12 accepted papers
Trajectory optimization for robotic systems remains a challenging problem. This is especially true for robotic systems featuring nonlinear dynamics and many degrees of freedom. Data-based or model-free diffusion has recently been popularized in the fields of artificial intelligence and trajectory op…
Trajectory optimization for robotic systems remains a challenging problem. This is especially true for robotic systems featuring nonlinear dynamics and many degrees of freedom. Data-based or model-free diffusion has recently been popularized in the fields of artificial intelligence and trajectory op
There are many scenarios in which a mobile agent may not want its path to be predictable. Examples include preserving privacy or confusing an adversary. However, this desire for deception can conflict with the need for a low path cost. Optimal plans such as those produced by RRT* may have low path c
Industrial facilities can benefit from lift assist devices to reposition heavy payloads. Existing solutions suffer from drawbacks, particularly when used for precise positioning of heavy loads. This work presents a new human-centric approach that pairs an intelligent push-pull device with a bridge c
Granular media, like sand, restricts vehicle traction and degrades the ability of mobile robots to pull loads. Solutions that are effective on hard or clean surfaces fail on sand. This work presents a mobile robot system that utilizes an active tail to greatly increase its ability to pull loads. The
This letter describes the design, validation, and performance of a new type of adaptive wheel morphology for unmanned ground vehicles. Our adaptive wheel morphology uses a spiral cam to create a system that enables controllable deployment of high friction surfaces. The overall design is modular, bat
This paper presents a novel physical gripping framework intended for controlled, high force density attachment on a range of surfaces. Our framework utilizes a light-activated chemical adhesive to attach to surfaces. The cured adhesive is part of a "sacrificial layer," which is shed when the gripper…
In order to accomplish various missions, autonomous ground vehicles must operate on a wide range of terrain. While many systems such as wheels and whegs can navigate some types of terrain, none are optimal across all. This creates a need for physical adaptation. This paper presents a broad new appro…
In this paper we present a study of a specific class of vibration-driven robots: the brushbots. In a bottom-up fashion, we start by deriving dynamic models of the brushes and we discuss the conditions under which these models can be employed to describe the motion of brushbots. Then, we present two…
Robotic grasping can enable mobile vehicles to physically interact with the environment for delivery, repositioning, or landing. However, the requirements for grippers on mobile vehicles differ substantially from those used for conventional manipulation. Specifically, grippers for dynamic mobile rob…
This paper describes the design and performance of a synthetic rope on sheave drive system. This system uses synthetic ropes instead of steel cables to achieve low weight and a compact form factor. We demonstrate how this system is capable of 28-Hz torque control bandwidth, 95% efficiency, and quiet
In this paper we introduce STEPPR (Sandia Transmission-Efficient Prototype Promoting Research), a bipedal robot designed to explore efficient bipedal walking. The initial iteration of this robot achieves efficient motions through powerful electromagnetic actuators and highly back-drivable synthetic…