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Bifurcations mark qualitative changes of long-term behavior in dynamical systems and can often signal sudden ("hard") transitions or catastrophic events (divergences). Accurately locating them is critical not just for deeper understanding…
We propose a planning and control approach to physics-based manipulation. The key feature of the algorithm is that it can adapt to the accuracy requirements of a task, by slowing down and generating `careful' motion when the task requires…
Many robot manipulation tasks require the robot to make and break contact with objects and surfaces. The dynamics of such changing-contact robot manipulation tasks are discontinuous when contact is made or broken, and continuous elsewhere.…
Many natural and technological systems fail to adapt to changing external conditions and move to a different state if the conditions vary too fast. Such "non-adiabatic" processes are ubiquitous, but little understood. We identify these…
To ensure that a robot is able to accomplish an extensive range of tasks, it is necessary to achieve a flexible combination of multiple behaviors. This is because the design of task motions suited to each situation would become increasingly…
While reinforcement learning has achieved remarkable successes in several domains, its real-world application is limited due to many methods failing to generalise to unfamiliar conditions. In this work, we consider the problem of…
This paper develops a control-theoretic framework for analyzing agentic systems embedded within feedback control loops, where an AI agent may adapt controller parameters, select among control strategies, invoke external tools, reconfigure…
We present a model of opinion dynamics in which agents adjust continuous opinions as a result of random binary encounters whenever their difference in opinion is below a given threshold. High thresholds yield convergence of opinions towards…
This work proposes a novel multi-robot task allocation framework for robots that can switch between multiple modes, e.g., flying, driving, or walking. We first provide a method to encode the multi-mode property of robots as a graph, where…
We present a continuous threshold model (CTM) of cascade dynamics for a network of agents with real-valued activity levels that change continuously in time. The model generalizes the linear threshold model (LTM) from the literature, where…
Understanding physical phenomena is a key competence that enables humans and animals to act and interact under uncertain perception in previously unseen environments containing novel objects and their configurations. In this work, we…
How does a group of agents break indecision when deciding about options with qualities that are hard to distinguish? Biological and artificial multi-agent systems, from honeybees and bird flocks to bacteria, robots, and humans, often need…
Mutual adaptation can significantly enhance overall task performance in human-robot co-transportation by integrating both the robot's and human's understanding of the environment. While human modeling helps capture humans' subjective…
Multi-agent systems often operate under feedback, adaptation, and non-stationarity, yet many simulation studies retain static decision rules and fixed control parameters. This paper introduces a general adaptive multi-agent learning…
We propose a novel design paradigm for multistate machines where transitions from one state to another are organized by bifurcations of multiple equilibria of the energy landscape describing the collective interactions of the machine…
Reinforcement learning agents have been mostly developed and evaluated under the assumption that they will operate in a fully autonomous manner -- they will take all actions. In this work, our goal is to develop algorithms that, by learning…
Humans leverage the dynamics of the environment and their own bodies to accomplish challenging tasks such as grasping an object while walking past it or pushing off a wall to turn a corner. Such tasks often involve switching dynamics as the…
This paper presents a hybrid control framework for the motion planning of a multi-agent system including N robotic agents and M objects, under high level goals. In particular, we design control protocols that allow the transition of the…
In this paper, we describe an integrated framework for autonomous decision making in a dynamic and interactive environment. We model the interactions between the ego agent and its operating environment as a two-player dynamic game, and…
Achieving a just and sustainable transition requires the pursuit of multiple social and environmental targets. Two primary barriers impede this process: (1) targets are often in conflict with each other, and (2) policies aimed at these…