{"title":"DBPF: A Framework for Efficient and Robust Dynamic Bin-Picking","authors":"Yichuan Li, Junkai Zhao, Yixiao Li, Zheng Wu, Rui Cao, Masayoshi Tomizuka, Yunhui Liu","doi":"arxiv-2403.16786","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2403.16786","url":null,"abstract":"Efficiency and reliability are critical in robotic bin-picking as they\u0000directly impact the productivity of automated industrial processes. However,\u0000traditional approaches, demanding static objects and fixed collisions, lead to\u0000deployment limitations, operational inefficiencies, and process unreliability.\u0000This paper introduces a Dynamic Bin-Picking Framework (DBPF) that challenges\u0000traditional static assumptions. The DBPF endows the robot with the reactivity\u0000to pick multiple moving arbitrary objects while avoiding dynamic obstacles,\u0000such as the moving bin. Combined with scene-level pose generation, the proposed\u0000pose selection metric leverages the Tendency-Aware Manipulability Network\u0000optimizing suction pose determination. Heuristic task-specific designs like\u0000velocity-matching, dynamic obstacle avoidance, and the resight policy, enhance\u0000the picking success rate and reliability. Empirical experiments demonstrate the\u0000importance of these components. Our method achieves an average 84% success\u0000rate, surpassing the 60% of the most comparable baseline, crucially, with zero\u0000collisions. Further evaluations under diverse dynamic scenarios showcase DBPF's\u0000robust performance in dynamic bin-picking. Results suggest that our framework\u0000offers a promising solution for efficient and reliable robotic bin-picking\u0000under dynamics.","PeriodicalId":501062,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - CS - Systems and Control","volume":"68 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140301320","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":"Looking back and forward: A retrospective and future directions on Software Engineering for systems-of-systems","authors":"Everton Cavalcante, Thais Batista, Flavio Oquendo","doi":"arxiv-2403.16740","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2403.16740","url":null,"abstract":"Modern systems are increasingly connected and more integrated with other\u0000existing systems, giving rise to systems-of-systems (SoS). An SoS consists of a\u0000set of independent, heterogeneous systems that interact to provide new\u0000functionalities and accomplish global missions through emergent behavior\u0000manifested at runtime. The distinctive characteristics of SoS, when contrasted\u0000to traditional systems, pose significant research challenges within Software\u0000Engineering. These challenges motivate the need for a paradigm shift and the\u0000exploration of novel approaches for designing, developing, deploying, and\u0000evolving these systems. The International Workshop on Software Engineering for\u0000Systems-of-Systems (SESoS) series started in 2013 to fill a gap in scientific\u0000forums addressing SoS from the Software Engineering perspective, becoming the\u0000first venue for this purpose. This article presents a study aimed at outlining\u0000the evolution and future trajectory of Software Engineering for SoS based on\u0000the examination of 57 papers spanning the 11 editions of the SESoS workshop\u0000(2013-2023). The study combined scoping review and scientometric analysis\u0000methods to categorize and analyze the research contributions concerning\u0000temporal and geographic distribution, topics of interest, research\u0000methodologies employed, application domains, and research impact. Based on such\u0000a comprehensive overview, this article discusses current and future directions\u0000in Software Engineering for SoS.","PeriodicalId":501062,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - CS - Systems and Control","volume":"72 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140301496","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}
Binh Nguyen, Linh Nguyen, Truong X. Nghiem, Hung La, Jose Baca, Pablo Rangel, Miguel Cid Montoya, Thang Nguyen
{"title":"Spatially temporally distributed informative path planning for multi-robot systems","authors":"Binh Nguyen, Linh Nguyen, Truong X. Nghiem, Hung La, Jose Baca, Pablo Rangel, Miguel Cid Montoya, Thang Nguyen","doi":"arxiv-2403.16489","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2403.16489","url":null,"abstract":"This paper investigates the problem of informative path planning for a mobile\u0000robotic sensor network in spatially temporally distributed mapping. The robots\u0000are able to gather noisy measurements from an area of interest during their\u0000movements to build a Gaussian Process (GP) model of a spatio-temporal field.\u0000The model is then utilized to predict the spatio-temporal phenomenon at\u0000different points of interest. To spatially and temporally navigate the group of\u0000robots so that they can optimally acquire maximal information gains while their\u0000connectivity is preserved, we propose a novel multistep prediction informative\u0000path planning optimization strategy employing our newly defined local cost\u0000functions. By using the dual decomposition method, it is feasible and practical\u0000to effectively solve the optimization problem in a distributed manner. The\u0000proposed method was validated through synthetic experiments utilizing\u0000real-world data sets.","PeriodicalId":501062,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - CS - Systems and Control","volume":"2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140297441","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":"Real-time Adaptation for Condition Monitoring Signal Prediction using Label-aware Neural Processes","authors":"Seokhyun Chung, Raed Al Kontar","doi":"arxiv-2403.16377","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2403.16377","url":null,"abstract":"Building a predictive model that rapidly adapts to real-time condition\u0000monitoring (CM) signals is critical for engineering systems/units.\u0000Unfortunately, many current methods suffer from a trade-off between\u0000representation power and agility in online settings. For instance, parametric\u0000methods that assume an underlying functional form for CM signals facilitate\u0000efficient online prediction updates. However, this simplification leads to\u0000vulnerability to model specifications and an inability to capture complex\u0000signals. On the other hand, approaches based on over-parameterized or\u0000non-parametric models can excel at explaining complex nonlinear signals, but\u0000real-time updates for such models pose a challenging task. In this paper, we\u0000propose a neural process-based approach that addresses this trade-off. It\u0000encodes available observations within a CM signal into a representation space\u0000and then reconstructs the signal's history and evolution for prediction. Once\u0000trained, the model can encode an arbitrary number of observations without\u0000requiring retraining, enabling on-the-spot real-time predictions along with\u0000quantified uncertainty and can be readily updated as more online data is\u0000gathered. Furthermore, our model is designed to incorporate qualitative\u0000information (i.e., labels) from individual units. This integration not only\u0000enhances individualized predictions for each unit but also enables joint\u0000inference for both signals and their associated labels. Numerical studies on\u0000both synthetic and real-world data in reliability engineering highlight the\u0000advantageous features of our model in real-time adaptation, enhanced signal\u0000prediction with uncertainty quantification, and joint prediction for labels and\u0000signals.","PeriodicalId":501062,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - CS - Systems and Control","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140297987","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}
Hanna Müller, Victor Kartsch, Michele Magno, Luca Benini
{"title":"BatDeck: Advancing Nano-drone Navigation with Low-power Ultrasound-based Obstacle Avoidance","authors":"Hanna Müller, Victor Kartsch, Michele Magno, Luca Benini","doi":"arxiv-2403.16696","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2403.16696","url":null,"abstract":"Nano-drones, distinguished by their agility, minimal weight, and\u0000cost-effectiveness, are particularly well-suited for exploration in confined,\u0000cluttered and narrow spaces. Recognizing transparent, highly reflective or\u0000absorbing materials, such as glass and metallic surfaces is challenging, as\u0000classical sensors, such as cameras or laser rangers, often do not detect them.\u0000Inspired by bats, which can fly at high speeds in complete darkness with the\u0000help of ultrasound, this paper introduces textit{BatDeck}, a pioneering\u0000sensor-deck employing a lightweight and low-power ultrasonic sensor for\u0000nano-drone autonomous navigation. This paper first provides insights about\u0000sensor characteristics, highlighting the influence of motor noise on the\u0000ultrasound readings, then it introduces the results of extensive experimental\u0000tests for obstacle avoidance (OA) in a diverse environment. Results show that\u0000textit{BatDeck} allows exploration for a flight time of 8 minutes while\u0000covering 136m on average before crash in a challenging environment with\u0000transparent and reflective obstacles, proving the effectiveness of ultrasonic\u0000sensors for OA on nano-drones.","PeriodicalId":501062,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - CS - Systems and Control","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140301596","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}
Zijian He, Sangli Teng, Tzu-Yuan Lin, Maani Ghaffari, Yan Gu
{"title":"Legged Robot State Estimation within Non-inertial Environments","authors":"Zijian He, Sangli Teng, Tzu-Yuan Lin, Maani Ghaffari, Yan Gu","doi":"arxiv-2403.16252","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2403.16252","url":null,"abstract":"This paper investigates the robot state estimation problem within a\u0000non-inertial environment. The proposed state estimation approach relaxes the\u0000common assumption of static ground in the system modeling. The process and\u0000measurement models explicitly treat the movement of the non-inertial\u0000environments without requiring knowledge of its motion in the inertial frame or\u0000relying on GPS or sensing environmental landmarks. Further, the proposed state\u0000estimator is formulated as an invariant extended Kalman filter (InEKF) with the\u0000deterministic part of its process model obeying the group-affine property,\u0000leading to log-linear error dynamics. The observability analysis of the filter\u0000confirms that the robot's pose (i.e., position and orientation) and velocity\u0000relative to the non-inertial environment are observable. Hardware experiments\u0000on a humanoid robot moving on a rotating and translating treadmill demonstrate\u0000the high convergence rate and accuracy of the proposed InEKF even under\u0000significant treadmill pitch sway, as well as large estimation errors.","PeriodicalId":501062,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - CS - Systems and Control","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140297607","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":"Input-to-State Stability of Newton Methods for Generalized Equations in Nonlinear Optimization","authors":"Torbjørn Cunis, Ilya Kolmanovsky","doi":"arxiv-2403.16165","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2403.16165","url":null,"abstract":"We show that Newton methods for generalized equations are input-to-state\u0000stable with respect to disturbances such as due to inexact computations. We\u0000then use this result to obtain convergence and robustness of a multistep\u0000Newton-type method for multivariate generalized equations. We demonstrate the\u0000usefulness of the results with other applications to nonlinear optimization. In\u0000particular, we provide a new proof for (robust) local convergence of the\u0000augmented Lagrangian method.","PeriodicalId":501062,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - CS - Systems and Control","volume":"258 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140297515","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}
Amir Iqbal, Sushant Veer, Christopher Niezrecki, Yan Gu
{"title":"HT-LIP Model based Robust Control of Quadrupedal Robot Locomotion under Unknown Vertical Ground Motion","authors":"Amir Iqbal, Sushant Veer, Christopher Niezrecki, Yan Gu","doi":"arxiv-2403.16262","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2403.16262","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents a hierarchical control framework that enables robust\u0000quadrupedal locomotion on a dynamic rigid surface (DRS) with general and\u0000unknown vertical motions. The key novelty of the framework lies in its higher\u0000layer, which is a discrete-time, provably stabilizing footstep controller. The\u0000basis of the footstep controller is a new hybrid, time-varying, linear inverted\u0000pendulum (HT-LIP) model that is low-dimensional and accurately captures the\u0000essential robot dynamics during DRS locomotion. A new set of sufficient\u0000stability conditions are then derived to directly guide the controller design\u0000for ensuring the asymptotic stability of the HT-LIP model under general,\u0000unknown, vertical DRS motions. Further, the footstep controller is cast as a\u0000computationally efficient quadratic program that incorporates the proposed\u0000HT-LIP model and stability conditions. The middle layer takes the desired\u0000footstep locations generated by the higher layer as input to produce\u0000kinematically feasible full-body reference trajectories, which are then\u0000accurately tracked by a lower-layer torque controller. Hardware experiments on\u0000a Unitree Go1 quadrupedal robot confirm the robustness of the proposed\u0000framework under various unknown, aperiodic, vertical DRS motions and\u0000uncertainties (e.g., slippery and uneven surfaces, solid and liquid loads, and\u0000sudden pushes).","PeriodicalId":501062,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - CS - Systems and Control","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140297514","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}
Premankur Banerjee, Jason Cherin, Jayati Upadhyay, Jason Kutch, Heather Culbertson
{"title":"Perception and Control of Surfing in Virtual Reality using a 6-DoF Motion Platform","authors":"Premankur Banerjee, Jason Cherin, Jayati Upadhyay, Jason Kutch, Heather Culbertson","doi":"arxiv-2403.15924","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2403.15924","url":null,"abstract":"The paper presents a system for simulating surfing in Virtual Reality (VR),\u0000emphasizing the recreation of aquatic motions and user-initiated propulsive\u0000forces using a 6-Degree of Freedom (DoF) motion platform. We present an\u0000algorithmic approach to accurately render surfboard kinematics and interactive\u0000paddling dynamics, validated through experimental evaluation with (N=17)\u0000participants. Results indicate that the system effectively reproduces various\u0000acceleration levels, the perception of which is independent of users' body\u0000posture. We additionally found that the presence of ocean ripples amplifies the\u0000perception of acceleration. This system aims to enhance the realism and\u0000interactivity of VR surfing, laying a foundation for future advancements in\u0000surf therapy and interactive aquatic VR experiences.","PeriodicalId":501062,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - CS - Systems and Control","volume":"36 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140297452","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}
Nhat Minh Nguyen, Stephen McIlvanna, Jack Close, Mien Van
{"title":"Real-Time Reconfiguration and Connectivity Maintenance for AUVs Network Under External Disturbances using Distributed Nonlinear Model Predictive Control","authors":"Nhat Minh Nguyen, Stephen McIlvanna, Jack Close, Mien Van","doi":"arxiv-2403.15671","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2403.15671","url":null,"abstract":"Advancements in underwater vehicle technology have significantly expanded the\u0000potential scope for deploying autonomous or remotely operated underwater\u0000vehicles in novel practical applications. However, the efficiency and\u0000maneuverability of these vehicles remain critical challenges, particularly in\u0000the dynamic aquatic environment. In this work, we propose a novel control\u0000scheme for creating multi-agent distributed formation control with limited\u0000communication between individual agents. In addition, the formation of the\u0000multi-agent can be reconfigured in real-time and the network connectivity can\u0000be maintained. The proposed use case for this scheme includes creating\u0000underwater mobile communication networks that can adapt to environmental or\u0000network conditions to maintain the quality of communication links for\u0000long-range exploration, seabed monitoring, or underwater infrastructure\u0000inspection. This work introduces a novel Distributed Nonlinear Model Predictive\u0000Control (DNMPC) strategy, integrating Control Lyapunov Functions (CLF) and\u0000Control Barrier Functions (CBF) with a relaxed decay rate, specifically\u0000tailored for 6-DOF underwater robotics. The effectiveness of our proposed DNMPC\u0000scheme was demonstrated through rigorous MATLAB simulations for trajectory\u0000tracking and formation reconfiguration in a dynamic environment. Our findings,\u0000supported by tests conducted using Software In The Loop (SITL) simulation,\u0000confirm the approach's applicability in real-time scenarios.","PeriodicalId":501062,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - CS - Systems and Control","volume":"70 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140301328","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}