15 accepted papers
Shape estimation is fundamental for controlling continuously bending tensegrity manipulators, yet achieving it remains a challenge. Although using exteroceptive sensors makes the implementation straightforward, it is costly and limited to specific environments. Proprioceptive approaches, by contrast…
Tensegrity structures are becoming widely used in robotics, such as continuously bending soft manipulators and mobile robots to explore unknown and uneven environments dynamically. Estimating their shape, which is the foundation of their state, is essential for establishing control. However, on-boar
Robots whose shape and stiffness are determined by internal forces generally have complex shape-stiffness relationships that depend on their structure. As a result, there are difficulties such as a decrease in shape reproducibility when the robot is not stiff, and a decrease in the range of motion w
In flexible redundantly-driven multi-DOF systems, like living beings, the representation of redundant kinematics including the diversity of solutions, is crucial for leveraging its distinctive characteristics. This paper proposes an active learning framework for forward and inverse modeling of compl…
While imitation learning provides a simple and effective framework for policy learning, acquiring consistent action during robot execution remains a challenging task. Existing approaches primarily focus on either modifying the action representation at data curation stage or altering the model itself…
Differentiable Filters are recursive Bayesian estimators that derive the state transition and measurement models from data alone. Their data-driven nature eschews the need for explicit analytical models, while remaining algorithmic components of the filtering process intact. As a result, the gain me…
This paper uses a data-driven approach to model a highly redundantly driven tensegrity manipulator's forward and inverse kinematics. The tensegrity manipulator is based on a class-1 tensegrity with 20 struts and bends by 40 pneumatic actuators whose internal pressures are independently controlled. B…
This paper introduces a novel approach for modeling the dynamics of soft robots, utilizing a differentiable filter architecture. The proposed approach enables end-to-end training to learn system dynamics, noise characteristics, and temporal behavior of the robot. A novel spatio-temporal embedding pr…
This paper reports a tensegrity manipulator driven by 40 pneumatic cylinders without mechanical springs. In general, tensegrity robots use mechanical springs to achieve a stable/curved tensegrity structure, and this is true even when a component extends/retracts with an actuator. The stiffness of th…
It has been widely considered that a distinctive feature of musculoskeletal structures is that both the joint angle and stiffness can be changed by exploiting the agonistantagonist driving of the joint. However, musculoskeletal systems in animals and humans are typically highly complex, and the simp…
Musculoskeletal robots that are based on pneumatic actuation have a variety of properties, such as compliance and back-drivability, that render them particularly appealing for human-robot collaboration. However, programming interactive and responsive behaviors for such systems is extremely challengi…
Motor babbling and goal babbling has been used for sensorimotor learning of highly redundant systems in soft robotics. Recent works in goal babbling have demonstrated successful learning of inverse kinematics (IK) on such systems, and suggest that babbling in the goal space better resolves motor red…
A number of researches have been focusing on the development and control of robots with soft structures such as flexible musculoskeletal systems. Thus far, it has been reported that these robots can achieve high adaptability to environments despite their extremely simple controllers. However, becaus…
The aim of this research is to develop a musculoskeletal robot arm, which has a similar mechanical structure to that of a human, to simply make the robot move similarly to a human based on his/her electromyographic signals. In recent years, many musculoskeletal robots have been developed to show adv…
Humans can walk stably and adaptively in the presence of various environmental changes. Their bodies have very complex musculoskeletal structures that contribute to their walking stability and adaptability. In this paper, we focus on the gluteus medius, one of muscles contributing to the support of…