19 accepted papers
Collision detection between robotic hands and manipulated objects is crucial to model predictive control (MPC) for contact-rich dexterous manipulation. Based on the Gilbert-Johnson-Keerthi (GJK) algorithm and the expanding polytope algorithm (EPA), the GJK-EPA method has achieved success while requi…
Vision-language models (VLMs) pre-trained on natural image and language data, such as CLIP, have exhibited significant potential in few-shot image recognition tasks, leading to development of various efficient transfer learning methods. These methods exploit inherent pre-learned knowledge in VLMs an
Diffusion policies excel at robotic manipulation by naturally modeling multimodal action distributions in high-dimensional spaces. Nevertheless, diffusion policies suffer from diffusion representation collapse: semantically similar observations are mapped to indistinguishable features, ultimately im
Pretrained vision-language models (VLMs), such as CLIP, have shown remarkable potential in few-shot image classification and led to numerous effective transfer learning strategies. These methods leverage the pretrained knowledge of VLMs to enable effective domain adaptation while mitigating overfitt…
Controlling articulated soft robots (ASRs) driven by variable stiffness actuators (VSAs) is challenging because they are highly nonlinear and difficult to model accurately. This paper proposes an efficient neural network (NN) learning control solution for ASRs driven by agonistic-antagonistic (AA)-V
Articulated soft robots (ASRs) driven by variable stiffness actuators (VSAs) are challenging to control well due to their highly nonlinear dynamics and difficulties in accurate modeling. The paper proposes a locally weighted learning (LWL)-based robust composite learning control (RCLC) solution for
To enhance robustness against noise resulting from velocity measurement and acceleration estimation in robot online identification and adaptive control, the robot dynamics should be filtered and parameterized to generate a filtered regression matrix regarding identifiable parameters. However, genera
The ability to handle contact makes robots qualified for many complicated tasks, such as welding, hammering, and wiping. Robot cameras facilitate position planning and control without the geometric knowledge of contact surfaces since they can project contact surfaces onto a 2-dimensional image plane…
Parameter convergence in adaptive control is crucial for improving the stability and robustness of robotic systems. Nevertheless, a stringent condition named persistent excitation (PE) needs to be satisfied to ensure parameter convergence in the conventional adaptive robot control. Composite learnin…
This paper presents a conceptual magnetically anchored and guided flexible endoscope for minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Leveraging both the magnetic coupling between the external and internal permanent magnets and the bending of a flexible joint, the endoscope offers improved maneuver-ability and…
Zeroing neural networks (ZNNs) are powerful alternatives to solving quadratic programming (QP) for constrained control of parallel and serial robots. A recent study showed that a ZNN solver designed based on a perturbed Fischer-Burmeister function (pFB-ZNN) achieves more satisfactory performance tha…
Obstacle avoidance (OA) and joint-limit avoidance (JLA) are essential for redundant manipulators to ensure safe and reliable robotic operations. One solution to OA and JLA is to incorporate the involved constraints into a quadratic programming (QP), by solving which OA and JLA can be achieved. There…
In image-guided robotic surgery, there exist different endoscopes coupled either with specialized surgical robots (SSRs) or general industrial robots (GIRs). In general, SSRs mechanically respect the remote-center-of-motion (RCM) constraints with directly and explicitly controllable degrees-of-freed
In this paper, we proposed an autonomous robotic flexible endoscope system for the laparoscopic bariatric surgery (LBS). This system comprises a UR5 robot and a flexible endoscope equipped with a novel continuum joint, named reinforced double helix continuum mechanism. Compared with the simple helix…
This letter presents the first case of implementing deep-learning based instrument tracking on a magnetic anchored surgical endoscope. The compact magnetic actuated endoscope has a unique structure that allows operations near the anchor surface, ideal for video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).
Colorectal cancer incidence has been steadily rising worldwide. Magnetic colonoscopes provide new approaches to conduct colon inspection and treatment. This paper presents a novel electromagnetically actuated soft-tethered colonoscope to achieve precise and stable orientation control. An inflated ba…
This letter presents a novel flexible robotic endoscope with a constrained tendon-driven continuum mechanism (CTCM) which is targeted for bariatric surgery. The robotic endoscope is composed of a UR5 robot and a CTCM-based flexible endoscope. By introducing a constraint tube, both the angulation and
In stereotactic brain biopsy, operating the needle accurately and taking the biopsy specimen safely are two major challenges for ensuring the success of the surgical procedure. Considering this fact, surgical robots offering high accuracy and precision have been developed for neurosurgery including
This letter presents the first case of implementing visual servo control on a magnetic anchored endoscope. The novel magnetic actuated endoscope is designed for uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS).Itis compact and has a workspace close to the chest wall, which is suitable for operation