therefore, in practice the speed is…
We investigate the problem of teaching a robot manipulator to perform dynamic non-prehensile object transport, also known as the `robot waiter' task, from a limited set of real-world demonstrations. We propose an approach that combines…
This paper addresses the problem of cooperative transportation of an object rigidly grasped by $N$ robotic agents. In particular, we propose a Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) scheme that guarantees the navigation of the object to…
We investigate pneumatic non-prehensile manipulation (i.e., blowing) as a means of efficiently moving scattered objects into a target receptacle. Due to the chaotic nature of aerodynamic forces, a blowing controller must (i) continually…
A particular type of assistive robots designed for physical interaction with objects could play an important role assisting with mobility and fall prevention in healthcare facilities. Autonomous mobile manipulation presents a hurdle prior…
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 article addresses the obstacle avoidance problem for setpoint stabilization and path-following tasks in complex dynamic 2D environments that go beyond conventional scenes with isolated convex obstacles. A combined motion planner and…
This paper proposes a motion control scheme for robots operating in a dynamic environment with concave obstacles. A Model Predictive Controller (MPC) is constructed to drive the robot towards a goal position while ensuring collision…
In real-world applications of mobile robots, collision avoidance is of critical importance. Typically, global motion planning in constrained environments is addressed through high-level control schemes. However, additionally integrating…
This paper proposes a non-linear Model Predictive Contouring Control (MPCC) for obstacle avoidance in automated vehicles driven at the limit of handling. The proposed controller integrates motion planning, path tracking and vehicle…
Modern, torque-controlled service robots can regulate contact forces when interacting with their environment. Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a powerful method to solve the underlying control problem, allowing to plan for whole-body…
This paper addresses the problem of pushing manipulation with nonholonomic mobile robots. Pushing is a fundamental skill that enables robots to move unwieldy objects that cannot be grasped. We propose a stable pushing method that maintains…
In this paper, we present a real-time whole-body planner for collision-free legged mobile manipulation. We enforce both self-collision and environment-collision avoidance as soft constraints within a Model Predictive Control (MPC) scheme…
We consider the nonprehensile object transportation task known as the waiter's problem - in which a robot must move an object on a tray from one location to another - when the transported object has uncertain inertial parameters. In…
This paper addresses the problem of cooperative transportation of an object rigidly grasped by N robotic agents. We propose a Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) scheme that guarantees the navigation of the object to a desired pose in…
This paper presents a method for local motion planning in unstructured environments with static and moving obstacles, such as humans. Given a reference path and speed, our optimization-based receding-horizon approach computes a local…
Robotic tasks which involve uncertainty--due to variation in goal, environment configuration, or confidence in task model--may require human input to instruct or adapt the robot. In tasks with physical contact, several existing methods for…