{"title":"Real-time Model Predictive Control for Versatile Dynamic Motions in Quadrupedal Robots","authors":"Yanran Ding, Abhishek Pandala, Hae-won Park","doi":"10.1109/ICRA.2019.8793669","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA.2019.8793669","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents a new Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework for controlling various dynamic movements of a quadrupedal robot. System dynamics are represented by linearizing single rigid body dynamics in three-dimensional (3D) space. Our formulation linearizes rotation matrices without resorting to parameterizations like Euler angles and quaternions, avoiding issues of singularity and unwinding phenomenon, respectively. With a carefully chosen configuration error function, the MPC control law is transcribed into a Quadratic Program (QP) which can be solved efficiently in realtime. Our formulation can stabilize a wide range of periodic quadrupedal gaits and acrobatic maneuvers. We show various simulation as well as experimental results to validate our control strategy. Experiments prove the application of this framework with a custom QP solver could reach execution rates of 160 Hz on embedded platforms.","PeriodicalId":6730,"journal":{"name":"2019 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"11 1","pages":"8484-8490"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81687372","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":"Sensorless Force Control of Automated Grinding/Deburring Using an Adjustable force regulation mechanism","authors":"Y. Kuo, Sheng-Yuan Huang, Chao-Chieh Lan","doi":"10.1109/ICRA.2019.8794058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA.2019.8794058","url":null,"abstract":"Controlling the contact force on workpieces has been a challenging task for industrial grinding/deburring operations. Its realization often requires a grinding spindle with a multi-axis force sensor and controller feedback. The spindle needs to frequently vary its position in order to maintain a constant contact force. The use of sensors and control is costly and introduces extra complexity for grinding tools. To improve the polishing quality of handling workpieces of irregular contours, this paper presents a novel force regulation mechanism (FRM) to be installed on grinding tools. Without using additional sensors and control, the FRM can passively produce an adjusTable NORMAL Contact force between the tooltip and workpiece of various geometry. the spindle does not have to move to regulate the contact force. together with a simple grinder which is much less expensive, this approach offers a more attractive solution in terms of cost and complexity. in this paper, the design concept and simulation results are presented and discussed. a prototype of a grinder with the proposed FRM is illustrated to demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of force regulation. this novel mechanism is expected to serve as a reliable alternative for industrial grinding/deburring operation.","PeriodicalId":6730,"journal":{"name":"2019 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"124 1","pages":"9489-9495"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86446657","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}
Chuang Zhang, Jialin Shi, Wenxue Wang, N. Xi, Yuechao Wang, Lianqing Liu
{"title":"Fabrication and Characterization of Muscle Rings Using Circular Mould and Rotary Electrical Stimulation for Bio-Syncretic Robots","authors":"Chuang Zhang, Jialin Shi, Wenxue Wang, N. Xi, Yuechao Wang, Lianqing Liu","doi":"10.1109/ICRA.2019.8793903","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA.2019.8793903","url":null,"abstract":"Bio-syncretic robots made up of living biological systems and electromechanical systems may have the potential excellent performance of natural biological entities. Therefore, the study of the bio-syncretic robots has got lots of attention in recent years. The 3D skeletal muscles have been used widely, due to the considerable contraction force and the controllability. However, the low differentiation quality of the C2C12 in the tissues hinders the broad application in the development of the skeleton muscle actuated bio-syncretic robots. In this work, an approach based on circular mould and rotary electrical stimulation to build high-quality muscle rings, which can be used to actuate various bio-syncretic robots, has been proposed. Firstly, the advantage of the proposed circular mould for the muscle rings culture has been shown by simulation. Then, the muscle rings have been fabricated with different moulds using the experiment-optimized compositions of the biological mixture. After that, the muscle rings in the circular moulds with different electrical stimulations have been cultured, to show the superiority of the proposed rotary electrical stimulation. Moreover, the contractility of the muscle rings have been measured under the different electrical pulses stimulation, for the study of the control property of the muscle rings. This work may be meaningful not only the development of bio-syncretic robots actuated by 3D muscle tissues but also the muscle tissue engineering.","PeriodicalId":6730,"journal":{"name":"2019 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"57 3 1","pages":"4825-4830"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75776841","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}
Yu Meng Zhou, Diana Wagner, Kristin Nuckols, Roman Heimgartner, Carolina Correia, Megan E. Clarke, D. Orzel, Ciarán T. O’Neill, Ryan Solinsky, S. Paganoni, C. Walsh
{"title":"Soft Robotic Glove with Integrated Sensing for Intuitive Grasping Assistance Post Spinal Cord Injury","authors":"Yu Meng Zhou, Diana Wagner, Kristin Nuckols, Roman Heimgartner, Carolina Correia, Megan E. Clarke, D. Orzel, Ciarán T. O’Neill, Ryan Solinsky, S. Paganoni, C. Walsh","doi":"10.1109/ICRA.2019.8794367","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA.2019.8794367","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents a fully-integrated soft robotic glove with multi-articular textile actuators, custom soft sensors, and an intuitive state machine intent detection controller. We demonstrate that the pressurized actuators can generate motion and force comparable to natural human fingers through bench-top testing. We apply textile-elastomer capacitive sensors to the glove to track finger flexion via strain and detect contact with objects via force. Intuitive user control is achieved via a state machine controller based on signals from the integrated sensors to detect relative changes in hand-object interactions. Results from an initial evaluation with 3 participants with spinal cord injury (SCI), of varied injury levels and years since injury, wearing and controlling the glove show an average of 87% improvement in grasping force, and improvements in functional assessments for participants with recent injuries. A significant variation in response suggests further investigation is required to understand the adaptation needed across different injury levels and durations since injury. Additionally, we evaluate the controller and find an average of 3 seconds from user initiations to completed grasps, and 10% inadvertent grasp triggers and no false releases when objects are held.","PeriodicalId":6730,"journal":{"name":"2019 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"16 1","pages":"9059-9065"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73694087","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":"Linear Heterogeneous Reconfiguration of Cubic Modular Robots via Simultaneous Tunneling and Permutation","authors":"H. Kawano","doi":"10.1109/ICRA.2019.8793594","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA.2019.8793594","url":null,"abstract":"Reconfiguring heterogeneous modular robots in which all modules are not identical is much more time consuming than reconfiguring homogeneous ones, because ordinary heterogeneous reconfiguration is a combination of homogeneous transformation and heterogeneous permutation. While linear homogeneous transformation has been accomplished in previous research, linear heterogeneous permutation has not. This paper studies a reconfiguration algorithm for heterogeneous lattice modular robots with linear operation time cost. The algorithm is based on simultaneous tunneling and permutation, where a robot transforms its configuration via tunneling motion while permutation of each module’s position is performed simultaneously during the tunneling transformation. To achieve this, we introduce the idea of a transparent meta-module that allows modules belonging to a meta-module to pass through the spaces occupied by other meta-modules. We prove the correctness and completeness of the proposed algorithm for a 2$times$ 2$times$ 2 cubic meta-module-based connected robot structure. We also show examples of the reconfiguration simulations of heterogeneous modular robots by the proposed algorithm.","PeriodicalId":6730,"journal":{"name":"2019 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"36 1-2","pages":"332-338"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72598294","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":"Underwater Terrain Reconstruction from Forward-Looking Sonar Imagery","authors":"Jinkun Wang, Tixiao Shan, Brendan Englot","doi":"10.1109/ICRA.2019.8794473","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA.2019.8794473","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper, we propose a novel approach for underwater simultaneous localization and mapping using a multibeam imaging sonar for 3D terrain mapping tasks. The high levels of noise and the absence of elevation angle information in sonar images present major challenges for data association and accurate 3D mapping. Instead of repeatedly projecting extracted features into Euclidean space, we apply optical flow within bearing-range images for tracking extracted features. To deal with degenerate cases, such as when tracking is interrupted by noise, we model the subsea terrain as a Gaussian Process random field on a Chow–Liu tree. Terrain factors are incorporated into the factor graph, aimed at smoothing the terrain elevation estimate. We demonstrate the performance of our proposed algorithm in a simulated environment, which shows that terrain factors effectively reduce estimation error. We also show ROV experiments performed in a variable-elevation tank environment, where we are able to construct a descriptive and smooth height estimate of the tank bottom.","PeriodicalId":6730,"journal":{"name":"2019 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"11 1","pages":"3471-3477"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78619679","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 Multimodal Aerial Underwater Vehicle with Extended Endurance and Capabilities","authors":"Di Lu, Chengke Xiong, Zheng Zeng, L. Lian","doi":"10.1109/ICRA.2019.8793985","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA.2019.8793985","url":null,"abstract":"A new solution to improving the poor endurance of the existing hybrid aerial underwater vehicle (HAUV) is proposed in this paper. The proposed multimodal hybrid aerial underwater vehicle (MHAUV) merges the design concept of the fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the multirotor, and the underwater glider (UG) and has a novel lightweight pneumatic buoyancy adjustment system. MHAUV is well suited for moving in distinct medium and can achieve extended endurance for long distance travel in both air and water. The mathematical model is given based on Newton-Euler formalism. Necessary design principles of the vehicle’s physical parameters are obtained through different gliding equilibrium points. Then, a control scheme composed of two separate proportional-integral-derivative (PID) is employed for the vehicle’s motion control in multi-domain simulation. The simulation results are presented to verify the multi-domain mobility and the mode switch ability of the proposed vehicle intuitively. Finally, a prototype, NEZHA, is introduced to be the experimental platform. The success of the flight test, the hovering test, the underwater glide test, and the medium transition test all contribute to prove the feasibility of the proposed concept of the novel MHAUV.","PeriodicalId":6730,"journal":{"name":"2019 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"64 1","pages":"4674-4680"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75095455","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":"Online Estimation of Geometric and Inertia Parameters for Multirotor Aerial Vehicles","authors":"Valentin Wüest, Vijay R. Kumar, Giuseppe Loianno","doi":"10.1109/ICRA.2019.8794274","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA.2019.8794274","url":null,"abstract":"Accurate knowledge of geometric and inertia parameters are a necessity for precise and robust control of aerial vehicles. We propose a novel filter that is able to fuse motor speed, inertia, and pose measurements to estimate the vehicle’s key dynamic properties online. The presented framework is able to estimate the multirotor’s moment of inertia, mass, center of mass and each sensor module’s relative position. Obtaining these estimates in-flight allow the multirotor to be precisely controlled even during tasks such as load transportation or after configuration changes on scene. We provide a nonlinear observability analysis, proving that the presented model is locally weakly observable. Experimental results validate the proposed approach, showing the ability to estimate the dynamic properties accurately and demonstrate its capability to do so even while additional loads are added. The framework is flexible and can easily be adapted to a wide range of applications, including self-calibration, object grasping, and single robot or multi-robot payload transportation.","PeriodicalId":6730,"journal":{"name":"2019 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"6 1","pages":"1884-1890"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79813080","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}
Christina Petschnigg, Mathias Brandstötter, Horst Pichler, M. Hofbaur, Bernhard Dieber
{"title":"Quantum Computation in Robotic Science and Applications","authors":"Christina Petschnigg, Mathias Brandstötter, Horst Pichler, M. Hofbaur, Bernhard Dieber","doi":"10.1109/ICRA.2019.8793768","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA.2019.8793768","url":null,"abstract":"Using the effects of quantum mechanics for computing challenges has been an often discussed topic for decades. The frequent successes and early products in this area, which we have seen in recent years, indicate that we are currently entering a new era of computing. This paradigm shift will also impact the work of robotic scientists and the applications of robotics. New possibilities as well as new approaches to known problems will enable the creation of even more powerful and intelligent robots that make use of quantum computing cloud services or co-processors. In this position paper, we discuss potential application areas and also point out open research topics in quantum computing for robotics. We go into detail on the impact of quantum computing in artificial intelligence and machine learning, sensing and perception, kinematics as well as system diagnosis. For each topic we point out where quantum computing could be applied based on results from current research.","PeriodicalId":6730,"journal":{"name":"2019 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"14 1","pages":"803-810"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79837020","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":"Sharing the Load: Human-Robot Team Lifting Using Muscle Activity","authors":"Joseph DelPreto, D. Rus","doi":"10.1109/ICRA.2019.8794414","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA.2019.8794414","url":null,"abstract":"Seamless communication of desired motions and goals is essential for enabling effective physical human-robot collaboration. In such cases, muscle activity measured via surface electromyography (EMG) can provide insight into a person’s intentions while minimally distracting from the task. The presented system uses two muscle signals to create a control framework for team lifting tasks in which a human and robot lift an object together. A continuous setpoint algorithm uses biceps activity to estimate changes in the user’s hand height, and also allows the user to explicitly adjust the robot by stiffening or relaxing their arm. In addition to this pipeline, a neural network trained only on previous users classifies biceps and triceps activity to detect up or down gestures on a rolling basis; this enables finer control over the robot and expands the feasible workspace. The resulting system is evaluated by 10 untrained subjects performing a variety of team lifting and assembly tasks with rigid and flexible objects.","PeriodicalId":6730,"journal":{"name":"2019 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)","volume":"1 1","pages":"7906-7912"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85584832","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}