Article
Robotics
Moju Zhao, Tomoki Anzai, Fan Shi, Toshiya Maki, Takuzumi Nishio, Keita Ito, Naoki Kuromiya, Kei Okada, Masayuki Inaba
Summary: This study enhances the maneuvering and manipulation performances of a multilinked aerial robot by using tilted propellers, developing related design, modeling, and control methods for stable hovering and transformation, as well as proposing state estimation for fully autonomous flight. The versatility of the proposed robot platform is verified through various autonomous outdoor experiments, demonstrating reliable flight performance and manipulation capabilities.
JOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mostafa Mohammadi, Davide Bicego, Antonio Franchi, Davide Barcelli, Domenico Prattichizzo
Summary: This paper proposes a control method in a bilateral teleoperation framework for regulating the position of the aerial manipulator in free flight and the applied force in contact interaction. The theory's validity and the efficacy of the solution are demonstrated through experimental results.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Vicente Perez-Sanchez, Francisco Javier Garcia-Rubiales, Saeed Rafee Nekoo, Begona Arrue, Anibal Ollero
Summary: This paper presents a method of using an Artificial Human Hand (AHH) in an unmanned aerial vehicle for aerial manipulation and cooperation. The AHH is capable of grasping and holding objects of different shapes, actuated using Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) materials. The paper successfully demonstrates the control of these new actuators and analyzes the generated torque for manipulating different objects.
Article
Robotics
F. Ruiz, B. C. Arrue, A. Ollero
Summary: This letter introduces the design of a soft and lightweight UAV that is entirely 3D-printed using flexible filament. The UAV's flexible arms are equipped with a tendon-actuated bending system for applications requiring physical interaction with the environment. The flexibility of the drone can be controlled during the additive manufacturing process by adjusting the infill rate and TPU distribution. The article provides insights into the dynamics of the system and demonstrates the flyability of the vehicle for densities as low as 6%. It also highlights the ability of the soft UAV to land and stabilize on pipelines and irregular surfaces without the need for an auxiliary system.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Robotics
Matthew L. Elwin, Billie Strong, Randy A. Freeman, Kevin M. Lynch
Summary: The Omnid human-collaborative mobile manipulators are experimental platforms designed to test control architectures for autonomous and human-collaborative multirobot mobile manipulation. They consist of a mecanum-wheel omnidirectional mobile base and a series-elastic Delta-type parallel manipulator. The mocobots are designed with passive compliance for safety and high-fidelity end-effector force control.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Xinyu Cai, Shane Kyi Hla Win, Hitesh Bhardwaj, Shaohui Foong
Summary: In this study, a novel modular aerial robotic platform called ARROWs is introduced, which can be easily reconfigured with customized wing and control modules. Unlike conventional multirotor aerial vehicles, ARROWs generate more lift through revolving wings. However, the complex dynamics pose challenges in flight controller development. To address this, a cascaded flight controller is designed based on simplified flight dynamics and relaxed hovering conditions, while inertial measurement units are employed to estimate flight configuration. Experimental results validate the proposed platform and flight control strategy in 12 different configurations.
IEEE-ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS
(2023)
Article
Robotics
Fatemeh Zahedi, Dongjune Chang, Hyunglae Lee
Summary: This letter introduces a user-adaptive variable damping controller that improves the overall performance of coupled human-robot systems during physical interaction. Bayesian optimization is used to evaluate and optimize the controller performance, considering the uncertainty of human behaviors and noisy observations. Experiments with a robotic arm manipulator show that the adaptive control strategy significantly reduces energy expenditure and improves stability, agility, and user effort.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Robotics
Jeffrey Mao, Stephen Nogar, Christopher M. M. Kroninger, Giuseppe Loianno
Summary: This article focuses on the problem of active visual perching (AVP) control to autonomously perch on inclined surfaces. The proposed approach generates feasible trajectories and takes into account actuator and field-of-view constraints. Experimental results show that the approach improves target interception precision and accuracy compared to one-shot planning.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ROBOTICS
(2023)
Article
Robotics
David Alejo, Francois Chataigner, Daniel Serrano, Luis Merino, Fernando Caballero
Summary: This paper presents a unique dataset collected in the visitable sewers of Barcelona, involving ground and aerial robots. The dataset includes a variety of sensor data, with experiments exceeding 5 km in length. Users can utilize this dataset for testing localization, SLAM, and classification algorithms in underground environments.
JOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS
(2021)
Article
Robotics
Yoonho Kim, Emily Genevriere, Pablo Harker, Jaehun Choe, Marcin Balicki, Robert W. Regenhardt, Justin E. Vranic, Adam A. Dmytriw, Aman B. Patel, Xuanhe Zhao
Summary: Advances in robotic technology have been applied to various subspecialties of surgery, but the application in endovascular neurosurgery faces technical challenges. Researchers have developed a teleoperated robotic neurointerventional platform based on magnetic manipulation, which enables navigation of narrow and winding pathways and therapeutic procedures. This system improves the safety and efficiency of surgery, reduces radiation exposure to physicians, and opens up the possibility of remote procedural services in stroke care.
Article
Robotics
Walid Amanhoud, Jacob Hernandez Sanchez, Mohamed Bouri, Aude Billard
Summary: The study investigates the use of robotic assistance in four-arm manipulation scenarios, with two robotic arms controlled by the feet. Findings suggest that force assistance enhances human-robot fluency and reduces fatigue in such tasks, with delegating grasping force to the robotic arms being a crucial factor.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBOTICS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Daniel Cardin-Catalan, Antonio Morales, Immaculada Llop-Harillo, Antonio Perez-Gonzalez, Angel P. del Pobil
Summary: This paper presents a design of grippers for delicate edible products, utilizing a soft and variable-stiffness approach. The gripper prototypes, composed of rigid and soft parts, are evaluated experimentally and compared using standardized benchmarks. A new benchmark for edible grasping is proposed and used to measure the performance of the grippers. The final gripper prototype demonstrates sufficient payload and adaptability in grasping various edibles without causing damage.
ENGINEERING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL-JESTECH
(2023)
Article
Robotics
Nicolas Kubail Kalousdian, Grzegorz Lochnicki, Valentin N. Hartmann, Samuel Leder, Ozgur S. Oguz, Achim Menges, Marc Toussaint
Summary: The introduction of robotics and machine learning has improved efficiency in architectural construction. This study presents a new mobile robotic system and learning approach for assembling natural materials with varying mechanical properties, aiming to achieve sustainable construction practices.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Surgery
Satoshi Miura, Taisei Kaneko, Kazuya Kawamura, Yo Kobayashi, Masakatsu G. Fujie
Summary: This study validated the feasibility of a method that measures brain activity to evaluate the stress levels of surgeons. It found that stress-related brain activity was significantly reduced at specific gain settings.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ROBOTICS AND COMPUTER ASSISTED SURGERY
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Rhys Howard, Claudio Zito
Summary: This paper proposes learning a parametric internal model for predicting the outcomes of push interactions, achieved by learning local contact models and local motion models. This approach demonstrates effective prediction in simulated and real environments, with biased and unbiased predictors generating reliable results consistent with a physics simulator.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROROBOTICS
(2021)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Markus Ryll, Davide Bicego, Mattia Giurato, Marco Lovera, Antonio Franchi
Summary: FAST-Hex is a micro aerial hexarotor platform that can adapt its configuration between under-actuated and fully actuated states. It features a lightweight mechanical structure and a flexible motion controller for efficient pose tracking. Through experimental validation, the control performance of FAST-Hex is demonstrated.
IEEE-ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
A. E. Jimenez-Cano, D. Sanalitro, M. Tognon, A. Franchi, J. Cortes
Summary: This paper introduces the G-Fly-Crane, a proof-of-concept aerial multi-robot system that demonstrates the advantage of using multiple aerial robots as a valuable tool for novel construction techniques. The authors experimentally demonstrate the system's capability to perform tasks in a construction scenario, with increased payload capacity and dexterity compared to a single robot. The paper also provides a detailed description of the system's hardware and software architecture, as well as discussions on the next steps for real-world applications.
JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT & ROBOTIC SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Robotics
D. Sanalitro, M. Tognon, A. E. Jimenez Cano, J. Cortes, A. Franchi
Summary: We present a control strategy for a Cable-suspended Aerial Multi-Robot Manipulator (CS-AMRM) called the Fly-Crane, which allows accurate and safe tasks in the presence of expected or unexpected interactions between the platform and the environment. The control strategy enhances a previously developed Inverse Kinematic Controller (IKC) with an admittance framework and estimates contacts through a generalized momentum-based observer. Extensive experimental tests were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach and provide practical insights.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Robotics
Ramy Rashad, Davide Bicego, Jelle Zult, Santiago Sanchez-Escalonilla, Ran Jiao, Antonio Franchi, Stefano Stramigioli
Summary: This work addresses the interaction control problem of a fully actuated aerial vehicle considered as a flying end-effector. The problem is tackled using geometrically consistent variable-stiffness impedance control in the port Hamiltonian framework, ensuring safe wrench regulation. The study extends previous research on ground manipulators to novel and challenging aerial physical interaction, with a focus on quasi-static applications. The proposed control method guarantees energy-aware stability of the aerial robot in both free-flight and in-contact scenarios, providing a level of safety in the case of contact-loss with the unknown environment.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ROBOTICS
(2022)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Michael Rothammer, Andre Coelho, Hrishik Mishra, Christian Ott, Antonio Franchi, Alin Albu-Schaeffer
Summary: The article proposes a new framework consisting of a rigid Body Observer (BObs) and a pose regulator to address the commonly encountered Pfaffian (velocity) constraints in mechanical systems. The framework provides continuous estimates through the observer and stabilizes equilibrium states through the pose regulator.
IEEE CONTROL SYSTEMS LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Enrica Rossi, Marco Tognon, Luca Ballotta, Ruggero Carli, Juan Cortes, Antonio Franchi, Luca Schenato
Summary: In this paper, an inverse-kinematics controller is proposed for a class of multi-robot systems in the scenario of sampled communication. The proposed controller receives configuration measurements to re-compute velocity references for the robots, which are tracked by a low-level controller. A joint design of a sampled proportional feedback and a novel continuous-time feedforward is proposed, and closed-form expressions for instability and stability regions and convergence rate are provided. The proposed control strategy is tested via numerical simulations and compared with centralized approaches, showing comparable performance.
Article
Robotics
Chiara Gabellieri, Marco Tognon, Dario Sanalitro, Antonio Franchi
Summary: This article examines the impact of parametric uncertainties on the cooperative manipulation of a cable-suspended beam-shaped load by two aerial robots without explicit communication. It sheds light on the effects of uncertain model parameter knowledge on a communicationless force-based controller. The article analyzes the equilibrium configurations and stability in the presence of uncertainties, and explores the role of internal forces induced by nonvertical cables in load attitude control. It also studies the sensitivity of attitude error to parameter variations and provides a method to address load position error in the presence of uncertainties. The results are validated through extensive numerical tests and hardware experiments in a realistic simulation environment.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ROBOTICS
(2023)
Article
Robotics
Mahmoud Hamandi, Ismail Al-Ali, Lakmal Seneviratne, Antonio Franchi, Yahya Zweiri
Summary: This paper presents a novel optimization-based full-pose trajectory tracking method for controlling overactuated multi-rotor aerial vehicles. The method focuses on allocating feasible control inputs to track a reference trajectory, ensuring the tracking of the reference position and closest feasible attitude. The proposed real-time algorithm has been extensively tested in simulation experiments and demonstrates the capability to allocate smooth feasible control inputs while exploiting the complex set of feasible forces and moments of overactuated platforms.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2023)
Proceedings Paper
Automation & Control Systems
Andre Coelho, Alin Albu-Schaeffer, Arne Sachtler, Hrishik Mishra, Davide Bicego, Christian Ott, Antonio Franchi
Summary: This paper proposes a Nonlinear Model-Predictive Control method that can find and converge to energy-efficient regular oscillations without any control action. The approach is based on the Eigenmanifold theory, which defines the oscillations of a robot as an invariant submanifold of its state space. By formulating the control problem as a nonlinear program, the controller can handle constraints in the state and control variables and achieve energy efficiency during the convergence phase.
2022 IEEE 61ST CONFERENCE ON DECISION AND CONTROL (CDC)
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Automation & Control Systems
Martin Jacquet, Antonio Franchi
Summary: This work introduces a Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (N-MPC) for camera-equipped Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which controls the UAV motion to ensure the quality of vision-based state estimation while performing other tasks. The controller is suitable for multirotor UAVs and provides open-source software.
2022 IEEE/RSJ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INTELLIGENT ROBOTS AND SYSTEMS (IROS)
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Automation & Control Systems
Gianluca Corsini, Martin Jacquet, Hemjyoti Das, Amr Afifi, Daniel Sidobre, Antonio Franchi
Summary: This article discusses the delivery of an object to a human coworker using an aerial robot. It presents a Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) method that considers ergonomics and can be applied to any multi-rotor aerial vehicle. The control framework optimizes human ergonomics, adapts to human movements, maintains visibility, and avoids collision risks.
2022 IEEE/RSJ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INTELLIGENT ROBOTS AND SYSTEMS (IROS)
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Engineering, Aerospace
Ayham Alharbat, Hanieh Esmaeeli, Davide Bicego, Abeje Mersha, Antonio Franchi
Summary: This paper introduces and compares three most relevant approaches for Aerial Physical Interaction (APhI) control, and performs numerical investigation for performance comparison. These approaches all satisfy input and state constraints, but differ in the design of the cost function.
2022 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (ICUAS)
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Engineering, Aerospace
Andriy Dmytruk, Giuseppe Silano, Davide Bicego, Daniel Bonilla Licea, Martin Saska
Summary: This paper presents a perception-aware nonlinear model predictive control strategy for vision-based target tracking and collision avoidance with a multi-rotor aerial vehicle. The control strategy considers realistic actuation limits and visual perception constraints, and enables safe navigation in a workspace area with dynamic obstacles.
2022 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (ICUAS)
(2022)