18 accepted papers
We present TANGO (Tensor ANd Graph Optimization), a novel motion planning framework that integrates tensor-based compression with structured graph optimization to enable efficient and scalable trajectory generation. While optimization-based planners such as the Graph of Convex Sets (GCS) offer power…
Reactive motion generation in unstructured environments remains an open challenge in robotics. Due to the computational complexity of collision-free motion generation, existing methods either generate global trajectories for static scenarios, or employ models that make conservative assumptions about
Robotic manipulation of unfamiliar objects in new environments is challenging due to limited generalisation capabilities. We propose a new skill transfer framework, GIFT (Geometry-Induced Functional Transfer), which enables a robot to transfer complex object manipulation skills and constraints from …
Reactive intelligence remains one of the cornerstones of versatile robotics operating in cluttered, dynamic, and human-centred environments. Among reactive approaches, potential fields (PF) continue to be widely adopted due to their simplicity and real-time applicability. However, existing PF method…
Non-prehensile object manipulation skills are important for real-world robot interactions, enabling highly dynamic tasks such as balancing a glass on a tray or the controlled sliding of items on a table. Among such tasks, those characterised by high-speed manipulation requirements and general sensit…
Reactive intelligence remains one of the cornerstones of versatile robotics operating in cluttered, dynamic, and human-centred environments. Among reactive approaches, potential fields (PF) continue to be widely adopted due to their simplicity and real-time applicability. However, existing PF method
This paper is about generating motion plans for high degree-of-freedom systems that account for both static and dynamic collisions along the entire body. A particular class of mathematical programs with complementarity constraints become useful in this regard. Optimization-based planners can tackle
A typical manipulation task consists of a manipulator equipped with a gripper to grasp and move an object with constraints on the motion of the hand-held object, which may be due to the nature of the task itself or from object-environment contacts. In this paper, we study the problem of computing jo…
This paper introduces a comprehensive user-guided planning framework designed for robots operating in dynamic, human-centered environments – where the ability to execute sequential tasks flexibly and adaptively is paramount. Our planner enables robots to (i) encode object-centric constraints and use…
The ability of a manipulator to compute a geometry-aware quality index for general tasks with different joint configurations is essential. Such workspace assessment is a well-known and studied field in existing robotics literature, often deployed through embodied structures such as voxelized maps. N
This work focuses on the agile transportation of liquids with robotic manipulators. In contrast to existing methods that are either computationally heavy, system/container specific or dependant on a singularity-prone pendulum model, we present a real-time slosh-free tracking technique. This method s…
This paper investigates the problem of effective tool manipulation for motion planning in complex human-like scenarios. Vector-field-based real-time strategies, although widely used, usually do not account for unwieldy tools or incorporate systematic methods to handle these extra maneuvers needed. I…
As robots and humans increasingly share the same workspace, the development of safe motion plans becomes paramount. For real-world applications, nonetheless, it is critical that safety solutions are achieved without compromising performance. The computation of safe, time-efficient trajectories, howe…
Shared-autonomy control strategies in teleoperation combine human decision-making and robot precision to solve complex tasks. In other words, advanced autonomous control algorithms can compensate for imprecise human commands, reduce the mental workload of the user, and enable the execution of tasks…
This paper is about fast slosh-free fluid transportation. Existing approaches are either computationally heavy or only suitable for specific robots and container shapes. We model the end effector as a point mass suspended by a spherical pendulum and study the requirements for slosh-free motion and t…
As collaborative robots move closer to human environments, motion generation and reactive planning strategies that allow for elaborate task execution with minimal easy-to-implement guidance whilst coping with changes in the environment is of paramount importance. In this paper, we present a novel ap…
Similar to human work, robotic tasks sometimes require two hands to be accomplished. This requires coordinated motion planning and control. While fulfilling the task in a coordinated manner is already a big challenge, the task at hand becomes even harder when obstacles are introduced in the environm…
This paper addresses the problem of real-time planning in constrained dual-arm manipulation scenarios. Our proposed coupling leverages manipulability information of the cooperative bimanual task-space to a vector-field based planner by means of a repulsive circulatory field, while geometric primitiv…