9 accepted papers
Robotic manipulation of deformable objects remains challenging due to the high dimensional configuration space and complex dynamics. In this work we demonstrate how the abstraction level used for modeling deformable objects can significantly impact the difficulty of the motion planning problem. We s
We propose a self-supervised approach for learning physics-based subspaces for real-time simulation. Existing learning-based methods construct subspaces by approximating pre-defined simulation data in a purely geometric way. However this approach tends to produce high-energy configurations leads to…
We propose a computational approach for designing fully-integrated compliant mechanisms with bio-inspired joints that are stabilized and actuated by elastic elements. Similar to human knees or finger phalanges, our mechanisms leverage sliding between pairs of contacting surfaces to generate complex…
Robot mechanisms that exploit compliance can perform complex tasks under uncertainty using simple control strategies, but it remains difficult to design mechanisms with a desired embodied intelligence. In this article, we propose an automated design technique that optimizes the desired load-displace
Elastic lattice-like materials whose structures can be tuned to achieve desired mechanical properties hold great promise for many applications in robotics. However, existing methods rely on all-fused connections at lattice nodes, which limits the range of mechanical properties that can be achieved.
Recent advances in implicit neural representations show great promise when it comes to generating numerical solutions to partial differential equations. Compared to conventional alternatives, such representations employ parameterized neural networks to define, in a mesh-free manner, signals that are…
We introduce a singularity-aware design optimization method for spatial multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical linkages. At the core of our approach is an adversarial sampling strategy, which actively detects singular configurations within the targeted operation range. The detection of singularities in
We consider the design of under-actuated articulated mechanism that are able to maintain stable static balance. Our method augments an user-provided design with counter-weights whose mass and attachment locations are automatically computed. The optimized counterweights adjust the center of gravity s…
Statically balanced spring mechanisms are used in many applications that support our daily lives. However, creating new designs is a challenging problem since the designer has to simultaneously determine the right number of springs, their connectivity, attachment points, and other parameters. We pro