{"title":"Estimation and Adaption of Indoor Ego Airflow Disturbance with Application to Quadrotor Trajectory Planning","authors":"Luqi Wang, Boyu Zhou, Chuhao Liu, S. Shen","doi":"10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561679","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561679","url":null,"abstract":"It is ubiquitously accepted that during the autonomous navigation of the quadrotors, one of the most widely adopted unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), safety always has the highest priority. However, it is observed that the ego airflow disturbance can be a significant adverse factor during flights, causing potential safety issues, especially in narrow and confined indoor environments. Therefore, we propose a novel method to estimate and adapt indoor ego airflow disturbance of quadrotors, meanwhile applying it to trajectory planning. Firstly, the hover experiments for different quadrotors are conducted against the proximity effects. Then with the collected acceleration variance, the disturbances are modeled for the quadrotors according to the proposed formulation. The disturbance model is also verified under hover conditions in different reconstructed complex environments. Furthermore, the approximation of Hamilton-Jacobi reachability analysis is performed according to the estimated disturbances to facilitate the safe trajectory planning, which consists of kinodynamic path search as well as B-spline trajectory optimization. The whole planning framework is validated on multiple quadrotor platforms in different indoor environments.","PeriodicalId":108312,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"66 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126300665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Targetless Multiple Camera-LiDAR Extrinsic Calibration using Object Pose Estimation","authors":"Byung-Hyun Yoon, Hyeonwoo Jeong, Kang-Sun Choi","doi":"10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9560936","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9560936","url":null,"abstract":"We propose a targetless method for calibrating the extrinsic parameters among multiple cameras and a LiDAR sensor using object pose estimation. Contrast to previous targetless methods requiring certain geometric features, the proposed method exploits any objects of unspecified shapes in the scene to estimate the calibration parameters in single-scan configuration. Semantic objects in the scene are initially segmented from each modal measurement. Using multiple images, a 3D point cloud is reconstructed up-to-scale. By registering the up-to-scale point cloud to the LiDAR point cloud, we achieve an initial calibration and find correspondences between point cloud segments and image object segments. For each point cloud segment, a 3D mesh model is reconstructed. Based on the correspondence information, the color appearance model for the mesh can be elaborately generated with corresponding object instance segment within the images. Starting from the initial calibration, the calibration is gradually refined by using an object pose estimation technique with the appearance models associated with the 3D mesh models. The experimental results confirmed that the proposed framework achieves multimodal calibrations successfully in a single shot. The proposed method can be effectively applied for extrinsic calibration for plenoptic imaging systems of dozens of cameras in single-scan configuration without specific targets.","PeriodicalId":108312,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126477867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Self-Organized Evasive Fountain Maneuvers with a Bioinspired Underwater Robot Collective","authors":"F. Berlinger, Paula Wulkop, R. Nagpal","doi":"10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561407","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561407","url":null,"abstract":"Several animal species self-organize into large groups to leverage vital behaviors such as foraging, construction, or predator evasion. With the advancement of robotics and automation, engineered multi-agent systems have been inspired to achieve similarly high degrees of scalable, robust, and adaptable autonomy through decentralized and dynamic coordination. So far however, they have been most successfully demonstrated above ground or with partial assistance from central controllers and external tracking. Here we demonstrate an underwater robot collective that realizes full spatiotemporal coordination. Using the example of fish-inspired evasive maneuvers, our robots display alignment, formation control, and coordinated escape, enabled by real-time on-board multi-robot tracking and local decision making. Accompanied by a custom simulator, this robotic platform advances the physically- validated development of algorithms for collective behaviors and future applications including collective exploration, tracking and capture, or environmental sampling.","PeriodicalId":108312,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"28 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126491884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Haihui Yuan, Sumian Song, Ruilong Du, Shiqiang Zhu, J. Gu, Mingguo Zhao, Jianxin Pang
{"title":"A Capturability-based Control Framework for the Underactuated Bipedal Walking *","authors":"Haihui Yuan, Sumian Song, Ruilong Du, Shiqiang Zhu, J. Gu, Mingguo Zhao, Jianxin Pang","doi":"10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9562090","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9562090","url":null,"abstract":"This work considers the control of underactuated bipedal walking, and a novel capturability-based control framework is presented. Compared with traditional approaches, the presented control method does not rely on the use of the Poincaré map, which may take significant computational cost. Firstly, a new definition of stable walking is presented, and a novel foot-placement based control method is proposed. Then, a controller design method is presented based on this control method. For the controller design, the foot placement adjustment is achieved by updating the virtual constraints using a heuristic method, and an improved virtual constraint control method is proposed to enforce the virtual constraints. Finally, the effectiveness of the presented control framework is illustrated on a five-link underactuated planar biped by numerical simulations.","PeriodicalId":108312,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"64 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126388562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Priority Patrolling using Multiple Agents","authors":"Deepak Mallya, S. Kandala, L. Vachhani, A. Sinha","doi":"10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561785","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561785","url":null,"abstract":"The Patrolling Problem is a crucial feature of the surveillance task in defense and other establishments. Most of the works in the literature concentrate on reducing the Idleness value at each location in the environment. However, there are often a few prioritized locations that cannot be left unvisited beyond a certain Time Period. In this paper, we study the problem of Prioritized patrolling - the task of patrolling the given environment using multiple agents while ensuring the prioritized locations are visited within the pre-specified Time Period. We present a novel algorithm, namely, Time Period Based Patrolling (TPBP) algorithm, to solve the prioritized patrolling problem. It determines a sequence of walks for each agent online that complies with the Time Period requirement of the Priority nodes while reducing the Idleness of all the other nodes. We have tested and validated the algorithm using SUMO - a realistic simulator developed for traffic management. Since the existing strategies are not designed for Prioritized Patrolling, we show through comparison that proposed algorithm is required to solve the problem.","PeriodicalId":108312,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"16 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125989595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Skye Thompson, Pragna Mannam, Zeynep Temel, Oliver Kroemer
{"title":"Towards Robust Planar Translations using Delta-manipulator Arrays","authors":"Skye Thompson, Pragna Mannam, Zeynep Temel, Oliver Kroemer","doi":"10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561003","url":null,"abstract":"Distributed manipulators - consisting of a set of actuators or robots working cooperatively to achieve a manipulation task - are robust and flexible tools for performing a range of planar manipulation skills. One novel example is the delta array, a distributed manipulator composed of a grid of delta robots, capable of performing dexterous manipulation tasks using strategies incorporating both dynamic and static contact. Hand-designing effective distributed control policies for such a manipulator can be complex and time consuming, given the high-dimensional action space and unfamiliar system dynamics. In this paper, we examine the principles guiding development and control of such a delta array for a planar translation task. We explore policy learning as a robust cooperative control approach, allowing for smooth manipulation of a range of objects, showing improved accuracy and efficiency over baseline human-designed policies.","PeriodicalId":108312,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121856865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Multi-Parameter Optimization for a Robust RGB-D SLAM System","authors":"Yizhao Wang, Xiaoxiao Zhu, Guohan He, Q. Cao","doi":"10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561538","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561538","url":null,"abstract":"SLAM systems can retrieve their metric scales and depth information using RGB-D cameras. However, limited by the sensing range and objects structure, RGB-D cameras can not always work well, resulting in failures sometimes. In this work, we present initialization and localization methods based on maximum-a-posteriori estimation. Our system endows monocular keypoints with valid depth values and introduce them into bundle adjustment. Depth bias coefficient and scale factor are also optimized in the local window, obtaining robustness in large scale environments and long-running operations. The experimental results indicate that our system provides the best robustness compared with other excellent methods in the literature, being able to process the most challenging sequences in the TUM RGB-D dataset.","PeriodicalId":108312,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122013520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Inertial Aided 3D LiDAR SLAM with Hybrid Geometric Primitives in Large-scale Environments","authors":"Wen Chen, Hongchao Zhao, Qihui Shen, Chao Xiong, Shunbo Zhou, Yunhui Liu","doi":"10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561511","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561511","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents a comprehensive inertial aided 3D LiDAR SLAM system with hybrid geometric primitives in large-scale environments, including a tightly-coupled LiDAR-Inertial-Odometry (LIO), a global mapping module supported by learning-based loop closure detection and a sub-maps matching algorithm. An efficient method is developed to simultaneously extract explicit plane features and point features from each raw point cloud. To make full use of the structural information of the surroundings, plane features and point features (ground and edge) are tracked across a fix-sized group of LiDAR keyframes in the local map. For effective loop closure detection in large-scale environments, we integrate the learning-based point cloud network and a keyframe sequence matching method to detect loops. Finally, a novel, deterministic and near real-time plane-driven sub-maps matching algorithm is proposed to close the loops. The proposed SLAM system is validated with experiments on different types of environments.","PeriodicalId":108312,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"509 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115893220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jiatao Ding, Songyan Xin, Tin Lun Lam, S. Vijayakumar
{"title":"Versatile Locomotion by Integrating Ankle, Hip, Stepping, and Height Variation Strategies","authors":"Jiatao Ding, Songyan Xin, Tin Lun Lam, S. Vijayakumar","doi":"10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561130","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561130","url":null,"abstract":"Stable walking in real-world environments is a challenging task for humanoid robots, especially when considering the dynamic disturbances, e.g., caused by external perturbations that may be encountered during locomotion. The varying nature of disturbance necessitates high adaptability. In this paper, we propose an enhanced Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) approach for robust and adaptable walking – we term it versatile locomotion, by limiting both the Center of Pressure (CoP) and Divergent Component of Motion (DCM) movements. Due to utilization of the Nonlinear Inverted Pendulum plus Flywheel model, the robot is endowed with the capabilities of CoP manipulation (if equipped with finitesized feet), step location adjustment, upper body rotation, and vertical height variation. Considering the feasibility constraints, especially the usage of relaxed CoP constraints, the NMPC scheme is established as a Quadratically Constrained Quadratic Programming problem, which is solved efficiently by Sequential Quadratic Programming with enhanced solvability. Simulation experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our method to recruit optimal hybrid strategies in order to realize versatile locomotion, for the robot with finite-sized or point feet.","PeriodicalId":108312,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"95 1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131932353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Flexible and Efficient Loop Closure Detection Based on Motion Knowledge","authors":"Bingxi Liu, Fulin Tang, Yu-Ting Fu, Yanqun Yang, Yihong Wu","doi":"10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561126","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561126","url":null,"abstract":"Loop closure detection (LCD) is an essential module for simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), which can correct accumulated errors after long-term explorations. The widely used bag-of-words (BoW) model can not satisfy well the requirements of both low time consumption and high accuracy for a mobile platform. In this paper, we propose a novel LCD algorithm based on motion knowledge. We give a flexible and efficient detection strategy and also give flexible and efficient combinations of a global binary feature extracted by convolutional neural network (CNN) and a hand-crafted local binary feature. We take a continuous motion model, grid-based motion statistics (GMS) and motion states as motion knowledge. Furthermore, we fuse the proposed LCD with a visual-inertial odometry (VIO) system to correct localization errors by a pose graph optimization. Comparative experiments with state-of-the-art LCD algorithms on typical datasets have been carried out, and the results demonstrate that our proposed method achieves quite high recall rates and quite high speed at 100% precision. Moreover, experimental results from VIO further validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.","PeriodicalId":108312,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"241 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132074728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}