Related papers: Efficient Online Learning of Contact Force Models …

Model-free reinforcement learning (RL) is inherently a reactive method, operating under the assumption that it starts with no prior knowledge of the system and entirely depends on trial-and-error for learning. This approach faces several…

In Federated Learning (FL), clients may have weak devices that cannot train the full model or even hold it in their memory space. To implement large-scale FL applications, thus, it is crucial to develop a distributed learning method that…

Learning contact-rich manipulation skills is essential. Such skills require the robots to interact with the environment with feasible manipulation trajectories and suitable compliance control parameters to enable safe and stable contact.…

Precise robotic manipulation skills are desirable in many industrial settings, reinforcement learning (RL) methods hold the promise of acquiring these skills autonomously. In this paper, we explicitly consider incorporating operational…

Reinforcement Learning (RL) is notoriously data-inefficient, which makes training on a real robot difficult. While model-based RL algorithms (world models) improve data-efficiency to some extent, they still require hours or days of…

Deep reinforcement learning (deep RL) has achieved superior performance in complex sequential tasks by learning directly from image input. A deep neural network is used as a function approximator and requires no specific state information.…

Robotic automation is a key driver for the advancement of technology. The skills of human workers, however, are difficult to program and seem currently unmatched by technical systems. In this work we present a data-driven approach to…

Aerial manipulation (AM) expands UAV capabilities beyond passive observation to contact-based operations at high altitudes and in otherwise inaccessible environments. Although recent advances show promise, most AM systems are developed in…

Large Language Models (LLMs) have exhibited an impressive ability to perform In-Context Learning (ICL) from only a few examples. Recent works have indicated that the functions learned by ICL can be represented through compressed vectors…

The valence force field (VFF) model is a concise physical interpretation of the atomic interaction in terms of the bond and angle variations in the explicit quadratic functional form, while the machine learning (ML) method is a flexible…

Dexterous manipulation of objects through fine control of physical contacts is essential for many important tasks of daily living. A fundamental ability underlying fine contact control is compliant control, \textit{i.e.}, controlling the…

Non-prehensile manipulation is challenging due to complex contact interactions between objects, the environment, and robots. Model-based approaches can efficiently generate complex trajectories of robots and objects under contact…

Numerical time integration is fundamental to the simulation of initial and boundary value problems. Traditionally, time integration schemes require adaptive time-stepping to ensure computational speed and sufficient accuracy. Although these…

Artificial skin with the sense of touch can support robots to interact with the surrounding environment efficiently and accomplish complex tasks. Traditional multi-layered artificial skins require complex manufacturing processes which can…

Object pushing presents a key non-prehensile manipulation problem that is illustrative of more complex robotic manipulation tasks. While deep reinforcement learning (RL) methods have demonstrated impressive learning capabilities using…

Reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms for real-world robotic applications need a data-efficient learning process and the ability to handle complex, unknown dynamical systems. These requirements are handled well by model-based and…

Robots which make use of soft or compliant inter- actions often leverage tendon-driven actuation which enables actuators to be placed more flexibly, and compliance to be maintained. However, controlling complex tendon systems is…

It is believed that a model-based approach for reinforcement learning (RL) is the key to reduce sample complexity. However, the understanding of the sample optimality of model-based RL is still largely missing, even for the linear case.…

The advent of tactile sensors in robotics has sparked many ideas on how robots can leverage direct contact measurements of their environment interactions to improve manipulation tasks. An important line of research in this regard is that of…

Learning to manipulate objects efficiently, particularly those involving sustained contact (e.g., pushing, sliding) and articulated parts (e.g., drawers, doors), presents significant challenges. Traditional methods, such as robot-centric…