Fan Wu;Jorik De Bruycker;Daan Delabie;Nobby Stevens;François Rottenberg;Lieven De Strycker
{"title":"OWP-IMU: An RSS-Based Optical Wireless and IMU Indoor Positioning Dataset","authors":"Fan Wu;Jorik De Bruycker;Daan Delabie;Nobby Stevens;François Rottenberg;Lieven De Strycker","doi":"10.1109/LRA.2025.3615029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2025.3615029","url":null,"abstract":"Received signal strength (RSS)-based optical wireless positioning (OWP) systems are becoming popular for indoor localization because they are low-cost and accurate. However, few open-source datasets are available to test and analyze RSS-based OWP systems. In this letter, we collected RSS values at a sampling frequency of <inline-formula><tex-math>$27 ,mathrm{Hz}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, inertial measurement unit (IMU) at a sampling frequency of <inline-formula><tex-math>$200 ,mathrm{Hz}$</tex-math></inline-formula> and the ground truth at a sampling frequency of <inline-formula><tex-math>$160 ,mathrm{Hz}$</tex-math></inline-formula> in three indoor environments. The first scenario is obstacle-free, the second contains a metal column obstacle, and the third contains a letter rectangular obstacle, with both obstacles representing different non-line-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios. We recorded data with a vehicle at three different speeds (low, medium and high). The dataset includes over <inline-formula><tex-math>$160 ,{mathrm{k}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> data points and covers more than <inline-formula><tex-math>$110 ,min$</tex-math></inline-formula>. We also provide benchmark tests to show localization performance using only RSS-based OWP and improve accuracy by combining IMU data via extended kalman filter or transformer. The dataset OWP-IMU and accompanying benchmark results are open source to support further research on indoor localization methods.","PeriodicalId":13241,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters","volume":"10 11","pages":"12103-12108"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145315501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hysteresis-Aware Neural Network Modeling and Whole-Body Reinforcement Learning Control of Soft Robots","authors":"Zongyuan Chen;Yan Xia;Jiayuan Liu;Jijia Liu;Wenhao Tang;Jiayu Chen;Feng Gao;Longfei Ma;Hongen Liao;Yu Wang;Chao Yu;Boyu Zhang;Fei Xing","doi":"10.1109/LRA.2025.3615025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2025.3615025","url":null,"abstract":"Soft robots are inherently compliant and safe, making them suitable for humaninteractive applications such as surgery. However, their nonlinear and hysteretic behavior poses significant challenges for accurate modeling and control. We present a soft robotic system and propose a hysteresis-aware whole-body neural network model that accurately captures and predicts the soft robot’s whole-body motion, including hysteresis effects. Based on this model, we construct a highly parallel simulation environment for soft robot control and apply an on-policy reinforcement learning algorithm to efficiently train whole-body motion control policies. The trained policy is deployed on a real soft robot to evaluate its control performance, and it exhibits high precision in trajectory tracking tasks. Furthermore, we develop a soft robotic system for surgical applications and validate it through phantom-based laser ablation experiments. The results demonstrate that the proposed model significantly reduces prediction error compared to conventional methods. The overall framework shows strong performance in phantom-based surgical experiments, and demonstrates its potential for complex scenarios, including future real-world clinical applications.","PeriodicalId":13241,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters","volume":"10 11","pages":"11666-11673"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145255824","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Research on Automated Microassembly Technology for ICF Target Core Microdevices Based on Teleoperation","authors":"Hongwei Deng;Kejian Ni;Xiepeng Yang;Haoran Dai;Tao Chen","doi":"10.1109/LRA.2025.3614545","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2025.3614545","url":null,"abstract":"This letter presents a teleoperation-based solution to address the challenges of achieving high precision, flexibility, and efficiency in complex microdevice assembly. We developed an automated microassembly system that integrates a decision tree for predicting operator intention with a leader-follower mapping model to suppress physiological tremor. The system’s performance was rigorously evaluated through demanding assembly experiments using Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) target core microdevices (half-hohlraums and target balls). Experimental results demonstrate effective operator intention recognition, with 80% accuracy for axial feed and 95% for pose adjustment. The system also achieved precise force and position control, limiting the maximum deformation of the gold hohlraum to 56<inline-formula><tex-math>$mu rm {m}$</tex-math></inline-formula> and the maximum force on the target ball to 17.4<inline-formula><tex-math>$mu rm {N}$</tex-math></inline-formula>. These findings validate the effectiveness and potential of this technical approach.","PeriodicalId":13241,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters","volume":"10 11","pages":"11698-11704"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145255826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mustafa Uğur;Yiğit Yaman;Burak Arslan;Ömer Çağrı Ergin;Onur Özcan
{"title":"ReLMBot: A Reconfigurable, Legged, Miniature, Modular Robot With Compliant or Rigid, Magnetic Connection Mechanisms","authors":"Mustafa Uğur;Yiğit Yaman;Burak Arslan;Ömer Çağrı Ergin;Onur Özcan","doi":"10.1109/LRA.2025.3614073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2025.3614073","url":null,"abstract":"This letter presents ReLMBot, a reconfigurable, legged, miniature, modular robot with magnetic and passive mechanisms. The robot comprises multiple modules, each equipped with backbones featuring permanent magnets, which offer reconfigurability without requiring additional power or actuation while enhancing the robot’s compliance. Moreover, by choosing the geometry of the magnets differently, the connections can be made rigid (square-shaped) or compliant (cylindrical). A dynamic model incorporating the robot’s magnetic connections is developed to simulate and verify its climbing performance and docking/undocking behavior. The results demonstrated that cylindrical magnets achieve a higher success rate in climbing obstacles and provide significantly higher additional climbing height compared to square-shaped magnets as the number of modules increases. Furthermore, the robot’s starting position relative to the obstacle has a major impact on its climbing success. Modules with square-shaped magnets maintain near 100% success until just below their climbable limit, then drop sharply, especially with fewer modules. Cylindrical magnets show a gradual decline, turning abruptly 5 mm before failure. The modules weigh 29.43 grams and have palm-sized dimensions, allowing them to dock and undock to perform various tasks, including climbing obstacles higher than a single module. The modules possess soft c-shaped legs, enabling operation in diverse terrains like gravel, sand, or grass. The modules’ miniature structure, ease of manufacture, and affordability make them a suitable option for multiple use cases. The robot’s wireless communication capability makes it a strong contender for surveillance in confined spaces like collapsed buildings and nuclear sites, large areas like farmlands, and even planetary exploration missions.","PeriodicalId":13241,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters","volume":"10 11","pages":"11737-11744"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145255887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tianci Wang;Zhiping Dong;Rundong Huang;Chunhua Liu
{"title":"Compliant Variable Stiffness Actuator and Robust Interactive Torque Control: Principle Mechanism Design and Experimental Verification","authors":"Tianci Wang;Zhiping Dong;Rundong Huang;Chunhua Liu","doi":"10.1109/LRA.2025.3614047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2025.3614047","url":null,"abstract":"The development of Variable Stiffness Actuators (VSAs) represents a promising approach for enhancing intrinsic safety in physical human-robot interaction. This study introduces an innovative VSA design employing an epicyclic-lever mechanism to modulate stiffness through spiral spring preload adjustment. The centrosymmetric lever configuration significantly expands the stiffness tuning range, while the transmission ratio between gear displacement and spring deflection is governed by the lever mechanism, thereby enabling customization of the stiffness profile and adjustment range. The stiffness model of the VSA is established, and its design parameters and driving characteristics related to the stiffness are analyzed. To ensure precise torque tracking in the case of unexpected disturbance, a modified disturbance observer is developed for arbitrary disturbance estimation. Then, a novel robust interactive torque controller for the VSA is proposed. The stiffness identification test, collision experiment, trajectory tracking tests under unload and load conditions, and cyclic movement experiments have validated the superiority of the novel VSA and the developed controller.","PeriodicalId":13241,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters","volume":"10 11","pages":"12047-12054"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145315277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Design and Implementation of an Electrostatic Adhesion-Driven Self-Sensing Actuator for Rapid, Stiffness-Modulated Pneumatic Actuators","authors":"Hao Liu;Yujin Dai;Jia Yu;Ting Wang;Hongqiang Wang","doi":"10.1109/LRA.2025.3614021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2025.3614021","url":null,"abstract":"Clutches and variable stiffness actuators based on flexible electrostatic adhesion films are widely used in the field of soft robotics. Enabling sensing capabilities in these actuators can significantly enhance their environmental interaction and control performance. However, current external sensing solutions for those actuators face several challenges, including the mechanical mismatch between sensors and the soft actuators, as well as increased system complexity due to additional sensing components. This letter proposes a self-sensing scheme for an electrostatic adhesion-driven variable stiffness clutch, utilizing a capacitance-based principle to achieve position self-sensing. In addition, the pneumatic actuator fabricated based on this actuator can achieve angular sensing, rapid response, and stiffness modulation. Finally, a two-degree of freedom pneumatic variable stiffness robotic arm integrated position sensing is fabricated, which can achieve decoupled position control through a single air source.","PeriodicalId":13241,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters","volume":"10 11","pages":"11776-11783"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145255817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Contact-Implicit Whole-Body Trajectory Optimization for Dynamic Humanoid Locomotion on Parameterizable Uneven Terrain","authors":"Roberto Mauceri;Stefano Dafarra;Giulio Romualdi;Marco Gabiccini;Daniele Pucci","doi":"10.1109/LRA.2025.3614066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2025.3614066","url":null,"abstract":"This letter presents a trajectory planner for humanoid robots to perform dynamic motions on complex, parameterizable terrains using a contact-implicit whole-body optimization framework. The planner generates feasible movements without predefined contact sequences, considering the robot full dynamics and kinematics. To plan bipedal locomotion on steps, ramps, and other terrains, we propose a mathematical model to approximate ground geometry with a smooth surface. The rigid interaction between the robot and the ground is modeled via novel contact constraints, extending the domain of applicability from flat and horizontal surfaces to any arbitrary smooth surface. Effectiveness is demonstrated using nonlinear programming to plan motions on various terrain topologies. We also explore dynamic trajectory generation by embedding high-level requirements in the cost function and the initial guess. Preliminary feasibility tests were conducted over non-coplanar terrains, both in simulation and on the real robot ErgoCub.","PeriodicalId":13241,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters","volume":"10 11","pages":"11674-11681"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145255962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Finite-Time Torque Control for Bolt-Tightening Robot via a Disturbance Observer","authors":"Junyi You;Haibo Du;Yansheng Liu;Jinfeng Zhang","doi":"10.1109/LRA.2025.3614065","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2025.3614065","url":null,"abstract":"Transmission towers serve as critical infrastructures in high-voltage power systems, where the reliability of bolt connections directly affects structural integrity and operational safety. To address the challenges posed by the large number of bolts, stringent torque accuracy requirements, and inconsistency in traditional manual operations, a time-varying bolt-tightening system model is established by considering parameter uncertainties and external disturbances. Furthermore, a finite-time disturbance observer (FDO) is designed to handle unknown disturbances in the system. By introducing adding a power integrator technique with state-dependent gain, a finite-time control algorithm (FTC) based on the disturbance observer is devised to enhance torque control accuracy and disturbance rejection performance. A rigorous theoretical analysis is provided to ensure the finite-time stability of the closed-loop system. Simulation and experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, which demonstrates improvements in control accuracy and disturbance rejection compared to conventional methods.","PeriodicalId":13241,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters","volume":"10 11","pages":"11729-11736"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145255958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Information","authors":"","doi":"10.1109/LRA.2025.3611052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2025.3611052","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13241,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters","volume":"10 10","pages":"C3-C3"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=11176449","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145141613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters Information for Authors","authors":"","doi":"10.1109/LRA.2025.3611054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2025.3611054","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13241,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters","volume":"10 10","pages":"C4-C4"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=11176451","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145141614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}