Related papers: Toward Dynamic Control of Tendon-driven Continuum …
Serially connected robots are promising candidates for performing tasks in confined spaces such as search-and-rescue in large-scale disasters. Such robots are typically limbless, and we hypothesize that the addition of limbs could improve…
This paper investigates adaptive control of nonlinear robot manipulators with parametric uncertainty. Motivated by generating closed-loop robot dynamics with enhanced transmission capability of a reference torque and with connection to…
The Underactuated Lightweight Tensegrity Robotic Assistive Spine (ULTRA Spine) project is an ongoing effort to develop a flexible, actuated backbone for quadruped robots. In this work, model-predictive control is used to track a trajectory…
This paper considers a combination of actuation tendons and measurement strings to achieve accurate shape sensing and direct kinematics of continuum robots. Assuming general string routing, a methodical Lie group formulation for the shape…
In this paper, we present a prescribed performance control framework for trajectory tracking in Euler-Lagrange systems with unknown dynamics and prescribed input constraints. The proposed approach enforces hard funnel constraints, meaning…
Stability guarantees are crucial when ensuring a fully autonomous robot does not take undesirable or potentially harmful actions. Unfortunately, global stability guarantees are hard to provide in dynamical systems learned from data,…
We present a model-predictive control (MPC) framework for legged robots that avoids the singularities associated with common three-parameter attitude representations like Euler angles during large-angle rotations. Our method parameterizes…
In cable driven parallel robots (CDPRs), the payload is suspended using a network of cables whose length can be controlled to maneuver the payload within the workspace. Compared to rigid link robots, CDPRs provide better maneuverability due…
Sprawling locomotion in vertebrates, particularly salamanders, demonstrates how body undulation and spinal mobility enhance stability, maneuverability, and adaptability across complex terrains. While prior work has separately explored…
Tendon-driven continuum robot kinematic models are frequently computationally expensive, inaccurate due to unmodeled effects, or both. In particular, unmodeled effects produce uncertainties that arise during the robot's operation that lead…
Fast and modular modeling of multi-legged robots (MLRs) is essential for resilient control, particularly under significant morphological changes caused by mechanical damage. Conventional fixed-structure models, often developed with…
This paper investigates manipulability of interactive Lagrangian systems with parametric uncertainty and communication/sensing constraints. Two standard examples are teleoperation with a master-slave system and teaching operation of robots.…
In this paper, we investigate the adaptive control problem for robot manipulators with both the uncertain kinematics and dynamics. We propose two adaptive control schemes to realize the objective of task-space trajectory tracking…
Complex robotic systems require whole-body controllers to deal with contact interactions, handle closed kinematic chains, and track task-space control objectives. However, for many applications, safety-critical controllers are important to…
This paper presents a distributed inverse dynamics controller (DIDC) for quadruped robots that addresses the limitations of existing reactive controllers: simplified dynamical models, the inability to handle exact friction cone constraints,…
Continuum robots, which often rely on interdisciplinary and multimedia collaborations, have been increasingly recognized for their potential to revolutionize the field of human-computer interaction (HCI) in varied applications due to their…
Autonomous control of double-Ackermann-steering robots is essential in agricultural applications, where robots must execute precise and complex maneuvers within a limited space. Classical methods, such as the Timed Elastic Band (TEB)…
Locomotion on dynamic rigid surface (i.e., rigid surface accelerating in an inertial frame) presents complex challenges for controller design, which are essential for deploying humanoid robots in dynamic real-world environments such as…
Tendon-driven robots, where one or more tendons under tension bend and manipulate a flexible backbone, can improve minimally invasive surgeries involving difficult-to-reach regions in the human body. Planning motions safely within…
Fluidically actuated soft robots have promising capabilities such as inherent compliance and user safety. The control of soft robots needs to properly handle nonlinear actuation dynamics, motion constraints, workspace limitations, and…