Related papers: Real-Time Shape Estimation of Tensegrity Structure…
Machine learning models have emerged as a very effective strategy to sidestep time-consuming electronic-structure calculations, enabling accurate simulations of greater size, time scale and complexity. Given the interpolative nature of…
Tensegrity robots offer compliance and adaptability, but their nonlinear, and underconstrained dynamics make state estimation challenging. Reliable continuous-time estimation of all rigid links is crucial for closed-loop control, system…
Continuum Dexterous Manipulators (CDMs) are well-suited tools for minimally invasive surgery due to their inherent dexterity and reachability. Nonetheless, their flexible structure and non-linear curvature pose significant challenges for…
In order to manipulate a deformable object, such as rope or cloth, in unstructured environments, robots need a way to estimate its current shape. However, tracking the shape of a deformable object can be challenging because of the object's…
Operating complex real-world systems, such as soft robots, can benefit from precise predictive control schemes that require accurate state and model knowledge. This knowledge is typically not available in practical settings and must be…
The LASR Laboratory is investigating the use of free-flying spacecraft modules in several on-orbit, servicing and manufacturing (OSAM) activities. Previous work consists of the system development and testing of the aforementioned…
Many mechanical structures, both engineered and biological, combine heavy rigid elements such as bones and beams with lightweight flexible ones such as cables and membranes. These are referred to as tensegrities, reflecting that cables can…
A powerful technique is introduced for simulating mechanical and electromechanical properties of one-dimensional nanostructures under arbitrary combinations of bending, twisting, and stretching. The technique is based on a novel control of…
The cytoskeleton (CSK) plays an important role in many cell functions. Given the similarities between the mechanical behavior of tensegrity structures and the CSK, many studies have proposed different tensegrity-based models for simulating…
Purpose: Six million people use crutches as mobile aids in the US. Rigid designs with no axial mobility limit sensory feedback and lead to secondary injury on the upper joints. Spring-loaded designs offer compliance but may compromise…
Real-life man-made objects often exhibit strong and easily-identifiable structure, as a direct result of their design or their intended functionality. Structure typically appears in the form of individual parts and their arrangement.…
The safety and accuracy of robotic navigation hold paramount importance, especially in the realm of soft continuum robotics, where the limitations of traditional rigid sensors become evident. Encoders, piezoresistive, and potentiometer…
A shape sensitive, variational approach for the matching of surfaces considered as thin elastic shells is investigated. The elasticity functional to be minimized takes into account two different types of nonlinear energies: a membrane…
Human motion capture with sparse inertial sensors has gained significant attention recently. However, existing methods almost exclusively rely on a template adult body shape to model the training data, which poses challenges when…
Collaborative robots (cobots) are machines designed to work safely alongside people in human-centric environments. Providing cobots with the ability to quickly infer the inertial parameters of manipulated objects will improve their…
We present a system for the boresighting of sensors using inertial measurement devices as the basis for developing a range of dynamic real-time sensor fusion applications. The proof of concept utilizes a COTS FPGA platform for sensor fusion…
Piping inspection robots play an essential role for industries as they can reduce human effort and pose a lesser risk to their lives. Generally, the locomotion techniques of these robots can be classified into mechanical and bioinspired. By…
The efficient optimization of actuated soft structures, particularly under complex nonlinear forces, remains a critical challenge in advancing robotics. Simulations of nonlinear structures, such as soft-bodied robots modeled using the…
Rigid body localization refers to a problem of estimating the position of a rigid body along with its orientation using anchors. We consider a setup in which a few sensors are mounted on a rigid body. The absolute position of the rigid body…
It is well-known that inverse dynamics models can improve tracking performance in robot control. These models need to precisely capture the robot dynamics, which consist of well-understood components, e.g., rigid body dynamics, and effects…