37 accepted papers
This work presents a novel design of achieving multiple curvatures in a tendon-driven continuum robot (TDCR) system with only a single set of acturation tendons. The TDCR used in this work is assembled from multiple sub-sections made of low-melting point alloy (LMPA), which each of them has independ…
Navigating Linked Multi-Component Robotic Systems (L-MCRS)---robot pairs tethered by passive flexible hoses---through dynamic pedestrian environments is fundamentally harder than rigid multi-robot coordination, as the uncontrollable hose creates a variable-geometry collision footprint spanning 118 p…
Robot-assisted dressing remains challenging due to the close physical human–robot interaction and the highly deformable nature of garments. This work presents a purely vision-based approach that transfers human-mastered dressing skills to robots while accommodating dynamic human arm movements. The p…
This paper presents GLaMP, a grounded language model-based multi-agent framework for long-horizon robotic task planning in industrial environments. A key challenge in such tasks lies in the gap between high-level language reasoning and low-level perceptual grounding, which often leads to error accum…
Healthcare robotics has been gaining traction as a key area of research focused on enhancing human wellness. This paper explores the use of intelligent robots in the beauty industry, specifically within the context of photorejuvenation-based cosmetic dermatology, aimed at improving facial skin aesth…
This paper presents a heterogeneous skill learning framework for asynchronous multi robot relay pushing in complex and cluttered environments. To support cooperative relay transportation, we construct a skill library comprising room robot pushing, corridor helper pushing, and standby behaviors. We f…
In this paper, we address the problem of manipulating multi-particle aggregates using a bimanual robotic system. Our approach enables the autonomous transport of dispersed particles through a series of shaping and pushing actions using robotically-controlled tools. Achieving this advanced manipulati…
Event cameras report per-pixel brightness changes asynchronously with microsecond latency, but their output is incompatible with vision foundation models trained on conventional images. We propose State-Space Time Surfaces (S3TS), a training-free representation that recasts exponential-decay time su…
Drawing inspiration from the ability of fish to maintain efficient swimming over a wide range of speeds by tuning the stiffness of their tails, researchers have explored stiffness adjustment mechanisms in fish-like robots. Typically, existing mechanisms require extra actuators or power sources only
Enabling humanoid robots to perform long-horizon mobile manipulation planning in real-world environments based on embodied perception and comprehension abilities has been a longstanding challenge. With the recent rise of large language models (LLMs), there has been a notable increase in the developm…
In this paper, we address the problem of manipulating multi- particle aggregates using a bimanual robotic system. Our approach enables the autonomous transport of dispersed particles through a series of shaping and pushing actions using robotically controlled tools. Achieving this advanced manipulat
Accurately recognizing the structural regions of targeted objects is crucial for successful manipulation. In this study, we concentrate on the task of hanging crumpled garments on a rack, a common scenario in household environments. This context presents two primary challenges: (1) perceiving and gr
Enabling robotic systems to perform long-horizon manipulation planning in real-world environments based on multimodal embodied perception and comprehension remains a longstanding challenge. Recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) have spurred the development of LLM-based planners; howeve
The robotic manipulation of deformable linear objects has shown great potential in a wide range of real-world applications. However, it presents many challenges due to the objects' non-linear properties and high-dimensional geometric configuration. In this letter, we propose an efficient shape servo
Interactive perception enables robots to manipulate the environment and objects to bring them into states that benefit the perception process. Deformable objects pose challenges to this due to manipulation difficulty and occlusion in vision-based perception. In this work, we address such a problem w
In this letter, we propose a novel formation controller for nonholonomic agents to form general parametric curves. First, we derive a unified parametric representation for both open and closed curves. Then, a leader-follower formation controller is designed to drive agents to form the desired parame
This letter presents a new method to automatically transport objects with mobile robots via non-prehensile actions. Our proposed approach utilizes a pair of nonholonomic robots connected by a deformable tube to efficiently manipulate objects of irregular shapes toward target locations. To autonomous
In nature, fish are excellent swimmers due to their flexible and precise control of tail, which allows them to freely transform between the smooth flapping and the motion of rapid response so that they can move with dexterity. Here, inspired by the versatile motion abilities of fish, a novel robotic…
Segmentation of road obstacles, including negative and positive obstacles, is critical to the safe navigation of autonomous vehicles. Recent methods have witnessed an increasing interest in using multi-modal data fusion (e.g., RGB and depth/disparity images). Although improved segmentation accuracy
In this letter, we propose a novel design of a hybrid mobile robot with controllable stiffness and deformable shape. Compared to conventional mobile agents, our system can switch between rigid and compliant phases by solidifying or melting Field's metal in its structure and, thus, alter the shape th
This letter addresses the problem of contact-based manipulation of deformable linear objects (DLOs) towards desired shapes with a dual-arm robotic system. To alleviate the burden of high-dimensional continuous state-action spaces, we model DLOs as kinematic multibody systems via our proposed keypoin
Developing a good control strategy for biomimetic robots is challenging. Robust control methods require an accurate model of the robot. Nowadays, model-free methods are being extensively explored for the control and navigation of terrestrial robots. In this paper, we consider a novel deep reinforcem…
Assistive robots for healthcare have witnessed a growing demand over the past decades. In this letter, we investigate the development of an optimization-based control framework with variable impedance for an assistive robot to perform ultrasound-guided scoliosis assessment. The conventional procedur
The cerebellum plays a distinctive role within our motor control system to achieve fine and coordinated motions. While cerebellar lesions do not lead to a complete loss of motor functions, both action and perception are severally impacted. Hence, it is assumed that the cerebellum uses an internal fo…
In this paper, we present a robotic system to automatically perform defect inspection tasks over free-form specular surfaces, which the image acquisition sub-system is equipped with a 6-DOF robot manipulator to achieve flexible scanning. Given the mesh model of the workpiece, we implement K-means ba…
Soft object manipulation has recently gained popularity within the robotics community due to its potential applications in many economically important areas. Although great progress has been recently achieved in these types of tasks, most state-of-the-art methods are case-specific; They can only be
This letter presents a point cloud based robotic system for arc welding. Using hand gesture controls, the system scans partial point cloud views of workpiece and reconstructs them into a complete 3D model by a linear iterative closest point algorithm. Then, a bilateral filter is extended to denoise
Spine injections are commonly performed in several clinical procedures. The localization of the target vertebral level (i.e. the position of a vertebra in a spine) is typically done by back palpation or under X-ray guidance, yielding either higher chances of procedure failure or exposure to ionizing
Emerging applications of robotic manipulation of deformable objects have opened up new challenges in robot control. While several control techniques have been developed to manipulate deformable objects, the performance of existing methods is commonly limited by two issues: 1) implicit assumption tha…
In this letter, we present the design and development of a new robotic system for MRI-guided breast biopsy. The robot's structure is nonmagnetic, therefore, it can safely operate from within the scanner's magnetic bore; it has a compact Cartesian mechanism that allows it perform needle insertion tas
In this letter, we propose a new method to fully control complete 4-image-DoF manipulation of laparoscopic instruments [with remote center of motion (RCM) mechanism] based on the geometric features of a designed marker in a 2-D image. Our marker encodes the configuration of the instruments by comput
In this paper, we address the problem of the image-based 3D pose computation of a semi-circle suturing needle using monocular image feedback for laparoscopy. We propose a constrained two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) geometry-based modelling method to parametrise the needle's 6-DOF pose, including depth…
In this paper, we address the 3D position control of RCM-constrained instruments with monocular cameras. To compute the instrument's position from a single 2D image, we develop an innovative gradient descent algorithm which rotates and translates a line segment (over the plane spanned by the imaged
In this paper, we present a new robotic uterine positioner for total laparoscopic hysterectomy. The robot is designed to actively position the patient's uterus during surgery, a lengthy and tedious task that is traditionally performed by a human assistant. Safety is simply the most important concern…
In this paper, we address the positioning problem of remote centre of motion (RCM) mechanisms with uncalibrated image feedback from a monocular camera. Nowadays, RCM mechanisms are widely used in minimally invasive robotic surgery due to their ability to distally rotate a tool around a fixed entry p…
In this paper, we propose a novel design of compliant safe joint, which has flexibility when the work load exceeds a predefined threshold. The compliance is generated by a spring. We design a special transmission mechanism to convert axial motion into circumferential motion such that the linear comp…
This paper presents the development of an endoscope manipulator with passive and active structures for functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). The 5-DoF passive structure has three translations and two rotations (T3R2) that allows the surgeon to manually place the endoscope near to the entry poi…