Related papers: Heterogeneous object manipulation on nonlinear sof…
Shape control of deformable objects is a challenging and important robotic problem. This paper proposes a model-free controller using novel 3D global deformation features based on modal analysis. Unlike most existing controllers using…
Non-prehensile pushing to move and reorient objects to a goal is a versatile loco-manipulation skill. In the real world, the object's physical properties and friction with the floor contain significant uncertainties, which makes the task…
Natural organisms can convert environmental stimuli into sensory feedback to regulate their body and realize active adaptivity. However, realizing such a feedback-regulation mechanism in synthetic material systems remains a grand challenge.…
Controlling soft continuum manipulator arms is difficult due to their infinite degrees of freedom, nonlinear material properties, and large deflections under loading. This paper presents a data-driven approach to identifying soft…
The ability to perform in-hand manipulation still remains an unsolved problem; having this capability would allow robots to perform sophisticated tasks requiring repositioning and reorienting of grasped objects. In this work, we present a…
As legged robots take on roles in industrial and autonomous construction, collaborative loco-manipulation is crucial for handling large and heavy objects that exceed the capabilities of a single robot. However, ensuring the safety of these…
We are introducing a model-free control and a control with a restricted model for finite-dimensional complex systems. This control design may be viewed as a contribution to "intelligent" PID controllers, the tuning of which becomes quite…
Learning data-efficient object dynamics models for robotic manipulation remains challenging, especially for deformable objects. A popular approach is to model objects as sets of 3D particles and learn their motion using graph neural…
Recent research efforts have yielded significant advancements in manipulating objects under homogeneous settings where the robot is required to either manipulate rigid or deformable (soft) objects. However, the manipulation under…
Safety, reliability, and user trust are crucial in human-robot interaction (HRI) where the robots must address hazards in real-time. This study presents hazard driven low-level control strategies implemented in robot-assisted dressing (RAD)…
A kitchen assistant needs to operate human-scale objects, such as cabinets and ovens, in unmapped environments with dynamic obstacles. Autonomous interactions in such environments require integrating dexterous manipulation and fluid…
Soft robots have shown immense promise in settings where they can leverage dynamic control of their entire bodies. However, effective dynamic shape control requires a controller that accounts for the robot's high-dimensional dynamics--a…
Compliant motions allow alignment of workpieces using naturally occurring interaction forces. However, free-floating objects do not have a fixed base to absorb the reaction forces caused by the interactions. Consequently, if the interaction…
For robot manipulation, a complete and accurate object shape is desirable. Here, we present a method that combines visual and haptic reconstruction in a closed-loop pipeline. From an initial viewpoint, the object shape is reconstructed…
In various surgical procedures, regions of interest (ROIs) such as organs or lesions are often occluded by overlying tissues, requiring surgeons to achieve adequate exposure for precise intervention. However, the irregular geometry,…
Soft robots are robotic systems made of deformable materials and exhibit unique flexibility that can be exploited for complex environments and tasks. However, their control problem has been considered a challenging subject because they are…
In this work, we build on our method for manipulating unknown objects via contact configuration regulation: the estimation and control of the location, geometry, and mode of all contacts between the robot, object, and environment. We…
Robot-to-human object handover is an essential skill for robot assistants, from serving drinks at home to passing surgical tools in the operating room. We expect robots to perform handover robustly -- to release the object only after a firm…
Daily tasks require us to use our whole body to manipulate objects, for instance when our hands are unavailable. We consider the issue of providing humanoid robots with the ability to autonomously perform similar whole-body manipulation…
We present a method of training character manipulation of amorphous materials such as those often used in cooking. Common examples of amorphous materials include granular materials (salt, uncooked rice), fluids (honey), and visco-plastic…