IPAB Workshop - 29/11/2018

Title: Controlling robot arms without feedback

Abstract: Most robot arms rely on sensory feedback to enable them to stably execute their target motions. However, feedback can be delayed, noisy or even absent in case of sensor failure. Furthermore, high feedback gains are energy inefficient. In this presentation I will discuss the possibilities for choosing trajectories such that the natural dynamics of the robot arm are sufficient to execute its task, without relying on sensory feedback.

Abstract: The use of robotics has recently seen significant growth in various domains such as unmanned ground/underwater/aerial vehicles, smart manufacturing, and humanoid robots. However, one of the most important and essential capabilities required for long term autonomy, which is the ability to operate robustly and safely in real-world environments, in contrast to industrial and laboratory setup is largely missing. Designing robots that can operate reliably and efficiently in cluttered and changing environments is non-trivial, especially for high degree-of-freedom (DoF) systems, i.e. robots with multiple actuators. On one hand, the dexterity offered by the kinematic redundancy allows the robot to perform dexterous manipulation tasks in complex environments, whereas on the other hand, such complex system also makes controlling and planning very challenging. To address such two interrelated problems, we exploit robot motion synthesis from three perspectives that feed into each other: end-pose planning, motion planning and motion adaptation. We propose several novel ideas in each of the three phases, using which we can efficiently synthesise dexterous manipulation motion for fixed-base robotic arms, mobile manipulators, as well as humanoid robots in cluttered and potentially changing environments.