Related papers: AURA: Asymptotically Optimal Uncertainty-Robust Re…
Iterative trajectory optimization techniques for non-linear dynamical systems are among the most powerful and sample-efficient methods of model-based reinforcement learning and approximate optimal control. By leveraging time-variant local…
Autonomous flight in unknown environments requires precise spatial and temporal trajectory planning, often involving computationally expensive nonconvex optimization prone to local optima. To overcome these challenges, we present the…
Nonlinear programming targets nonlinear optimization with constraints, which is a generic yet complex methodology involving humans for problem modeling and algorithms for problem solving. We address the particularly hard challenge of…
This paper presents a framework that allows online dynamic-stability-constrained optimal trajectory planning of a mobile manipulator robot working on rough terrain. First, the kinematics model of a mobile manipulator robot, and the Zero…
We propose a method to generate actuation plans for a reduced order, dynamic model of bipedal running. This method explicitly enforces robustness to ground uncertainty. The plan generated is not a fixed body trajectory that is aggressively…
Mobile robot motion planners rely on theoretical models to predict how the robot will move through the world. However, when deployed on a physical robot, these models are subject to errors due to real-world physics and uncertainty in how…
We consider the problem of coordinating a collection of robots at an intersection area taking into account dynamical constraints due to actuator limitations. We adopt the coordination space approach, which is standard in multiple robot…
Designing reinforcement learning curricula for agile robots traditionally requires extensive manual tuning of reward functions, environment randomizations, and training configurations. We introduce AURA (Autonomous Upskilling with…
Rearrangement-based nonprehensile manipulation still remains as a challenging problem due to the high-dimensional problem space and the complex physical uncertainties it entails. We formulate this class of problems as a coupled problem of…
In this paper, we address the problem of reference tracking for uncertain nonlinear systems. Since collecting data from the target system (i.e., the system of interest) is often challenging, our objective is to design optimal controllers…
This paper presents a new trajectory replanner for grasping irregular objects. Unlike conventional grasping tasks where the object's geometry is assumed simple, we aim to achieve a "dynamic grasp" of the irregular objects, which requires…
Continuum robots (CR) offer excellent dexterity and compliance in contrast to rigid-link robots, making them suitable for navigating through, and interacting with, confined environments. However, the study of path planning for CRs while…
Consider a robot operating in an uncertain environment with stochastic, dynamic obstacles. Despite the clear benefits for trajectory optimization, it is often hard to keep track of each obstacle at every time step due to sensing and…
This work presents a two part framework for online planning and execution of dynamic aerial motions on a quadruped robot. Motions are planned via a centroidal momentum-based nonlinear optimization that is general enough to produce rich sets…
Integrated task and motion planning problems describe a multi-modal state space, which is often abstracted as a set of smooth manifolds that are connected via sets of transitions states. One approach to solving such problems is to sample…
The objective of this study is to enable fast and safe manipulation tasks in home environments. Specifically, we aim to develop a system that can recognize its surroundings and identify target objects while in motion, enabling it to plan…
We present a framework for dynamic quadrupedal locomotion over challenging terrain, where the choice of appropriate footholds is crucial for the success of the behaviour. We build a model of the environment on-line and on-board using an…
Planning smooth and energy-efficient motions for wheeled mobile robots is a central task for applications ranging from autonomous driving to service and intralogistic robotics. Over the past decades, a wide variety of motion planners, steer…
This paper presents a motion planning and risk analysis framework for enhancing human-robot collaboration with a Multi-Rotor Aerial Vehicle. The proposed method employs Signal Temporal Logic to encode key mission objectives, including…
Many robots operating in unpredictable environments require an online path planning algorithm that can quickly compute high quality paths. Asymptotically optimal planners are capable of finding the optimal path, but can be slow to converge.…