16 accepted papers
Enabling robots with contact-rich manipulation remains a pivotal challenge in robot learning, which is substantially hindered by the data collection gap, including its inefficiency and limited sensor setup. While prior work has explored handheld paradigms, their rod-based mechanical structures remai…
Suckers are significant for robots in picking, transferring, manipulation and locomotion on diverse surfaces. However, conventional suckers lack high-fidelity tactile perception, which impedes them from resolving the fine-grained geometric features and interaction status of the target surface. This …
Due to the advantages of dexterity and adaptability, cable-driven hyper-redundant robots (CDHRRs) are promising for detection in confined spaces like narrow internal cavities. However, due to redundant degrees of freedom (DoFs), CDHRRs are susceptible to the singular configuration, which aggravates
Humans can accomplish complex contact-rich tasks using vision and touch, with highly reactive capabilities such as quick adjustments to environmental changes and adaptive control of contact forces; however, this remains challenging for robots. Existing visual imitation learning (IL) approaches rely…
Fabric-based pneumatic actuators (FPAs) with asymmetric chambers offer exceptional lightweight properties and high output force, making them ideal for soft gloves. However, current characterization and modeling methods for FPAs are generally limited, focusing primarily on single flexion chambers wit
In this work, we propose a dynamic model neural implicit embedded controller (called NEC) for high-precision tracking control of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) by eliminating the rate-dependent viscoelasticity and mechanical vibration. To this end, we first establish a lumped parameter model
Soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs), due to their compliance and adaptiveness, are promising solutions for manipulation. However, most SPAs have only simple motion modes and cannot perform the compound motion required for complex manipulation. In this letter, we propose a parallel-chamber actuator capab
Vision-based shape estimation is promising to enhance applications of soft robots due to its versatility, cost-effectiveness, and simple calibration. However, most prevailing vision-based shape estimation approaches are inappropriate for soft robots with complex 3-D structures mainly because of self
This work presents a novel tactile perception-based method, named T-NT, for performing the needle-threading task, an application of deformable linear object (DLO) manipulation. This task is divided into two main stages: \textit{Tail-end Finding} and \textit{Tail-end Insertion}. In the first stage, t…
Due to the existence of residual charges, electroadhesion usually suffers from slow de-electroadhesion (in the range of several minutes to hours), significantly limiting its application in handling lightweight objects. To date, mechanical push or vibration is the main solution to achieve rapid de-el
Fabric-based pneumatic actuators (FPAs) are promising in the design of soft wearable assistive gloves, owing to the lightweight and compliant advantages. However, the existing FPAs generally suffer from small output force, limiting users' applications. This letter presents a new class of high-force
Hyper-redundant manipulators with slender body and high dexterity are widely applied for operations in confined spaces. Among the motion planning methods for these operations, the follow-the-leader motion controller is generally developed to avoid the obstacles, while the path trajectories are usual…
Twisting motion plays an important role in kinematics of soft robots. However, current twisting actuators usually suffer from complex mechanical design with multiple materials and undesired coupling with bending and stretching motions. In this letter, we propose a new class of soft twisting pneumati
Most of the existing soft locomotive robots are capable of moving on horizontal planes and small-angled slopes, but few of them can accomplish the large-angled slope climbing or wall climbing. We introduce an inchworm inspired soft crawling-climbing robot capable of continuous motion from a horizont…
Dielectric elastomer actuators have shown promising applications in the field of soft robotics. However, due to their rate-dependent viscoelastic hysteresis nonlinearity, it is still challenging to achieve precision tracking control of dielectric elastomer actuators. In this letter, we propose a fee