Related papers: A Passive Elastic-Folding Mechanism for Stackable …
Shape change enables new capabilities for robots. One class of robots capable of dramatic shape change is soft growing "vine" robots. These robots usually feature global actuation methods for bending that limit them to simple,…
This paper proposes a novel learning-free three-stage method that predicts grasping poses, enabling robots to pick up and transfer previously unseen objects. Our method first identifies potential structures that can afford the action of…
Short term load forecasting has an essential medium for the reliable, economical and efficient operation of the power system. Most of the existing forecasting approaches utilize fixed statistical models with large historical data for…
In this paper, we study the control design of an automatic crosswind stabilization system for a novel, buoyantly-assisted aerial transportation vehicle. This vehicle has several advantages over other aircraft including the ability to…
Accurate shape sensing, only achievable through distributed proprioception, is a key requirement for closed-loop control of soft robots. Low-cost power efficient optoelectronic sensors manufactured from flexible materials represent a…
Elastic wave propagation provides a noninvasive way to probe granular materials. The discrete element method using particle configuration as input, allows a micromechanical interpretation on the acoustic response of a given granular system.…
A novel autonomous chunk-based aerial additive manufacturing framework is presented, supported with experimental demonstration advancing aerial 3D printing. An optimization-based decomposition algorithm transforms structures into…
Integrating sensing functions into future mobile equipment has become an important trend. Realizing different types of sensing and achieving mutual enhancement under the existing communication hardware architecture is a crucial challenge in…
The emergence of low-cost sensor architectures for diverse modalities has made it possible to deploy sensor arrays that capture a single event from a large number of vantage points and using multiple modalities. In many scenarios, these…
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are finding use in applications that place increasing emphasis on robustness to external disturbances including extreme wind. However, traditional multirotor UAV platforms do not directly sense wind;…
To go beyond the simple model for the fold as two flexible surfaces or faces linked by a crease that behaves as an elastic hinge, we carefully shape and anneal a crease within a polymer sheet and study its mechanical response. First, we…
This paper investigates an adaptive sliding-mode control for an integrated UAV autopilot and guidance system. First, a two-dimensional mathematical model of the system is derived by considering the incorporated lateral dynamics and relative…
The autonomous operation of flexible-wing aircraft is technically challenging and has never been presented within literature. The lack of an exact modeling framework is due to the complex nonlinear aerodynamic relationships governed by the…
The wind energy sector is growing rapidly with the installation of wind turbines with long, slender blades in a diverse range of locations. To enhance the operational performance under specific wind conditions and to validate the…
Aerial manipulation requires force-aware capabilities to enable safe and effective grasping and physical interaction. Previous works often rely on heavy, expensive force sensors unsuitable for typical quadrotor platforms, or perform…
To enable autonomous wind estimation for energy-efficient flight in small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), this study proposes a method that estimates flight states and wind using only the low-cost essential onboard sensors required for…
This work proposes a novel generative design tool for passive grippers -- robot end effectors that have no additional actuation and instead leverage the existing degrees of freedom in a robotic arm to perform grasping tasks. Passive…
Unmanned aerial vehicles have been demonstrated successfully in a variety of tasks, including surveying and sampling tasks over large areas. These vehicles can take many forms. Quadrotors' agility and ability to hover makes them well suited…
Hybrid unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) integrate the efficient forward flight of fixed-wing and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities of multicopter UAVs. This paper presents the modeling, control and simulation of a new type of…
In this paper, we consider the problem of parameter sensitivity in models of complex dynamical systems through the lens of information geometry. We calculate the sensitivity of model behavior to variations in parameters. In most cases,…