10 accepted papers
Picking diverse objects in the real world is a fundamental robotics skill. However, many objects in such settings are bulky, heavy, or irregularly shaped, making them ungraspable by conventional end effectors like suction grippers and parallel jaw grippers (PJGs). In this paper, we expand the range
Extrinsic manipulation, the use of environment contacts to achieve manipulation objectives, enables strategies that are otherwise impossible with a parallel jaw gripper. However, orchestrating a long-horizon sequence of contact interactions between the robot, object, and environment is notoriously c
Transferring a controller from a simulated environment to a physical system is regarded as a challenging problem in robotics. We present a method for continuous improvement of modeling and control <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">after
To fully utilize the versatility of a multi-fingered dexterous robotic hand for executing diverse object grasps, one must consider the rich physical constraints introduced by hand-object interaction and object geometry. We propose an integrative approach of combining a generative model and a bilevel…
We introduce R3T, a reachability-based variant of the rapidly-exploring random tree (RRT) algorithm that is suitable for (optimal) kinodynamic planning in nonlinear and hybrid systems. We developed tools to approximate reachable sets using polytopes and perform sampling-based planning with them. Thi…
Lower-limb exoskeletons are of great interest in the robotics community because of their various applications in enhancement and rehabilitation. In this paper we present an autonomous exoskeleton platform for ankle plantarflexion assistance. The untethered exoskeleton has a high efficiency transmiss…
Theoretical spring mass models with deadbeat foot placement policies reveal very robust running in the presence of large and frequent, unexpected gait disturbances. Although this performance goes beyond what has been demonstrated on running machines, a transfer of this theory has only been investiga
We propose a method for combining two sources of astronomical data, spectroscopy and photometry, that carry information about sources of light (e.g., stars, galaxies, and quasars) at extremely different spectral resolutions. Our model treats the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the radiation f…
The analysis of the conceptual spring mass model for running reveals swing-leg placement policies that generate very robust locomotion in unobserved terrain with large changes in ground height. However, while this theoretical result suggests a potential for large improvements on the robustness of ru…
In this paper we propose the fastest converging control policy (also known as deadbeat control) for walking with the bipedal spring-mass model, which serves as an abstraction of a robot on compliant legs. To fully leverage the passive dynamics of the system, the touchdown angle of the swing-leg is a…