28 accepted papers
Although fully autonomous systems still face challenges due to patients' anatomical variability, teleoperated systems appear to be more practical in current healthcare settings. This paper presents an anatomy-aware control framework for teleoperated lung ultrasound. Leveraging biomechanically accura…
The ability to localise teams of robots is essential for applications ranging from robotic fleets in unstructured environments to cooperative control and navigation tasks. In such contexts, fixed infrastructure is often unavailable, deployments must be fast and flexible, and system requirements must…
We propose a novel autonomous robotic palpation framework for real-time elastic mapping during tissue exploration using a viscoelastic tissue model. The method combines force-based parameter estimation using a commercial force/torque sensor with an ergodic control strategy driven by a tailored Expec
The orienteering problem with time windows and variable profits (OPTWVP) is common in many real-world applications and involves continuous time variables. Current approaches fail to develop an efficient solver for this orienteering problem variant with discrete and continuous variables. In this pape…
An open problem in industrial automation is to reliably perform tasks requiring in-contact movements with complex workpieces, as current solutions lack the ability to seamlessly adapt to the workpiece geometry. In this paper, we propose a Learning from Demonstration approach that allows a robot mani
In the context of telehealth, robotic approaches have proven a valuable solution to in-person visits in remote areas, with decreased costs for patients and infection risks. In particular, in ultrasonography, robots have the potential to reproduce the skills required to acquire high-quality images wh…
This paper introduces a generic filter-based state estimation framework that supports two state-decoupling strategies based on cross-covariance factorization. These strategies reduce the computational complexity and inherently support true modularity – a perquisite for handling and processing meshed…
This paper introduces a new method for online estimating the penetration of the end-effector and the viscoelastic properties of a soft body, through palpation exams using a collaborative robotic arm. The estimator is based on the dimensionality reduction method that simplifies the nonlinear Hunt-Cro…
Rescue missions in mountain environments are hardly achievable by standard legged robots—because of the high slopes—or by flying robots—because of limited payload capacity. We present a concept for a rope-aided climbing robot which can negotiate up-to-vertical slopes and carry heavy payloads. The ro…
This letter proposes a distributed strategy to achieve both persistent monitoring and target detection in a rectangular and obstacle-free environment. Each robot has to repeatedly follow a smooth trajectory and avoid collisions with other robots. To achieve this goal, we rely on the time-inverted Ku
This paper introduces UVIO, a multi-sensor framework that leverages Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology and Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) to provide robust and low-drift localization. In order to include range measurements in state estimation, the position of the UWB anchors must be known. This study…
This letter proposes a feedback-feedforward control scheme that combines the benefits of an online active sensing control strategy (the feedforward control component) to maximize the information needed for correctly executing the desired task, with a Lyapunov-based control strategy (the feedback con
This paper proposes an online optimal perception-aware strategy meant to maximize the information collected along the trajectory via the available measurements while simultaneously minimizing the negative effects of actuation/process noise. Indeed, in several robotic applications, the actuation/proc…
Given a team composed of groups of robots with different abilities and different tasks, we propose a control solution that allows maintaining the connectivity between the agents whilst securing the execution of the different tasks assigned to the team. The specific notion of connectivity adopted her
The problem addressed in this paper is the localisation of a mobile robot using a combination of on-board sensors and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) beacons. Specifically, we consider a scenario in which a mobile robot travels across an area infrastructured with a small number of UWB anchors. The presence of…
A new solution to the multipoint Markov-Dubins problem via iterative dynamic programming is herein presented. The shortest path problem connecting a sequence of given points in the plane while maintaining angle continuity and bounded curvature is presented. As in the classic two points Dubins proble
We present a Lloyd-based navigation solution for robots that are required to move in a dynamic environment, where static obstacles (e.g, furnitures, parked cars) and unpredicted moving obstacles (e.g., humans, other robots) have to be detected and avoided on the fly. The algorithm can be computed in…
A combined minimum time - minimum jerk traffic management system for the vehicle coordination in an automated warehouse is presented. The algorithm is organised in two steps: in the first, a simple minimum time optimisation problem is solved, in the second step, this time-optimal solution is refined
The letter proposes a combination of ideas to support navigation for a mobile robot across dynamic environments, cluttered with obstacles and populated by human beings. The combination of the classical potential field methods and limit cycle based approach with an innovative shape for the limit cycl
We consider the problem of accurate and high-rate self-localization for a mobile robot. We adaptively combine the speed information acquired by proprioceptive sensors with intermittent positioning samples acquired via ultra-wideband (UWB) radios. These are triggered only if and when needed to reduce…
We consider a vehicle consisting of a robotic walking assistant pushed by a user. The robot can guide the person along a path and suggest a velocity by various means. The vehicle moves in a crowded environment and can detect other pedestrians in the surroundings. We propose a reactive planner that m
We consider the problem of guiding a senior user along a path using a robotic walking assistant. This is a particular type of path following problem, for which most of the solutions available in the literature require an exact localisation of the robot in the environment. An accurate localisation is…
We consider a robotic walking assistant used to guide senior users across a crowded space. The problem we address is how to guide the user using motorized back wheels. Our strategy aims to simulate a passive behavior in which the forward velocity is the one imposed by the user, who receives the impr
Assistive passive robotic walkers are naturally modelled as rear-driven bicycle with control on the front steering wheels. Standard path following algorithms used for unicycle-like robots can then be readily available, e.g. using backstepping techniques, to control the walker on desired paths. Howev…
A promising way to offset the reduced mobility of a large number of older adults is using robotic systems providing physical and cognitive support for the navigation in large and crowded public spaces. In this letter, we study a possible solution for guidance based on the action of electromechanical
Robotic walkers are a particular class of devices used to assist users with physical or cognitive impairments in their navigation of large public spaces. In this context, a guidance mechanism is a controller that steers the user towards the desired path when he/she deviates. Passive guidance mechani…
We consider the problem of self-localisation for a mobile robot in an environment with a requested level of accuracy. The robot moves in a known environment following typical trajectories, which can be characterised in statistical terms. One of the main drivers of this paper is its application to as…
This paper presents a control algorithm that steers a robotic walking assistant along a planned path using electromechanical brakes. The device is modeled as a Dubins' car, i.e., a wheeled vehicle that moves only forward in the plane and has a limited turning radius. In order to reduce the cost of t…