18 accepted papers
This paper addresses the challenging problem of enabling a mobile manipulator with an eye-in-hand camera to track dynamic targets with time-varying positions and orientations in an unbounded workspace. Specifically, we propose an optimization-based whole-body control framework for dynamic target tra…
Object re-identification and tracking lay the foundation for various computer vision and robotics applications. In this study, we propose a method for personalizing a neural network to enhance and continuously adapt the re-identification of a specific target. Employing an unsupervised continual lear
This paper presents a reactive legged locomotion generation scheme that enables our quadruped robot CEN-TAURO to adapt to varying payloads while walking. The center-of-mass (CoM) trajectories are generated in real time in a model predictive control (MPC) fashion, trading off large stability margins…
The flexibility and adaptability of modular and re-configurable robots opens up new opportunities for on-demand robot morphology optimization for varying tasks. In particular, multi-arm robotic systems can expand the solution space for any given task. In this paper, we present a novel approach to ex…
Despite the development of numerous trajectory planners based on computationally fast algorithms targeting accurate motion of robots, the nowadays robotic applications requiring compliance for interaction with environment demand more comprehensive schemes to cope with unforeseen situations. This let
Despite the development of a large number of mobile manipulation robots, very few platforms can demonstrate the required strength and mechanical sturdiness to accommodate the needs of real-world applications with high payload and moderate/harsh physical interaction demands, e.g., in disaster-respons
Humans commonly exploit interaction with the environment constraints to assist the execution of the loco-manipulation tasks they perform. One particular example is the exploration of contacts during manipulation to relax the loading of those arm joints that are not directly involved in the generatio…
This work presents a method to increase the peak output speed of surface permanent magnet synchronous machine (SPMSM) motor drives with application in robotics using field weakening control. Contrary to most existing works, the strategy is stateless and operates using only a motor torque reference a…
Robotics teleoperation has been extensively studied and considered in the past in several task scenarios where direct human intervention is not possible due to the hazardous environments. In such applications, both communication degradation and reduced perception of the remote environment are practi…
This paper introduces the design of a novel under-actuated hand with highly integrated modular finger units, which can be easily reconfigured in terms of finger arrangement and number to account for the manipulation needs of different applications. Each finger module is powered by a single actuator…
Legged-wheeled robots combine the advantages of efficient wheeled mobility with the adaptability to real-world terrains through the legged locomotion. Due to this hybrid mobility skill, they can excel in many application scenarios where other mobile platforms are not suitable for. However, their ver…
This paper presents orientation planning algorithms respecting the requirements of task space trajectory generation, particularly in robotics applications. The proposed algorithms fulfill the following conditions: (i) permitting to impose constraints at angular velocity and acceleration in addition…
Despite the growing focus on the design of compliant mechanisms for robotics actuators that manifest several advantages in terms of robustness and interaction-related characteristics, the incorporation of elasticity in the actuation drive renders under-damped vibration modes and reduces the bandwidt…
Developing a high physical performance robotic manipulation platform with considerable power density, strength and resilience is not a trivial task and frequently leads to heavy and bulky systems unable to meet the application requirements, i.e. such robots should have human body size compatibility…
Joint torque sensing represents one of the foundations and vital components of modern robotic systems that target to match closely the physical interaction performance of biological systems through the realization of torque controlled actuators. However, despite decades of studies on the development
Series-elastic actuators are quickly becoming the core component of robots operating in real-world environments, allowing for robust, safe, torque-controlled robots. This letter investigates the influence of the selected stiffness and control parameters. By consolidating several analyses, it is show
The paper proposes a method to assess the feasible torque bandwidth for electrically driven torque controllable actuators over its entire torque amplitude range. The method solely relies on the knowledge of hardware parameters and thereby determines the physically feasible torque control bandwidth a…
The development of variable impedance actuators (VIAs) has highlighted the need for proper control of passive impedance to attain suitable interaction performance. Until recently the regulation of the intrinsic impedance in VIAs is achieved in an open-loop model-based manner, mainly due to the lack…