12 accepted papers
Within the context of Robotic Minimally Invasive Surgery (R-MIS), we propose a novel linear model predictive controller formulation for the coordination of multiple autonomous robotic arms. The controller is synthesized by formulating a linear approximation of non-linear constraints, which allows th…
ISO/TS 15066 is globally recognized as the guideline for designing safe collaborative robotic cells, where human and robot collaborate in order to fulfill a common job. Current approaches for implementing the ISO/TS 15066 guidelines lead to a conservative behavior (e.g. low velocity) of the robot an
Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is considered the gold standard for the treatment of patients with renal stones larger than 20 mm in diameter. The success and treatment outcomes of the surgery are very well known to be highly dependent on the precision and accuracy of the puncture step, since it
This paper addresses the generation of collision-free trajectories for the autonomous execution of assistive tasks in Robotic Minimally Invasive Surgery (R-MIS). The proposed approach takes into account geometric constraints related to the desired task, like for example the direction to approach the…
In this paper we present a novel strategy for motion planning of autonomous robotic arms in Robotic Minimally Invasive Surgery (R-MIS). We consider a scenario where several laparoscopic tools must move and coordinate in a shared environment. The motion planner is based on a Model Predictive Controll…
The raise of collaborative robotics has allowed to create new spaces where robots and humans work in proximity. Consequently, to predict human movements and his/her final intention becomes crucial to anticipate robot next move, preserving safety and increasing efficiency. In this paper we propose a…
The paper describes an estimation and identification procedure that allows to reconstruct the inertial parameters of a rigid load attached to the end-effector of an industrial manipulator. In particular, the proposed method adopts a multirate quaternion-based Kalman filter, fusing measurements obtai…
The paper describes a control architecture for industrial robotic applications allowing human/robot interactions, using an admittance control scheme and direct sensing of the human inputs. The aim of the proposed scheme is to support the operator of an industrial robot, equipped with a force/torque
Admittance control is a widely used approach for guaranteeing a compliant behavior of the robot in physical human-robot interaction. When an admittance-controlled robot is coupled with a human, the dynamics of the human can cause deviations from the desired behavior of the robot, mainly due to a sti…
The paper describes a passivity based approach to the generation of virtual fixtures for robotic teleoperation schemes involving multiple masters and multiple slaves. Virtual fixtures considered in the paper aim to guide the user towards a geometric path, which is assumed to be collision-free by des…
Symbolic reasoners generate plans which are often not exploiting the robot capabilities and are sensitive to runtime disturbances. This work proposes a scheduler as an interface between a discrete, symbolic plan and a motion control based on constraint optimization. Acting as a local reasoner, the s…
The paper describes a motion planning and control software architecture developed for the automation of a surgical robot. The considered surgical robot is a dual-arm prototype developed with a redundant and modular mechanical structure, designed to be reconfigured for different surgical tasks, and w…