Related papers: SPARK: Safe Protective and Assistive Robot Kit
Imitation learning is a promising paradigm for training robot agents; however, standard approaches typically require substantial data acquisition -- via numerous demonstrations or random exploration -- to ensure reliable performance.…
Inverse kinematics (IK) is central to robot control and motion planning, yet its nonlinear kinematic mapping makes it inherently nonconvex and particularly challenging under complex constraints. We present IKSPARK (Inverse Kinematics using…
The safety of mobile robots in dynamic environments is predicated on making sure that they do not collide with obstacles. In support of such safety arguments, we analyze and formally verify a series of increasingly powerful safety…
As robots get more integrated into human environments, fostering trustworthiness in embodied robotic agents becomes paramount for an effective and safe human-robot interaction (HRI). To achieve that, HRI applications must promote human…
SPARK 2014 is a modern programming language and a new state-of-the-art tool set for development and verification of high-integrity software. In this paper, we explore the capabilities and limitations of its latest version in the context of…
Fast and safe motion is crucial for the successful deployment of physically interactive robots. Parallel robots (PRs) offer the potential for higher speeds while maintaining the same energy limits due to their low moving masses. However,…
This work presents Adaptive Robot Coordination (ARC), a novel hybrid framework for multi-robot motion planning (MRMP) that employs local subproblems to resolve inter-robot conflicts. ARC creates subproblems centered around conflicts, and…
Human robot collaboration (HRC) is becoming increasingly important as the paradigm of manufacturing is shifting from mass production to mass customization. The introduction of HRC can significantly improve the flexibility and intelligence…
In emergency response missions, first responders must navigate cluttered indoor environments where occlusions block direct line-of-sight, concealing both life-threatening hazards and victims in need of rescue. We present STARC, a…
The use of machine learning in cyber-physical systems has attracted the interest of both industry and academia. However, no general solution has yet been found against the unpredictable behavior of neural networks and reinforcement learning…
A human-swarm cooperative system, which mixes multiple robots and a human supervisor to form a heterogeneous team, is widely used for emergent scenarios such as criminal tracking in social security and victim assistance in a natural…
Recent Foundation Model-enabled robotics (FMRs) display greatly improved general-purpose skills, enabling more adaptable automation than conventional robotics. Their ability to handle diverse tasks thus creates new opportunities to replace…
Autonomous robots operating in unstructured, safety-critical environments, from planetary exploration to warehouses and homes, must learn to safely navigate and interact with their surroundings despite limited prior knowledge. Current…
High levels of robot autonomy are a common goal, but there is a significant risk that the greater the autonomy of the robot the lesser the autonomy of the human working with the robot. For vulnerable populations like older adults who…
Human-robot collaborations have been recognized as an essential component for future factories. It remains challenging to properly design the behavior of those co-robots. Those robots operate in dynamic uncertain environment with limited…
This paper describes the development of the Robotarium -- a remotely accessible, multi-robot research facility. The impetus behind the Robotarium is that multi-robot testbeds constitute an integral and essential part of the multi-agent…
Physically assistive robots in home environments can enhance the autonomy of individuals with impairments, allowing them to regain the ability to conduct self-care and household tasks. Individuals with physical limitations may find existing…
This paper introduces CBFKit, a Python/ROS toolbox for safe robotics planning and control under uncertainty. The toolbox provides a general framework for designing control barrier functions for mobility systems within both deterministic and…
This paper introduces HARMONIC, a cognitive-robotic architecture designed for robots in human-robotic teams. HARMONIC supports semantic perception interpretation, human-like decision-making, and intentional language communication. It…
Human safety has always been the main priority when working near an industrial robot. With the rise of Human-Robot Collaborative environments, physical barriers to avoiding collisions have been disappearing, increasing the risk of accidents…